Educator Enrichment Express

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Issue 9

Visit us at rvaconnect.org

This Educator Enrichment Express newsletter is your regular dose of tips, insights, and inspiration on the latest trends and timeless practices in education.  

 

From AI for educators to social-emotional learning to educator well-being and so much more, we bring you practical strategies and fresh perspectives to enhance your educator journey.

As the school year winds down, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and stretched thin.  That’s why we’re inviting you to join the Take 10 for the Last 10 journey — designed to help you finish the year feeling more balanced, resilient, and fulfilled.  Each week, we’ll explore one of Brené Brown’s 10 guideposts for wholehearted living, with simple and meaningful suggestions that fit your busy schedule.  You’ll reflect on your personal and professional wellbeing, engage in self-care, and connect with colleagues for support and encouragement.

Take 10 for the Last 10 runs March 17th - May 23rd.

Have you heard of Kikori??  It is an app for educators that provides you with team building activities that teach academics AND social emotional skills.  It is a research-backed approach that combines experiential education and social emotional learning to increase social connections, deepen learning, and create lasting impact.  Check it out at: kikoriapp.com

 

Each month, Kikori provides educators with SEL calendars that provide daily SEL activities that you can lead with your students. 

 

These calendars:

Start your day with a Morning Message or Advisory Announcement

Practice those ever-important social skills with Greeting Activity

Encourage connection with a Sharing or Acknowledging Activity

Facilitate an interactive National Day Activity 

BONUS: Looking to help your students build critical social emotional skills?

 

Each of Kikori's activities are aligned to  CASEL's Social Emotional Learning standards, 21st Century Skills and Sustainable Development Skills!

 

Check out the April Elementary and Middle/High School Week One calendars:

Looking for a way to boost student engagement while strengthening writing skills? Short Answer is an easy-to-use, gamified writing tool that works across all subjects and grade levels. Whether you teach math, science, social studies, or ELA, this platform transforms writing into an interactive and competitive experience for students.

 

How It Works:

Pose a Question – Teachers create a prompt or question.
Students Respond – Students submit short written answers.
Engagement Grows – Responses are anonymously displayed for peer evaluation, class discussion, or a friendly competition.

 

Why Teachers Love It:

Encourages concise, thoughtful writing – Great for quick formative assessments.
Builds student confidence – Anonymous responses reduce anxiety around writing.
Works for any subject – Use it for explaining math solutions, analyzing historical events, summarizing scientific concepts, or reflecting on literature.
Fosters peer learning – Students can see different perspectives and improve their writing.

 

Try It in Your Classroom!

Short Answer is free to try and can easily be integrated into your lessons. Whether you want to gamify writing, spark deeper discussions, or assess understanding in a fun way, this tool is worth exploring. Check it out and see how it can energize writing in your classroom!

The District Connect Team is excited to welcome Trevor Muir to our Growing Connections Workshop on Tuesday, August 5th at the RVA Learning Center (address).  You won't want to miss this free professional development opportunity!  Trevor will dive into the idea of epic learning, classrooms, and schools, as well as address helping grow our learners into strong citizens.  In addition, there will be discussions about AI!

More information and registration will be coming soon!  Stay tuned!  But for now, SAVE THE DATE - Tuesday, August 5th!

It's already time to start thinking about Summer School... Can you believe it?!  Here is information for each of the three options offered:

 

RVA Live Courses

-Mandatory attendance 

-Summer school 2025 catalog will be updated in early February 

-Most commonly used for credit advancement as these courses are VERY intensive

Cost: $150 per course

 

Independent Options
Districts may use our independent solutions and locally oversee them throughout the summer months: 

-Odysseyware 

-Edmentum 

-Buzz

Cost: Regular yearly rates apply

 

Asynchronous Summer School
RVA does not offer oversight for independent courses throughout the summer. However, WEN does offer some oversight for but they are more limited.

Cost: Regular yearly rates apply

 

Any questions, please contact Ashley Anderson (ashley.anderson@ruralvirtual.org)

 

Please reach out at any time!

cassandra.kulibert@ruralvirtual.org

888-801-2666 ext. 8883