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SEPTEMBER 2024 NATIONAL NEWS
The News You Need to Know
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Explore September Student Engagement Activities by clicking the Calendar below!
Public Voting for the K12 Photography Competition is now open!
The K12 Photography Competition encouraged students to share their photography skills by participating in the K12 Photo Competition for a share of the $20,000+ prize pool.
The competition is now closed but public voting is open from August 27 to September 27, 2024. Everyone is eligible to vote once per day, and a People's Choice Winner will be chosen for each grade based on public votes! Vote now and support your favorite entry!
Visit Photo Competition - K12 Enrichment to vote!
Watch the K12 Cook-Off Finale
Budding chefs in grades 6–12th competed in the K12 National Cook-Off virtual round where six lucky finalists were selected to head to Arlington, Virginia where they competed in the final in-person cook-off for their shot at the $1,000 grand prize! Don’t miss out on the action - watch these finalists cook under pressure and learn who emerged as this year’s champion!
Link to watch: K12 National Cook-Off - K12 Enrichment
2024 K12 Innovation Challenge Finals
Our 2024 K12 Innovation Challenge middle school and high school finalists traveled to Reston, VA, where they presented their proposal to a panel of judges to determine one winner in middle school and one winner in high school!
This event showcased the incredible creativity and ingenuity of young minds from across the country. Watch until the end to see who our judges (and the public) declared to be this year’s winners!
Link to watch: Innovation Challenge - K12 Enrichment
2024 K12 Robotics League Finals
Congratulations to our winning teams from the national championship! And to all participants, your creativity, problem-solving skills, and coding expertise have been outstanding!
Link to watch: Robotics Competition - K12 Enrichment
2024 K12 Art Competition Winner Reveal
Watch the much-anticipated reveal of the 2024 K12 Art Competition winners! Our talented students from grades K–12 have poured their creativity into traditional 2D art, digital masterpieces, and innovative AI-generated art. Now, it’s time to celebrate their incredible work and announce the winners who have impressed us all.
Link to watch: K12 Art Competition - K12 Enrichment
Upcoming K12 Virtual Field Trips
Big Cat Rescue at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (9/12)
Join K12 for a virtual field trip to learn about Big Cat rescue at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR), a leading sanctuary dedicated to providing lifetime care for Big Cats and rescued animals. Renowned nationwide for its compassionate approach, TCWR has earned the trust of law enforcement, universities, and other partners committed to protecting Big Cats and other wildlife. Every rescue is approached with care, ensuring existing residents continue to receive exceptional treatment. TCWR remains committed to its mission, offering a second chance to animals from across the country, from Arkansas to New York.
DATE: September 12, 2024
TIME: 2:00 PM ET
Delightful Dolphins with Clearwater Marine Aquarium (9/18)
Ever wonder what makes bottlenose dolphins different from rough-toothed dolphins? Discover the adaptations of dolphins like how they can communicate and echolocate. Join a Clearwater Marine Aquarium biologist to learn about our resident bottlenose dolphins’ rescue stories!
DATE: September 18, 2024
TIME: 2:30 PM ET
Sloths in the Spotlight: Adventures at the Toucan Rescue Ranch (9/26)
Join us for K12 Virtual Field Trip, live from the Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica!!! We'll learn all about the two and three-fingered sloths and meet some of the incredible animals they're rehabilitating. At the Toucan Rescue Ranch, they have focused on the care, rehabilitation, and release of Costa Rican wildlife since 2004. They provide sanctuary while giving treatment, rehabilitation, and when possible, release back to their natural environment. They specialize in toucans, sloths, and owls, however, we have a large array of wildlife from weasels, porcupines, cats, kinkajous, parrots, and more.
DATE: September 26, 2024
TIME: 1:00 PM ET
Want more from the K12 Virtual Field Trips? Check out the K12 Virtual Field Trips Newsletter to watch past virtual field trips, learn about upcoming virtual field trips, and sign-up for future ones!
Game On K12 Launches September 10, 2024
Get ready to press start—registration for Game On K12 opens September 10 and runs through November 18, 2024! Open to all students in grades K-12, this competition challenges students to design and develop their own educational video game. Power up your skills and level up to compete for epic prizes! Victorious players can choose their prize of a brand-new gaming console of their choice!
Click here to be notified when Game On K12 registration opens!
For more information visit: Game On K12 - K12 Enrichment
K12 Back to School Minecraft Build Challenge August 12 - September 16
Design your dream learning space! At K12, we know going "back to school" looks different for every student we serve. Whether you set up to study in your bedroom, at the kitchen table, or on the go, K12 is proud to offer students and families the flexibility of online learning.
