Get Your Child Ready to Head Back to School and Prevent the “Summer Slide”

Join Idaho Public Television, the English Language Center and the Idaho Office for Refugees, projects of Jannus, Idaho Digital Learning Alliance and the State Board of Education for  Classroom Idaho’s back-to-school Boot Camp on our CREATE Channel. Classroom Idaho Boot Camp is available for FREE across the entire state via over-the-air antenna. Additionally, many cable providers broadcast the CREATE Channel in your area.

Lessons are taught by certified Gem State teachers, and are aligned to Idaho content standards.  Elementary school modules will air Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday beginning at 8 a.m., July 14th through August 13th. 

English Language courses (ELL) will air on Mondays and repeat on Fridays beginning at Noon, July 13th through August 14th. These courses will be for both children and adults.

College and career readiness sessions will be offered on Mondays and repeated on Fridays at 11:30 a.m. These courses will be taught by academic advisors and help prepare students and parents for college and career.

During the five-week summer session, K-6th-grade students will be given direct instruction from a certified Idaho teacher via our Create channel. For the primary grades, students will get a crash course in literacy, while fourth through sixth grades will focus on English language arts and math.

The same lessons will also be available for students with internet access at IdahoPTV’s YouTube channel.

Idaho Public Television’s mission is to provide FREE standards-aligned instruction for all Idaho children during this time of need. This will ensure Gem State students have access to educational materials, regardless of their access to broadband internet.

In addition to our over-the-air programming, parents of K-3rd-grade students can register their students by visiting Idaho Digital Learning Alliance or by texting “register” to 201-474-3831. After enrolling, you will receive enrichment activities and weekly support from a certified teacher.

IdahoPTV’s over-the-air broadcast channels are free to receive. All you need is an antenna. Our signal is available to over 99 percent of the households in Idaho. For information on where to find our CREATE channel and other free channels in your area, or how to re-scan to find our channels, visit our website.

Our full channel lineup is also available on many major cable outlets around the state. Check with your local cable provider.

Idaho Public Television General Manager Ron Pisaneschi shared the station’s enthusiasm for the project noting that “We are pleased to partner with the Jannus, the State Board of Education and Idaho Digital Learning Alliance to use the power of public television to deliver these lessons to students and families in homes throughout Idaho. PBS has always been America’s largest classroom, but now we are bringing Idaho’s teachers and their lessons directly into students’ homes.”

“For anyone who has studied another language, excellent instruction and opportunities to practice are key. Partnering with Idaho Public Television allows us to provide remote learning in new ways. The IdahoPTV platform allows families to learn English and access lessons from the safety of their homes. These lessons are meant to help build language skills in children and parents and to provide opportunities for families to practice together.”
— Kate Udall, Manager of the English Language Center at Jannus

“We are so excited to work with Idaho Public Television to bring the joy of reading to K-3 students.  Certified teachers from both organizations have worked together to create a fun summer program that will help make sure students are ready for their next grade level when school opens again this fall.”
— Jolene Montoya, Ed.S. Director of Curriculum On-Line Principal

“The academic needs of our students are consistently at the forefront of our Board’s work. Now more than ever, we must utilize every tool available to support what was lost and minimize the impacts moving into the new school year. Classroom Idaho Bootcamp is one of those tools. Every opportunity we have to highlight these opportunities is time well spent. We see so many partners springing to action and we need every one of them. Leveraging the power of IPTV, we can bring the needed supports right to homes and to students.”
— Debbie Critchfield, president of the State Board of Education.

CLASSROOM IDAHO: Boot Camp is a partnership of Idaho Public Television, the English Language Center and the Idaho Office for Refugees, projects of Jannus, Idaho Digital Learning Alliance and the State Board of Education.

Idaho Ready to Learn: Countdown to Kindergarten, Virtual Parent and Caregiver Event June 23rd & 24th

If your child is starting kindergarten this fall, join Idaho Public Television, Idaho AEYC (Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children), Lee Pesky Learning Center and other community partners for our two-day Virtual Parent and Caregiver Event June 23rd & 24th on Facebook Live. Educational professionals from around the state will share information about kindergarten registration, what to expect during your child’s first year of school, developmental milestones, summer learning activities and much more.

