OSPI has released the Perkins reserve grant for Precision Exams Industry Certifications!
Here is a link to the grant application from OSPI. 
​
​Applications are due Friday, December 13th.  
For new partners: 

• Call or email me for a quote (this will help you complete the amount on the application)
• Complete application
• Email application to Michelle Lewis @ michelle.lewis@k12.wa.us

For current partners:

• Complete application (contact me if you have questions on the amount)
• Email application to Michelle Lewis @ michelle.lewis@k12.wa.us

2020 is quickly approaching, which means it is once again time to start talking about the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship. WSOS now has TWO scholarship programs: Baccalaureate Scholarship and Career and Technical Scholarship (CTS).

Baccalaureate Scholarship
Our Baccalaureate Scholarship has been offered since 2012. It provides up to $22,500 in financial aid, plus support services for students planning to earn a bachelor’s degree in a high-demand STEM and health care major. These scholarship funds are flexible and can be used to cover tuition, fees and other indirect costs of attendance like housing, transportation, food and more.

This year, our application cycle will be shorter than usual, opening January 6 and closing February 6. We’re shortening the application window so that we can notify recipients of their selection sooner. We want the Opportunity Scholarship to be an important factor in the college decision-making process for more students. 

CTS
The CTS supports students planning to complete a certificate, apprenticeship or associate degree in a high-demand field trade, STEM or health care field like welding, manufacturing or information technology. It provides up to $1,500 per quarter plus support services for the duration of a students’ program. These funds are flexible and can be used to cover tuition, fees and other indirect costs of attendance like housing, transportation, food and more.

The CTS application will open in January for students looking for funding in spring quarter 2020. We need your help making sure students apply for the right program since we will have two applications open at the same time. Here's some tips to keep in mind while talking to students:

• If students think they may earn a bachelor’s degree after completing their program, they should apply for the Baccalaureate Scholarship - not CTS!
• Current high school seniors who want to attend a community college in the fall of 2020 should complete the late spring application (May - June), NOT the application open in January.

How can you help your students get these scholarships?
Here's how you can best support your students:

1. Learn more about each scholarship by visiting our website.
2. Be a champion. Most students apply on the advice of someone they know.
3. Participate in our Train the Trainer webinar. Near the beginning of each application cycle we will send out invites so that partners can stay up to date with the application requirements and get a walk through of the online application.
4. When each application opens, share this opportunity with teachers, coaches, families and community leaders so they can be champions too!

We’ll be in touch again as we get ready to open the 2020 Baccalaureate Scholarship application! If you have any questions in the meantime, please visit our website or reach out to us at awards@waopportunityscholarship.org.

​Completed nomination forms should originate from school districts and are due via email to cte@k12.wa.us no later than 5:00 pm on Wednesday, November 20, 2019.

Program Details - PDF

Application - Word Document

Dear Members of the Washington State Legislature,

On behalf of Amazon, I’m sharing an exciting opportunity for high school seniors in your district!

Starting November 4, 2019, all high school students who have taken, or are currently enrolled in, AP computer science, and intend to study computer science in college, are eligible for the Amazon Future Engineer scholarship, which includes:

• $10,000/year scholarship towards an undergraduate degree in computer science, up to $40,000 for all four years;
• Guaranteed paid software engineering summer internship at Amazon after their freshman year of college.

Amazon will be granting 100 scholarships to high school seniors who graduate in 2020.  The application opens today, 11/4/19, and will close on January 17, 2020. 

Students can apply and learn more at the link: https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/amazonfutureengineer/

Please spread the word with your local school districts, computer science teachers and/or share on social media!

Please contact Guy Palumbo at guyp@amazon.com if you have questions.

If you’ve never participated in Money Smart Week and want to learn more, visit our website. Learn how you can be a supporter here!

Please be sure to sign up as a partner ASAP in the new Money Smart Communities web platform.

To sign up as a Partner, go to the Money Smart Week website; select GET INVOLVED; Sign up / Login and follow the steps to activate your account on the new site. Once you are registered you will have access to our Washington Community platform, and to partner training, planning sessions.

New this year is a request from Money Smart Week to assign “regional coordinators” serving as a single point of contact in their area.

We are seeking volunteers to serve as regional coordinators throughout Washington State – using general regions including:

1. Northern Coast (Ocean Shores and North)
2. Southern Coast (Aberdeen and South
3. Islands (Whidbey, San Juans)
4. North Sound (North of Seattle)
5. Peninsula (Gig Harbor, Vashon Island, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Pouslbo, Port Townshend, Sequim, etc.)
6. Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia
7. South Sound (South of Olympia)
8. Wenatchee area (including North to Winthrop
9. Central WA (Ellensburg, Yakima, Tricities, Walla Walla)
10. Okanogan County area (North of Spokane, East of Wenatchee)
11. Spokane
12. Pullman

Please let me know if you are interested in serving as a regional coordinator, or if you have a quality referral for us. I am happy to reach out to that person directly. Once you register as a partner, I will be able to set up our “regional coordinators” and assign them an admin role.

We are hosting a “MSW Basics” Webinar Friday, Nov. 1 from 1-2 p.m. We’ll walk you through how to sign up to be a partner, walk through the Washington Money Smart Week page, show you how to enter an event into the calendar, and (hopefully) show you where to find the graphics, fliers and marketing materials.

