An item from a K-12 blended learning organization.

We are releasing our new name in two weeks!

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In This Week’s Issue

• The Countdown Continues! 2 Weeks Until our New Name Announcement
• Woonsocket Educator reflects on Collective Care for Educators Wellness Retreat
• Educator Wellbeing Grant Opportunity from GiveThx

Can you guess what it is?

We’ll be sending out clues every week leading up to our big announcement in August, so please stay tuned!

Reflecting on the Collective Care for Educators Retreat 

This year, Nellie Mae Education Foundation called for nominations with the goal of providing deserving public school educators with a summer healing/mental wellness retreat in partnership with HealHaus.

Our Instructional Equity Partner Heidi Vazquez was proud to nominate Nicole Kucharski, a 4th grade multilingual learner inclusion teacher and the multilingual learner instructional leader at Kevin K. Coleman Elementary School in Woonsocket, RI. Nicole is constantly learning and growing her own practice as a classroom educator and teacher leader. She believes in cultivating classroom environments that run on empathy, kindness, and compassion; as well as a focus on building relationships. She also believes in holding all students to high standards while providing them with the tools they need to be self-reliant learners.

“Thank you for nominating me for the retreat. I had an amazing time and am so grateful I stepped out of my comfort zone to attend. The hotel was wonderful and the retreat was full of self care such as yoga, a workshop, and a sound bath as well as connecting with other educators. I even left with a goody bag full of relaxation items! Apparently this was the first time putting on this event but they hope to continue in the future. If you ever nominate someone who is unsure, please have them contact me to I can encourage them to take the leap!”

– Nicole Kucharski, Coleman Elementary School, Woonsocket, RI 

Congratulations Nicole! We appreciate all of the work you do in support of students in your classroom. And thank you Nellie Mae and HealHaus for offering this powerful and unique experience!

From Other Organizations

Educator Wellbeing Program Grant

This year, GiveThx piloted its Educator Wellbeing Program Grant across 2 districts and 15 individual schools to address unprecedented educator burnout, lower mental health, and disconnection. The grant fully funded GiveThx’s low-lift, high-impact practices, software and training with staff, who reported significant increases in engagement and wellbeing.

With the generous support of our funders, we are launching an expanded 2023-2024 Educator Wellbeing Program Grant initiative to support a larger number of schools and districts. We are looking for leaders working on staff wellbeing, culture or retention who might be interested in the fully funded program as a way to support their efforts. Click below to learn how to apply for one of the grant-funded 2023-2024 spots for your district or school. Applications close August 15.

Learn More & Apply