www.girlstart.org
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www.girlstart.org |
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| IN THIS ISSUE |
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| NOTE FROM RACHEL |
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There’s magic happening at Girlstart this month! The first of our popular Saturday camps, Hermione’s Science Sampler, kicks off a school year’s worth of fun and interactive discovery days at Girlstart headquarters. Girls in first through fifth grade can unveil the magical worlds of herbology and sticky science with their parents – and new this year you can sign up online! We’ve also finalized our list of after-school programs for girls this year – they’ll be at Baty Elementary (in the Del Valle ISD), Mendez Middle School (in the Austin ISD), and Westview Middle School (in the Pflugerville ISD). We've got one more middle school program coming to you soon, stay tuned for details of that launch in next month's newsletter. It’s part of our continuing efforts to bring the magic of math, science, and technology to girls all across our community! In addition to all this magic there are some exciting changes afoot at Girlstart, with some magical disappearing and reappearing acts you'll want to know about! Rosanna Guerrero, our current Program Director, who’s been with us for the last seven years, is moving to Junior Achievement and Bianca Taulman, our Webmaster and Network Administrator at Girlstart for five and a half years, is going to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, though she’s still helping us out on contract. On behalf of everyone at Girlstart, I’d like to thank them for giving us the gift of their hearts and minds all these years and making Girlstart the success that it is! And, to help us do even more, this month we welcome Julie Shannan back full-time with Girlstart as our new Deputy Director! All this magic in the air means your favorite agency has some incredible job opportunites open now, so check them out before they disappear! We wish you all a magical month! Alakazam! 
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| GIRLSTART EVENTS AND NEWS |
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Girlstart Completes Successful Summer Camps!Girlstart hosted its eighth year of award winning week-long summer day camps in math, science, and technology for girls at the Girlstart Tech Center! Over 200 girls (and Hagrid!) joined us at camp and the results are in! 94% of students reported that Girlstart helped them understand that there are multiple applications of math, science, engineering, and technology in everyday life! Thank you to our campers, counselors, and donors who made Summer Camp 2006 a huge hit! Summer Camp sponsors include the Dell Foundation, the City of Austin, the Silverton Foundation, and the Sooch Foundation. Additional support is provided by Compass Bank, the Strake Foundation, Freescale, the Chaparral Women's Club, and numerous individual donors. Girlstart Saturday Camp Girlstart provides free Saturday Camps during the school year at the Girlstart Tech Center for girls! Saturday camps are designed for 1st - 8th grade girls (1st - 5th attend with a parent) and campers experience creative hands-on math, science, and technology activities. Registration is now open and for the first time, you can register online! Girlstart Saturday Camp is generously sponsored by the Dell Foundation. Girlstart is Hiring! Girlstart has several new job openings available! Employment opportunities include a Technology Curriculum Developer, a Project Manager, and a Program Assistant. Visit the website to find full job descriptions as well as instructions on how to apply! Alumnae Club Kick-Off Party! All Girlstart alumnae and volunteers currently in high school are invited to join the Alumnae Club! Mark your calendars for our kick-off bowling party on September 23rd from 2-4pm. RSVP to Dita at dita@girlstart.org as soon as possible - we only have 50 spots reserved on a first come, first served basis. Women in Science Panel Sunday, September 10, 1:00 pm Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Auditorium What does it take to be an engineer, botanist, meteorologist, or biologist? Join the Women in Science panelists for a fun look into the world of science. Talk with women scientists about what you can do to pursue your own career in science! |
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| VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT |
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September is a busy month at Girlstart! We are pleased to partner with United Way Capital Area and participate in the Days of Caring. Additionally, volunteers from Dell will work with Girlstart to beautify our grounds. We look forward to welcoming our corporate volunteers! Join Girlstart in our after school clubs as a program assistant! Are you bilingual in English and Spanish? If so, Girlstart needs your help translating a few documents. Volunteer assignments will be on an as-needed basis, and volunteers can work from home. 
Girlstart is thrilled to report that over 90% of our volunteers during our Summer Camps are part of the Alumnae Club! Girlstart values contributions from high school volunteers who assist camp counselors and mentor middle school campers. Kudos to all our star volunteers!
Our summer volunteers welcome Girlstart alumnae to participate in the Alumnae Club. The first kick-off party is planned for Saturday, September 23rd. Please contact Dita Niyogi at dita@girlstart.org for details. |
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| A COUNSELOR'S STORY |
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Girlstart’s free Saturday camps provide a supportive atmosphere in which girls learn about spooky science, forensics, physics, math, engineering, and technology in a fun hands-on environment! Rebecca has been a Saturday camp counselor for the past two years. Here’s what she has to say: “What I love about Girlstart's Junior Saturday Camps is that parents and daughters have an opportunity to challenge each other to love exploring math, science, and technology by playing a little "career dress-up" together… Everyone comes in with a sense of adventure and leaves with a smile and probably something new and exciting they've learned about their teammate!”Don't forget to apply for Girlstart's free Saturday Camps throughout the school year! |
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| DONOR HIGHLIGHTS |
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We’d like to thank the Dell Foundation for awarding us a Connected Community Partner grant to allow us to offer our Saturday camps free to the Central Texas community. The Dell Foundation has been a fantastic Girlstart sponsor in the past, and we’re happy to be working with them to do more great things! Lucky Stars National Science Foundation Texas Education Agency Super Stars Intel Silicon Laboratories Microsoft The Dell Foundation Rising Stars Silverton Foundation Strake Foundation RGK Foundation H-E-B ExxonMobil Freescale Shooting Stars Texas Gas Service Maxwell Locke & Ritter Wells Fargo Sigmatel CREW Austin Chaparral Women's Club Compass Bank Applied Materials Girlstart gives girls the tools they need to be leaders of their generation. Help a girl change the world. Give to Girlstart now! |