So, where do you learn or where do you dream of being able to log into online school? Show off your Minecraft skills by building your favorite study station, learning location, or knowledge nook - or imagine something brand new to share! Your build could win you a $25 Amazon e-gift card!
Students must submit a photo of their Minecraft build to be eligible for prizes.
Open from August 12 - September 16, 2024
Enter here: K12 Minecraft Challenge - Back to School Build (votigo.com)
Public Voting for the K12 Back to School Minecraft Challenge!
Vote for your favorite K12 Back to School Minecraft Challenge builds starting September 17 - October 1, 2024.
Vote here!: K12 Minecraft Challenge - Back to School Build (votigo.com)
Podcast: "The Confident Teen" - Level Up Your School Year 2024!
Empower Your Students for Success this School Year! In this podcast episode, we’ll cover essential strategies to help students plan a successful and goal-oriented academic year. "The Confident Teen" podcast is a valuable resource designed specifically for middle and high school students. Hosted by K12.com Career Success Coaches, each episode offers practical advice, inspiring stories, and expert insights to enhance life and career skills. Encourage your students to tune in and develop the confidence and skills they need to thrive in their academic and future careers.
Submit Student Stories to Elevate
Help us tell the story of your great students and families! Please send this around to your staff and encourage them to put stories into Elevate, Stride/K12’s media gathering tool. Stories can be anything related to:
- Students who are athletes, scientists, students who have their own businesses, authors, etc.
- Students who use your great schools to overcome the odds – illness, bullying, etc.
- Families who are school advocates and would be great discussing what you do with the local media.
- Any cool school events – Capitol Day, field trips, etc
- Themes – anything around national days like MLK, Black History Month, Reading Month (Mar), and more.
There are no wrong answers so send us your stories and help us promote your students today!
LC Mental Health Series
We are excited to launch our SY 24-25 LC Mental Health Series in partnership with the Cook Center and ParentGuidance.org. Intended audience is all parents and faculty are welcome to attend as well.
The multievent registration page for the school year is located here:
Webinar-Mental-Health-Series-Cook-Center-Sessions.pdf (widen.net)
Follow our Stride K12 Student Instagram Channel! @k12.student
We are so excited to announce we have a Stride K12 Student Engagement Instagram Channel! You can find us @k12.student
This channel is meant to share about student engagement opportunities, as well as showcase student talent and elevate student voices to feel seen and heard! This channel is for our students to follow and connect with one another, as well as see what fun things we have happening!
⚠ Learning Coach Community Closing for Maintenance ⚠
We have temporarily closed the Learning Coach Community for maintenance to ensure that we continue to provide you with the best possible experience. During this period, access to the Community will be unavailable. Our support team will still be available to address any urgent issues or concerns you may have via phone call at (866) 512-2273 or chat on k12.com.
Rest assured, our team is committed to completing the maintenance as quickly and efficiently as possible to minimize the impact on our Community members. We appreciate your understanding and patience. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Ryanne at lccommunity@k12.com. We look forward to welcoming you back to a beautifully improved Community after the maintenance.
K12 Graduates Save on Tuition from American Public University
Stride is partnering with the American Public University (APU), a higher education institution that provides affordable, high-quality, workforce-relevant, online education, to offer all K12-powered school graduates a 10% off tuition grant - bringing the cost to just $315 per credit hour for undergraduates on over 200 online degree and certificate programs.
APU delivers flexible, affordable education with monthly start dates to connect you to your future faster and provide the skills you need to go further.
- $0 cost textbooks/ebooks for undergraduate classes
- $0 application fee
- No entrance exams
Students can request more information from APU at https://apupartners.com/stride
Where to Find Your School Material Shipping Timeline
Wondering when your course materials and hardware will arrive? Look no further! You can find your school’s shipping timeline by following these steps:
- Visit the School Shipping Timeline Directory: Head over to the School Shipping Timeline Directory to locate your school’s specific shipping schedule.
- Search by State: Use the directory to search by state. Find your state, and you’ll see a list of schools along with estimated delivery deadlines for course materials and hardware.
- Track Shipping Status: If you’ve already confirmed your enrollment status, click on the link provided in the directory to track the shipping status of your materials and computer equipment.
New AI Assistant
If you need help with the Online School, Materials, or need to troubleshoot a technical problem, try out the new AI Assistant on help.k12.com! The AI Assistant can help you by popping relevant articles and videos to answer your questions and fix common issues.
Did you know you can text a live Customer Support agent for help with questions about Materials and replacements? Text your Student ID to 800-255-2020 Text Messages may vary. Data rates may apply. Click here if you need help looking up your Student ID