Fwd: TeenBloc is in full swing

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: A+ Schools

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

TeenBloc: Elevating Student Voice TeenBloc is A+ Schools' youth leadership program that works directly with students on issues that affect their school experiences. The program is a coalition of student leaders and organizers in Pittsburgh-area high schools whose purpose is to raise the student voice and create positive change in education. TeenBloc advocates for students and at the same time teaches students to advocate for themselves.  This past summer, TeenBloc held a Youth Organizing Academy that engaged close to 20 students in advocacy and leadership development. The students learned goal-setting, communication skills, organizing techniques and how to analyze and address issues that affect them and their peers. Since the summer, students have met on a regular basis in both citywide and chapter meetings to continue to develop their issue campaign around effective teaching and to plan a major youth conference that will be held in January.  Directly below you'll find more information on the citywide meeting, the conference and how to get involved in TeenBloc.   Inform and Take Action Calling all students to attend the next TeenBloc Citywide Meeting on Tuesday, November 21, 2017 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at 1901 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 in the Hill District.  Click here to RSVP. Click here to listen to some of our TeenBloc students talk about their experiences on "The Youth Block" podcast as part of Youth Express radio service.  Watch our latest episode of "Education Update" on PCTV, which focuses on the TeenBloc program.  To join a TeenBloc chapter meeting or to learn more about media training and podcast opportunities, contact Brandon Ahmauri, PULSE Fellow and TeenBloc Coordinator at: bmcclendon@aplusschools.org or 412-697-1298 ext. 104.  MLK Dreaming Radically Youth Conference TeenBloc will host its inaugural MLK Dreaming Radically Youth Conference on Monday, January 15, 2018 from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m.  The conference will be held at 1901 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 in the Hill District.  The purpose of the conference is to help students recognize and celebrate their individual and shared power. Participants will brainstorm sustainable solutions regarding their educational experiences, develop action plans and network with other student leaders and activists.  The event is free and open to high school students throughout the Pittsburgh area.  Contact Brandon Ahmauri at: bmcclendon@aplusschools.org or 412-697-1298 ext. 104 for more information.    Click here to register for the conference. Click here to download the event flier. A+ Schools | 412.697.1298| Email | www.aplusschools.org STAY CONNECTED:

A+ Schools, 1901 Centre Avenue, Suite 302A, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Learning Links

	The Origin of Everything YouTube Channel from PBS investigates the “why” behind many aspects of everyday life. The fun videos are perfect for your most curious students, or for getting students excited about learning on their own. Video topics range from history (Why is there a South and North Korea?) to pop culture (Where does the #Hashtag come from?).
	Quizlet Diagrams help students see what they're learning in a whole new way. Whether you're studying human anatomy or national geography, this new feature makes studying a lot more fun. Create custom diagrams, or choose from Quizlet's premade sets.

Getting started guide for teachers, https://quizlet.com/help/2444126/how-teachers-can-use-quizlet

Sadly, Quizlet is not free. Get a free period of 14-days, then pay for the year. I won't be paying. 

Aquatics and Pittsburgh Public Schools

PPS Community Schools v2.0 from Mark Rauterkus

Tip: You might want to view this on the SlideShare site so it can easily go to full screen.

Ask for the PDF or Keynote if you want parts or all of it.

Fwd: Call for Action re Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Valerie Smith, Swarthmore College

Dear Members of the Swarthmore Community, Late last week I joined Haverford President Kim Benston and Bryn Mawr President Kim Cassidy '85 in sending a slightly modified version of the following letter to our elected officials in Washington. It expresses why the recently proposed House version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will directly harm higher education in this country. The Act includes a number of changes to the tax code that will significantly increase the cost both of college and of student debt. While the Senate version of the bill is not quite as onerous, it also imposes new excise taxes on private college and universities, and it does not appear to provide the long-promised middle class tax "relief." I write now to urge you to familiarize yourself with this quickly unfolding legislation, which will almost certainly change again, and to ask you to consider texting, emailing, and/or calling your representatives in the House and Senate to stand with us in opposition to the bill, in whole or in part. Sincerely, Valerie Smith President *************************** At a time when lawmakers and the public should be keenly focused on lowering college cost and student debt burdens, this bill makes higher education in America more costly and less accessible. It harms higher education in the following ways: • New excise taxes on approximately 70 private college endowments will take millions of dollars away from needy students and vital college operations. Endowment income plays a major role in maintaining financial aid and covering educational costs. The taxation of this income will weaken access to college, academic programs, and physical plants. It will directly cause job losses at many colleges and universities (thereby hurting local economies). Simply put, taxing our endowment will seriously harm our ability to support our academic mission, our commitment to public engagement, and our determination to make a liberal arts education accessible and affordable to all qualified students. It will almost certainly divert resources away from helping students. • The elimination of colleges' access to tax free funding (via the municipal bond market) will hurt their ability to build and maintain educational facilities at a reasonable cost. Here at Swarthmore, we have issued our debt through the Swarthmore Borough Authority, thereby benefitting our broader community. While this provision was excluded from the Senate bill, it remains in the House proposal. • The elimination of itemized deductions among 95% of taxpayers will greatly reduce charitable giving, as will the elimination of the estate tax. The loss of this support will directly reduce giving to charitable organizations, including Swarthmore, and would affect both financial aid for students in need and educational programming that prepares students to be productive citizens. • Three repeals that penalize students—the repeal of the deduction for interest on tuition loans; the repeal of the Hope Scholarships Tax Credit; and the repeal of the Lifelong Learning Credit will make it harder for Americans to afford college tuition and will significantly increase student debt. The result will be less educated and less solvent citizens.  •  The House and Senate bills both propose taxing benefits that colleges and universities typically provide for their employees. Most significantly, the proposals would tax dependent tuition benefits as well as educational benefits for employees. Other benefits, such as access to our health facilities could be taxed as well. These proposals will add a burden on our employees and run counter to our deeply held belief in the value of education and wellness. In addition to the negative practical consequences of this bill, it sets a dangerous precedent. Much of the money in our endowment is the result of charitable donations from individuals looking to provide scholarship and aid for students and to advance the pursuit of education and knowledge for the next generation. With this bill, the federal government is replacing the donor's intent for the use of their funds with the government's intent, setting a dangerous precedent for all charitable giving in America. The cumulative result of these tax changes will be losses in jobs and national economic health; educational access and quality; innovation and discovery; and American global competitiveness.  For over a century, the United States has offered higher education that is the envy of the world, enhancing our global standing and competitiveness. The proposed legislation will do lasting damage to our system of national education, hurting us at home and abroad for countless years to come. Although this bill is framed as a way to make colleges more affordable, we believe it will have the opposite effect, as colleges may be forced to move funding allocated for scholarship and aid. This will directly harm students and their families. We urge you to reject or significantly amend this harmful bill.

Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA | 19081 US

Fwd: It's Back! Applications Are Now Open For Chile 2018

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "ISLA Lifeguards" <info@islasurf.org>
Date: Nov 12, 2017 9:45 AM
Subject: It's Back! Applications Are Now Open For Chile 2018
To: "Mark Rauterkus" <mark@rauterkus.com>
Cc:

We Are Lifeguards. We Are Globetrotters. We Are Activists. We Are ISLA. Visit our website for more information on our humanitarian operations.   Is this email not displaying correctly? view it in your browser. CHILE LIFEGUARD EXCHANGE JANUARY 10 - 21, 2018     Don't miss this opportunity of a lifetime! Share your skills abroad while boosting your professional knowledge of lifesaving by joining ISLA's fifth lifeguard exchange in Chile. Our team of International lifeguards will spend the first few days preparing to provide water safety for the Pucon Ironman 70.3, then the ISLA team will head to the port city of Valparaiso to lifeguard the beach during the busy summer season.  Checkout pictures from some of our prior Chilean Lifeguard Exchanges HERE!.  Applicants who are fluent in Spanish are not required, but highly desired. Applications close November 26th 2017, so don't delay your submission.  LEARN MORE WHO WE ARE ISLA is the world's leading surf lifesaving development organization. Since 2008 we have: Conducted 47 Humanitarian Projects Deployed Over 377 volunteers  Operations in 6 continents  Trained over 1,000 lifeguards Donated over $100,000 in lifesaving equipment REQUEST ISLA SERVICES Upcoming Projects Join us on our next humanitarian trip. Certification Recognized in 6 continents. Membership Unlock discounts on over 300 brands.  Store The only place to find official ISLA swag.     Sponsor or Advertise    Donate     About Us     Press     FAQ Copyright © 2017 International Surf Lifesaving Association, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you support lifesaving and drowning prevention.

This email was sent to mark@rauterkus.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences International Surf Lifesaving Association · 8941 Atlanta Avenue #220 · Huntington Beach, California 92646 · USA

Fwd: This is Armistice Day

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John H

It's long past time for us to act to force our government to end the senseless wars of aggression we have been waging since 2003.  It is time to examine our past actions in the light of the harsh reality they present.  And it is time to raise our voices to our politicians demanding that they act in our interests and not those of the military/industrial/intelligence contractors and the corporate whores who support and profit from these futile and destructive wars. 

We have become the 'evil empire' imposing our will (or attempting to) upon the rest of the world.  While we shiver in fear of terrorism, most of which we are directly responsible for, too few of us recognize what it is that we as a nation have become and how most of the rest of the world have come to see us.  This is a form of propaganda induced mental disease from which we must somehow recover before we allow our leaders to resort to nuclear Armageddon in a futile attempt to sustain world dominance.

In the attached article Edith Bell proposes an excellent first start.

John

• This is Armistice Day, let's declare war on war - PDF article

Fwd: Race, Repression and Russiagate

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John H

It's important to look around every so often and reflect on just how this "system" of ours deals out major parts of society and those it can't directly control with propaganda denigrates as communists, revolutionaries, criminals and otherwise "bad people".  Because this has become the norm and because the most common victims of this treatment are Blacks and other folks of color, it is incumbent on the part of whites to recognize and respond as best we can.  The history of this process is long, disturbing and terribly destructive of the values most of us pretend to hold dear but seldom rise to defend.

John

• Link to article