Idaho Ready to Learn: Countdown to Kindergarten is an exciting new program that supports parents and caregivers of incoming kindergartners. We have weekly calendars full of activities you can do with your child to help them feel excited for all the fun they will have in kindergarten. Each week will focus on a different skill that will be taught in kindergarten. For each skill there are hands-on activities, digital games, and unplugged activities for every day of the week. Our website is a great place to find even more resources to help your child get excited and feel confident on their first day of school.

Join us June 23-24 for a two-day event on Facebook Live! Professionals from around Idaho will share important information, tips, and educational activities to help your child get excited and registered for kindergarten.

IdahoPTV launches its first virtual book club

We have launched our new Virtual Book Club for kids grades 3-6. Our first book will be “The Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson. We will meet once each week via Zoom to explore the book together. Learn more and sign up for the book club.

Any child in grades 3-6 can participate in the virtual book club. If you cannot afford a book, please email me at samantha.hill@idahoptv.org. Financial assistance is available and no child will be turned away due to a financial need.

The book club is virtual, via Zoom. The meetings will be password protected so we can ensure the group will stay private and safe. Prior to the first group meeting, we will send you a link to join the session.

3rd grade will meet Wednesdays from 4:00 – 4:30 PM.
The meeting schedule is as follows:

• May 13th – Introductions
• May 20th – Chapters 1 & 2
• May 27th – Chapters 3 & 4
• June 3rd – Chapters 5 & 6
• June 10th – Chapters 7 & 8
• June 17th – Chapters 9 & 10
• June 24th – Chapters 11, 12, & 13

4th grade will meet Tuesdays from 9:30 – 10:00 AM.
The meeting schedule is as follows:

• May 12th – Introductions
• May 19th – Chapters 1 & 2
• May 26th – Chapters 3 & 4
• June 2nd – Chapters 5 & 6
• June 9th – Chapters 7 & 8
• June 16th – Chapters 9 & 10
• June 23rd – Chapters 11, 12, & 13

5th and 6th grades will meet together Thursdays from 10:30- 11:00 AM.
The meeting schedule is as follows:

• May 14th – Introductions
• May 21st – Chapters 1 & 2
• May 28th – Chapters 3 & 4
• June 4th – Chapters 5 & 6
• June 11th – Chapters 7 & 8
• June 18th – Chapters 9 & 10
• June 25th – Chapters 11, 12, & 13

Parents are not required to attend the video call with their child, but are welcome to if they feel more comfortable. We will not be recording the discussions in order to protect the privacy of participants. If you have other children in the house who would enjoy being part of the club, they are welcome to participate. We would love to see entire families be part of this!

• Each week, I will email audio recordings of each chapter to support kids who prefer to follow along while listening.
• You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon for $7.99.
• If you need assistance getting the book, please let us know when you RSVP. No family will be turned away due to financial need.
• Please fill out this short form to RSVP for the book club.

If any questions come up, please don’t hesitate to email me at samantha.hill@idahoptv.org.

I am looking forward to starting this adventure with your family!

 

Bright by Text supports healthy child development and builds strong, resilient families

Looking for some help engaging your little one? IdahoPTV has you covered. Simply text the word IDAHOFAMILY to the number 274448. Bright by Text is a free service offered in English and Spanish. Games and activities to help kids learn at home are tailored to the age of your child and texted directly to you for free 2-4 times a week. For more information visit idahoptv.org/families.

To help parents navigate the latest information and recommendations to ensure the health of families, Bright by Text offers expert tips about community resources, safety protocols and at-home activities to engage children. Bright by Text collaborates with experts like the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), PBS Kids, Nurse-Family Partnership and others to provide an expert-backed health and wellness curriculum.

“IdahoPTV is excited to partner with Bright by Text to meet the needs of Idaho families. This gives us a greater opportunity to get our resources into the hands of parents who may not have the internet or the ability to attend activities with their kids. Bright by Text is a creative way to reach out to families with very young learners and help set children up for success from cradle to career.” — Samantha Hill, M.Ed., IdahoPTV Family Engagement Specialist

Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, neighbor, or babysitter, Bright by Text can make caring for a little one easier! To receive free tips and learning-games directly to your phone, simply text the word IDAHOFAMILY to the number 274448.

