'09 Back-to-School Greetings & Invitations
Back-to-School Greetings and Invitations,
Summer has slipped away and we're all busy making new schedules for the school year. Just as you're attempting to balance work, home, school and extra new activities, we're inviting and asking you to support your child's online learning by telling your own public virtual education story.
Policymakers, who decide the future of online public school programs, have rarely talked with a family actually engaged in an online education. They need to hear your story. It could be a word. A sentence. A paragraph ... or an essay. You're an online education pioneer with a story that needs to be told. Please email your story to info@waonlinefamilies.org . Short and sweet or long and wordy. We'd love to have your story to share with policymakers.
We are also looking for families that are interested in volunteering to host policymakers in their homes or at another venue for a virtual education demonstration. If you're interested in finding out more information about demonstrations for policymakers, please email info@waonlinefamilies.org. However, since not everyone can participate in a demonstration, we still need your personal stories to share with policymakers who can easily go to http://www.waonlinefamilies.org/ and click on "Stories". Emailing your story to info@waonlinefamilies.org is a compelling way to let policymakers know why online public school programs need to be preserved.
You're an education pioneer who can help keep the doors to online learning open. Research has always "discovered" that parent involvement in their child's education is the most significant factor in a child's success in life. You've made that commitment. You're an expert. Now I ask you to email your story so others can learn from you.
Having signed up as a member of WA Families for Online Learning, you will receive updates throughout the year on emerging online education issues like the one I am attaching today. We have already reserved a date for our WA Families for Online Learning Capitol Day - a day for students, families, and teachers to learn more about the political process by visiting our State Capitol. The coalition will also recognize and honor our legislative champions. Please mark March 11, 2010 on your calendar. It's our 4th annual "Cap Day". Start talking with your family and friends about making the trip. Hopefully, your own legislator will already have read your family's story online.
All of us, both students and adults, are increasingly communicating electronically, working remotely and meeting virtually - like we're doing now. I'm sure hoping this message reaches you and is compelling enough for you to make the time to email your own online experience about how online learning works for you. You might write about your child's favorite activity (Elluminate session, science experiment, integrated art/history project...) or special need (medical reasons, falling behind, advance learner, or other reasons) or the individual relationship with your teacher and then email it to me. If you'd like to attach a photo with your story, we'll gladly post them together. Your word, sentence, paragraph or story could be the one that helps introduce a legislator's heart and mind to the innovative, impressive, and individualized world of online learning that you've already discovered and want protected.
Thanks in advance for helping out! Best wishes as you get "Back to School" for ‘09-‘10.
Rich Dingle
President, Washington Families for Online Learning