Here is the link to join us online – you will want to be on your computer for this one as we’ll be showing you Web sites. 

If you can only call in, we’ll do our best to be descriptive when we talk – here are the call in #s:

• +1-415-655-0001 US Toll
• +1-206-207-1700 United States Toll (Seattle)

Meeting number: 803 143 856
Meeting password: MSW2020-1

If you have any questions, please call or email me directly!

Melody Cahill, Money Smart Week Washington Co-Chair
Washington Department of Financial Institutions
Communications
360-902-8789
melody.cahill@dfi.wa.gov

The deadline to apply for this year's final Certified Teacher Program cohort is next Friday!
 
Want to become an ed-tech expert and meet other digital learning leaders from across North America? Through this self-paced professional development program , you'll demonstrate how you facilitate blended-learning resources in your classroom and earn a micro-credential, digital badge and PD certificate.  
 
Click here to submit an application for the fall cohort by September 20th.

To learn more, click here.

Erin Cassidy-Dorion, PHD Candidate at State University of New York at Albany is gathering information for a research project on entrepreneurship education. The current focus is on schools that offer programming in entrepreneurship to high school students. 

If you would like to provide any information or participate, please contact Erin.
(518) 429-6451

High Demand Career and Technical Education
Form Package: 414
Eligible Sub-grantees: Public School, School District

Purpose:
OSPI will allocate grants to middle schools, high schools, or skill centers, to develop or upgrade high-demand career and technical education programs. Grant funds shall be allocated on a one-time basis and may be used to purchase or improve curriculum, create pre-apprenticeship programs, upgrade technology and equipment to meet industry standards, and for other purposes intended to initiate a new program or improve the rigor and quality of a high demand program. Priority in allocating the funds shall be given to programs that are also considered high cost due to the types of technology and equipment necessary to maintain industry certification. Priority shall also be given to programs considered in most high demand in the state or applicable region.

Due Date: 10/24/19 4:00 pm

Questions? Contact:
Douglas Meyer
CTE Program Supervisor
doug.meyer@k12.wa.us​

Click here Ross was born on March 12, 1938 in Spokane, WA to James and Norma Byrd. He graduated from John Rogers High School in 1955.  He was active in the Glee Club, Booster Club, Student Council, Sergeant at Arms, Tanglefoot, Baseball, Junior Math Club and worked at Rosauer’s Market in HS and College.  Ross got his undergraduate degree in Business Education at Eastern Washington University in 1959.  He taught at Shadle Park High School in Spokane from 1959-1965 in the Business Education Department and was the Department Chair. Ross was also a Business Education Teacher at Spokane Public Night School from 1960-65 and Spokane Community College.  Ross was active in The Army National Guard from 1960-1962.  At the same time, he was attending Whitworth College to earn his Master’s Degree, which he completed in 1963. School wasn’t his only interest; he married Ida, his high school sweetheart in 1958.  They had three children; Dan, David and Marcia. His children remember him as kind, positive, and very driven father who encouraged them to pursue their goals to gain happiness and success.  He taught his kids how to boat, ski, camp, and travel the US in a tiny VW with a luggage rack on top!  In 1966, Ross moved the family to Pullman, WA so he could complete his doctorate degree at WSU.  (Go Cougs!)  In 1969, the Byrd family moved to Ellensburg so Ross could join the CWU faculty in the Business Education Department.

Ross was a faculty member at CWU for 31 years and department chair for his last 16 years.  He served as President of the WSBEA and EWBEA; Editor, Secretary, and President of WBEA; President of WVA; served on the NBEA Executive Board; served as NABTE secretary and was on the Executive Board.  He was also conference chair for WSBEA and WBEA conferences.  Active in curriculum development and research, he also wrote several position papers and resolutions for WSBEA. Ross received several awards; WBEA and WSBEA Distinguished Service Award, WBEA Outstanding Business Educator, WBEA President’s Award and WSBEA Lifetime Achievement Award.  Ross was very dedicated to his students and was a major advisor to many graduate students, student teachers and in charge of first year teacher visitations.  Ross was a teacher, mentor, and friend for many business educators in Washington State.  He always took time to judge at the FBLA conference and was invested in the business leaders of the state.  He was a devoted individual who loved teaching and who was passionate about educating his students.  He would always say, “I am going to school,” never to work!

After retirement Ross served as the President of the CWU Retirement Association and stayed active playing golf, going to the gym and hanging out with his friends telling tall tales over coffee.  He and Ida also enjoyed traveling to the Panama Canal, Alaska, Caribbean, and Mexico many times.   They both truly enjoyed boating and gave up their boat after 42 years of boating on Lake Chelan and the San Juan Islands.
​
A memorial is scheduled for Saturday, September 10 at 1:00 PM at Sue Lombard Hall on the CWU campus in the Lombard Room.   All are welcome to attend and celebrate Ross’s life. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Dr. F. Ross Byrd Scholarship Fund @ WSBEA c/o Jackie Floetke, chair, PO BOX 138, Wilson Creek, WA 98860 or donations be made to Central Washington University Foundation in memory of Professor Ross Byrd.  Funds received will be used to establish the Professor Ross Byrd Scholarship Endowment at the CWU College of Business.   Gifts may be mailed to CWU Foundation, 400 E University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926-7800, or donated online at cwu.edu/give. The family would like to thank Burien Skilled Nursing and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for their care during his illness.