9 Dots

Our CS Superheroes have arrived! Fearlessly, they coded through the trenches, squashed any bug in their way, and worked together to compare their ideas, find better solutions, and tried tirelessly to uplift and improve our CS Community. Without further ado, the awardees are: Lee McMillan (Yorkdale Elementary), Claudia Frutos (Tibby Elementary School) and Cara Fields (Beethoven Elementary). Thank you for your endless support and efforts this past year! Look out for more celebration of these #CSSuperHeroes next week!

Attention Get Coding teachers! We are offering two optional Webinars on Monday, October 5th. There will be two separate sessions: Intro to the 9 Dots Platform and Teaching with Zoom. If you missed Summer Kickoff, this is a great recap of two of our most popular sessions! RSVP here: tinyurl.com/9Dots2020

We are 1 day away from the 9 Dots Summer Kickoff! It's not too late to RSVP - teachers can attend either Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. At Summer Kickoff, teachers will participate in a fun, engaging PD that covers our curriculum, teaching coding in distance learning, and more. We will be raffling off gift cards to all those in attendance! Get Coding teachers can RSVP at: tinyurl.com/RSVPSummerKickoff

How can the 9 Dots Summer Kickoff support schools in providing a transformative CS education to students? We will cover important topics to support teachers this school year, including: Curriculum Overview, Teaching 9 Dots with Zoom, Equity in CS, Connecting CS to Math and ELA, and more! In addition to informative sessions, we will be raffling off gift cards in an effort to thank our teachers for going above and beyond to provide your students computer science education. Get Coding teachers can RSVP at tinyurl.com/RSVPSummerKickoff

Our Summer Kickoff prepares Get Coding teachers to teach computer science in their classrooms. It is a space for our teachers across Los Angeles Unified School District and Compton Unified School District to build community, learn, and prepare for the next school year. As the beginning of the new school year is approaching we are excited to announce our Summer Kickoff dates! The Summer Kickoff dates are: August 12, 13, and 14. We look forward to working closely with partnered teachers and staff to help prepare them for another year of coding! Teachers can RSVP at tinyurl.com/9DotsSummerKickoff

We would like to celebrate the work we did with LAUSD and Compton Unified this year bringing Computer Science education to over 6,500 students. Thank you to our partner schools and teachers for their continued support through in school and remote CS education! We hope you all are enjoying your summer break!

We are excited to honor Cara Fields as the CS Education Hero Administrator Awardee. As Principal at Beethoven Elementary, she has continuously shown how important STEM education is to her and her students. She cares that her students have an opportunity to engage in a rigorous CS education because she knows that it will open doors for them in their future. She even went as far as taking the initiative to lead a STEM after school club, even if that meant adding more to her already full plate. This is just the kind of principal she is: fully committed to putting her students first. Click below to head over to our blog to learn more about Principal Fields' efforts to turn her school into a model for other elementary schools with CS as a core subject offered: bit.ly/37BbN0e

Today’s spotlight is on Claudia Frutos, teacher at Tibby Elementary, and CS Education Hero Awardee. Her work in the classroom exemplifies what happens when skill meets passion. She leads her classroom with a vibrant and robust tenacity that’s reflected in her students’ curiosity and engagement. She has displayed a growth mindset as she learned CS to further develop her impact as a CS educator. Read more about her amazing work on our blog: bit.ly/2N5uMqo

We invite you to celebrate the work done by Lee McMillan, teacher at Yorkdale Elementary, and CS Education Hero Awardee. McMillan has consistently demonstrated his flexibility and a commitment to CS by asking for support with the lesson of the week and developing himself as a CS educator to TK/K students. He consistently taught his students CS, even in weeks where he was not scheduled for support. He is a creative problem solver and advocate for CS education. Read more about his commitment to CS education on our blog: bit.ly/3d1YyGR

Black Lives Matter. 9 Dots condemns the horrific killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbury, Breonna Taylor and so many others. Core to our mission is pursuing more equitable futures for the students and families we serve. Find our full statement, and read more about what we do on our website. #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor #JusticeForAhmaudArbery

CS SuperHeroes are all around us, from our teachers and administrators, to our students, and our parents/guardians. They take the time to make computer science more accessible. Last year, Mr. Fein (pictured here) won the award for his impactful dedication to providing his students with a thorough CS education at Vine St Elementary. We thank you for your hard work! You’re all #CSSuperHeroes! We will be unmasking our awardees in one day! Not all superheroes wear capes but they do teach!

Get ready! Get Coding teachers have gone above and beyond in their classrooms to bring CS education to their students. They have empowered themselves and have given their students the tools to build their future and reimagine their communities. Find out this years’ awardees of the CS Education Heroes Awards in just two days! #StayHomeStayCoding #CSSuperHeroes

Michele Dawson, the SR. Director for Compton USD EdTech team, is a dedicated partner who is committed to making sure students in CUSD have access to CS education. She is an advocate for CS education and truly works to close the equity gap in CS. Last year, she was an awardee for our CS Education Heroes awards and we are looking forward to announcing this years’ awardees next week. Thank you for all your hard work and commitment to bringing a transformative CS education to CUSD students. You are an amazing #CSSuperHero

Gershon, a 4th grade student in our Academy program, is continuing to code at home during our distance learning classes. His parents have been supporting him in his journey in learning CS for a few years now. They told us that our Academy distance learning classes and support are making this situation easier for our children. We are so glad to support and create opportunities for students to continue coding. #StayHomeStayCoding #CSSuperHeroes

To celebrate our teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week, the 9 Dots staff created this video to express our gratitude to each and every one of the teachers we have the pleasure to work with. Thank you for being fearless leaders throughout the year and through school closures. We can’t wait to see you again next year! https://youtu.be/M1fAm6Jgvc0