Welcome Back!

August 2017 eNewsletter

Welcome Back!

Take the Digital Citizenship Pledge

ISTE

Dear WriteSteps

Writing Giggle of the Month

Social Media Spotlight

ICYMI—PledgeCents Partnership

New Team Members
“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!”
~Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Welcome Back!
Watch our 1-minute long video to hear what’s new in eWriteSteps that will help make your transition back into the classroom as smooth as possible!
Video
Click here to schedule a demo to see how CaptivationStation can work in your classroom.

Take the Digital Citizenship Pledge
Pledge With the tremendous shifts to blended learning and flipped classrooms, we know how important it is to teach kids how to be good digital citizens. We now have thousands of students across the country using our student platform, CaptivationStation. It is our mission to help them become savvy tech users, and more importantly to keep them safe. Click here to download our new “Digital Citizenship Pledge” to use with your students. We’ve included a Word version as well in case you’d like to personalize it for your class.


ISTE
Joanna
Our Blended Learning Specialist, Joanna Van Raden, was chosen to present at the International Society of Technology Education Conference this June in San Antonio. We could not be more proud! Her session, which focused on “Blending the Writer’s Workshop,” was jam packed with more than 150 educators. Joanna explains, “Teachers want more time to conference with students. They know that this is how they can make sure they are meeting the needs of all students. Teachers don’t know how to make time for this. That’s where I come in!” Ms. V’s session was full of ways to use technology tools and incorporate alternative delivery methods into their classrooms. She emphasized the Triple E framework that reminds teachers to Enhance, Engage, and Extend learning. Joanna shared her own experience and success with many of her favorite digital publishing tools as well as our own instructional videos, Captivators, and our blended student instruction and practice platform, CaptivationStation. Upcoming conference presentations on her agenda so far this year include, TCEA in Austin, Texas, GAETC in Atlanta, Georgia, and NYSCATE in Rochester, New York. If you plan on attending any of these conferences, be sure to attend her lively session! This year’s title is “A New Twist on the Writer’s Workshop: Blend It.” Have questions? Contact her at [email protected].

Dear WriteSteps
Dear WriteSteps
Writing Giggle of the Month
Do you have a funny or heartwarming student writing piece that you’d like to share? If so, email it to [email protected] to be featured in an upcoming eNewsletter!

Logan wrote home during his first time away at camp. He sure missed his “daddy!”

Social Media Spotlight
Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to see how teachers near you are using CaptivationStation!

Social Media Spotlight
Social Media Spotlight
ICYMI—PledgeCents Partnership
Loving your experience with our free trial or want to use CaptivationStation but your district can’t afford it? Because of our commitment to building empowered writers, we are now giving you the opportunity to raise funds with our partners at PledgeCents. To see how it works visit: www.pledgecents.com/how-it-works

We know that budgets are tight, but we don’t want that to prevent your students from receiving the benefits of a quality writing program that they deserve. We have partnered with Pre K-12 crowdfunding experts to help you raise funds for WriteSteps’ products.

If you or your school is interested in this funding opportunity, simply click www.pledgecents.com/signup/event/write-steps! It’s quick and easy. You’ll begin raising funds immediately.


New Team Members!
EllenEllen Broder lives in Rochester, New York with her husband, teenage twins, and a cute rescue mutt. She taught elementary school for nearly a decade working with students from Kindergarten through Sixth grade. While her twins were young, Ellen worked as a Student Teaching Supervisor for SUNY Geneseo. Looking for a new challenge as the prospect of becoming an empty nester grew closer, she accepted a position as an Awareness Ambassador with WriteSteps and will be working in many counties in New York.

“Through my years as an elementary school teacher and a student teaching supervisor, it became very clear to me that teaching writing is perhaps the greatest challenge for an elementary school teacher. After seeing my first demonstration of WriteSteps, I wished that this product had been available to me during my teaching days. WriteSteps is a truly revolutionary program.” When Ellen is not working, she is likely skiing with her family, watching one of her children participate in an extra-curricular activity, enjoying the outdoors, or volunteering for one of the many local organizations with which she is active.

EmilyEmily Hopkins is originally from Mississippi and graduated from the University of Mississippi. After the birth of her first child, she went into Educational Sales. She has worked in Educational Sales for over 8 years. Emily now has 3 daughters and resides in Tennessee. She enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with family and friends. Emily will be spreading the good news about WriteSteps in many counties in Tennessee as well as some in Mississippi.


“Thank you so much for the absolutely amazing opportunity to use WriteSteps this past year. Not only did I see huge growth in my students’ writing, I feel that I blossomed as a writing teacher for the first time in my career that started in 1984…that’s saying something! My favorite thing about using WriteSteps was how confident my students became. I could ask them to write anything, and the majority happily complied. Overall, this program was quite a highlight in my classroom this year.”
~Laura Watkins, 4th Grade Teacher, Carver Elementary, Neosho, MO

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