COMMUNITY SCHOOL LEARNING EXCHANGE

When I was first settling into my office about a year ago today, I decorated the windows that face the hallway with plants I had made from construction paper along with the message, “Look at You Grow.” After I set it up, I didn’t think much about it, until school began. A certain 3rd grade student would walk past it almost every day and read it out loud to himself. Every few weeks, he would stop and tell me that he really liked that saying and my paper plants.

United Way of Erie County has been a proud sponsor of local National Night Out (NNO) events since 2004. In the past, NNO events have taken many forms including but not limited to block parties, cookouts, parades, visits from emergency personnel, rallies and marches, exhibits, youth events, safety demonstrations and seminars. NNO also aligns with the prevention portion of the three-pronged Unified Erie Violence Reduction Initiative.

United Way of Erie County was well represented last week at The Institute for Educational Leadership’s 2022 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference in Los Angeles, California. The conference theme, Uniting for Every Child's Opportunity, was both a reminder and a call to action for conference goers.

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2-6, 2022, and we are celebrating all teachers, instructors and educators past and present. We asked United Way staff who their favorite educator has been and to reflect on the impact they made on their life. Please see the responses below.

Today, McKinley Elementary School "Home of the Mariners" Captains visited Edinboro University of Pennsylvania for their end of year retreat.

In early March, the 2020-2021 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores were released to the public, issuing stark evidence of the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our most vulnerable students and schools.

United Way of Erie County serves as a required member of the Erie County Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) Board. The Emergency Food and Shelter Program was established on March 24, 1983, with the signing of the "Jobs Stimulus Bill," Public Law 98-8. That legislation created the National Board which is chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and includes several social service organizations in addition to United Way. Phased funding has continued the establishment of the EFSP.

When students can see they can learn.