CLASSROOM IDAHO: Learn @ Home

Thousands of Idaho students don’t have a computer at home or a way to connect to the internet so they can learn remotely during this coronavirus pandemic. But nearly every family in Idaho has a television set and can watch Idaho Public Television. That is where IdahoPTV’s “Classroom Idaho: Learn @ Home” programming can connect these students with certified Idaho teachers so that they can finish learning for the balance of this school year.

Beginning April 20, Idaho teachers will provide instruction to students in grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 via Idaho Public Television’s CREATE channel (one of our five free over-the-air broadcast channels).

Third grade instruction begins at 8am MT/7am PT, and will repeat at Noon MT/11am PT; 4^th grade instruction begins at 9am MT/8am PT; 5^th grade instruction begins at 10am MT/9am PT and 6^th grade instruction begins at 11am MT/10am PT. The instruction will be aligned with what the students would be learning if they were still attending their brick-and-mortar schools.

The same lessons will also be available in playlists for students with connectivity at IdahoPTV’s YouTube channel.

IdahoPTV’s over-the-air broadcast channels are free to receive. All you need is an antenna. Our signal is available to over 99 percent of the households in Idaho. For information on where to find our CREATE channel and other free channels in your area, or how to re-scan to find our channels, visit our website.

Our full channel lineup is also available on many major cable outlets around the state. Check with your local cable provider.

Idaho Public Television General Manager Ron Pisaneschi shared the station’s enthusiasm for the project noting that “We are pleased to partner with the State Department of Education and Idaho Business for Education to use the power of public television to deliver these lessons to students in homes throughout Idaho. PBS has always been America’s largest classroom, but now we are bringing Idaho’s teachers and their lessons directly into students’ homes.”

“Idaho Business for Education is working during this epidemic to get computers and internet connectivity to as many students as possible who don’t have these resources at home,” IBE President and CEO Rod Gramer said. “But we also know that getting these resources to every student in a timely way may not be possible. That’s why IBE so appreciates Idaho Public TV stepping up and providing “Classroom Idaho: Learn @ Home” so that all 3rd-6th grade students in Idaho have access to instruction from one of Idaho’s great teachers.”

“For the State Department of Education and educators throughout Idaho, a crucial objective during this soft closure has been to find ways to reach all of our students with distance learning, although online access and equipment is a major challenge in many communities and households,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said. “I am thrilled that Idaho Public Television has stepped forward to level the playing field, providing instruction via equipment that virtually all households already have – their TVs.” “Through this partnership with Idaho Public Television and Idaho Business For Education, some of Idaho’s great teachers will provide instruction in math, history and more to students in grades 3 through 6, the key demographic that is not currently reached by educational TV in Idaho. We are thrilled to line up teachers for the project and help bring this brilliant idea to Idaho children and families.”

CLASSROOM IDAHO: Learn @ Home is a partnership of Idaho Public Television, Idaho Business for Education and the State Department of Education.

IdahoPTV CREATE & IDAHO Channels Broadcasting Educational Programming Monday-Friday

With schools closed across the Gem State, Idaho Public Television is here to support teachers and families with at-home distance learning. We have added free over-the-air programming for grades 4 through 12 every weekday afternoon (M-F) on our CREATE channel. This will ensure Idaho students will have access to educational programs regardless of their access to broadband internet. Tune in weekdays from 1:00 to 6:00 PM Mountain time and from noon to 5:00 PM Pacific.

The lineup of educational programs was selected with home-teaching support in mind. Each program has free lesson plans and support materials that can be used by parents and teachers alike to support learning at home. Find them at pbslearningmedia.org.

In addition to our CREATE channel programming, we have programming for grades PreK-4 on our main IDAHO channel from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM weekdays.

To help teachers and parents locate corresponding educational materials, Kari Wardle, our teacher ambassador, posts the broadcast schedule each week with links to accompanying resources that correspond to some of the shows airing during the day. These schedules are posted on the IdahoPTV Teacher Facebook page and the IdahoPTV Families Facebook page.

“We are Idaho’s only statewide media organization, reaching nearly 100 percent of Idaho homes with five free over-the-air broadcast channels,” says Ron Pisaneschi, Idaho Public Television’s general manager. “With schools closed in Idaho and students and teachers at home, we wanted to use the power and reach of IdahoPTV’s broadcast to provide a schedule of curriculum-based, high-quality educational programming for these grade levels each weekday.”

If you aren’t receiving our five channels on your over-the-air antenna, rescan your TV to access the five free channels, including our CREATE and IDAHO channels.

Find the CREATE channel in your area:
Eastern Idaho on 10.3
Magic Valley, Wood River Valley on 13.3
Palouse, Camas, Prairie on 12.3
Panhandle on 26.3
Treasure Valley on 4.3

 

PBS KIDS Virtual Edcamp for Early Childhood Educators

Idaho Public Television is excited to partner with PBS KIDS to host PBS KIDS Virtual Edcamp for Early Childhood Educators!

PBS KIDS Virtual Edcamp is NOT a traditional conference; no keynote speaker, pre-arranged content, or registration fee.

So what exactly is it? A PBS KIDS Virtual Edcamp is a local virtual gathering of PreK-3 grade educators connecting through shared experiences and peer-led conversations with a PBS twist!

An idea conceived by teachers eager to challenge the status quo and take control of their own professional learning, the Edcamp model was initially sparked by informal conversations between educators on social media. Across the country, educators were connecting on Twitter to discuss topics of interest and learn new ideas. These conversations inspired educators to continue the dialogue in person as participant-driven, peer-led gatherings.

Interested in attending? Sign up for the PBS KIDS Virtual Edcamp!

**Upon registration, a Zoom video link will be sent to the email you provide. Please use that link to join us.

Idaho Is Resilient

Idahoans are a resilient bunch. In times of crisis, we come together to help one another. In that spirit, Idaho Public Television is here for you.

We have created a  COVID-19 website dedicated to keeping the Gem State informed on the situation.  Melissa Davlin and Idaho Reports will continue coverage beyond the legislative session to provide updates including a  special hour-long live program with Gov. Brad Little this Thursday at 8pm MT | 7pm PT. In addition, look for short daily updates on Idaho coronavirus news beginning next week before and after the PBS NewsHour on our main channel.

With students at home, our Distance Learning website provides educators,  families and  communities resources to support the entire learning ecosystem, both broadcast and online. And our locally produced program  Science Trek provides a wide range of STEM-related resources.

We are making all of our local programming available without restrictions, so everyone can enjoy our full archives of Outdoor Idaho,  Dialogue,  Idaho Experience and more. Enjoy these programs on the PBS Video app and on your smart TV, streaming device or computer .

And finally, Masterpiece has prepared a list of historical dramas to watch, making us feel, however briefly, that we’ve traveled far beyond the familiarity of our living rooms.

I am very proud of our extraordinary team who are more committed than ever to doing their work, even if most of them are doing it from home. A small team of engineers and others has to be in our office to keep us on air and online with timely coverage. But, most of the 70 or so IdahoPTV staffers are working remotely. Wherever we are working, you can count on us to continue to answer your calls and emails and do the important work you rely on throughout this period.

Together, we will get through this, Idaho.

Sincerely,

Watch an Idaho Reports Special on Coronavirus in Idaho

 

An Idaho Reports Special on Coronavirus in Idaho airs on Thursday, March 19 at 8:00 PM.

Idaho is under a state of emergency, and coronavirus news is changing by the hour, with school closures and new confirmed cases. Now more than ever, you need straightforward information on how COVID-19 could affect you and your daily life. Watch Idaho Reports 8:00 PM Thursday for answers to your questions from state leaders and medical experts. Be informed, not afraid.

The show follows the airing of  the PBS NewsHour Special “Confronting the Coronavirus,” at 7:00 PM.

Stream Idaho Reports Special on Coronavirus in Idaho

What You Should Know About the Novel Coronavirus

What is COVID-19?

The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a new coronavirus that hasn’t been previously identified. The virus causing COVID-19 isn’t the same as the coronaviruses that commonly circulate among humans and cause mild illness like the common cold.

We have created a resources page to help inform those in our community who may want more information about the virus. You can also find resources for educators, resources for parents and caregivers and more.

The CDC is updating its Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) page regularly at noon, Mondays through Fridays.