SCHOOL PARTNER SUPPORT KIT GRANTS PASS, OR

SCHOOL PARTNER SUPPORT KIT GRANTS PASS, OR

TABLE OF CONTENTS Pg 2. Pg 3. Pg 4. Pg 5. Pg 6. Pg 7. Pg 8. Pg 9. Pg 10. Pg 12. Pg 13. Introduction Ways You Can Help Artwork Talking Points School Presentations in Your Community Social Media Sample Copy for Newsletters Sample Blog Post Community Testimonials Working with the Local Media City Proclamation

INTRODUCTION The Oregon College Savings Plan is partnering with five school districts across the state to implement the Be College Ready program for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year: Grants Pass, Hermiston, North Clackamas, McMinnville and Seaside. The goal is to expand the program every year, and ultimately offer it to every school district statewide. The Be College Ready program is the centerpiece of the Oregon College Savings Plan s outreach efforts in educating the public about the benefits of the Plan. In order to reach as many people as we can, the support of community stakeholders and influencers in getting the word out to the public is invaluable. We want to build on our partnership with the local school districts, as well as develop relationships with community leaders, including local municipalities, civic organizations and the business community, many of which have already demonstrated their support for the program. Those groups will receive a community partner support kit similar to this one. Following is detailed information that outlines of how you can help us make sure every child in the Grants Pass School District will Be College Ready! 2

HOW YOU CAN HELP 1. Like us on our Facebook page at: https://facebook.com/oregoncollegesavings. 2. Follow us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/oregoncsp. 3. Put information about the Oregon College Savings Plan and the Be College Ready program on your website with hotlinks back to ours: https://oregoncollegesavings.com; http://becollegeready.net. 4. Place any of our static banners on your website; hotlink the logos to the Oregon College Savings Plan and Be College Ready website main pages. Native files are available for download at http://becollegeready.net/grants- Pass.shtml. 5. Do a blog post on the Be College Ready program on your District website (sample enclosed). 6. Post Be College Ready school presentation flyers in your main office and/or break room (flyer available for download at http://becollegeready.net/grants- Pass.shtml. 7. Include information on the Be College Ready program in your District newsletters (sample enclosed). 8. Include information on the Be College Ready program in your Back to School newsletters (sample enclosed). 9. Use the Oregon College Savings Plan and Be College Ready logos in publications, emails or newsletters, available for download at http://becollegeready.net/grants- Pass.shtml. 10. Request the attendance of John Valley, Oregon 529 College Savings Network Outreach Director at a school event where he can either present information about the Oregon College Savings Plan via a PowerPoint presentation and/or have a table to provide information to the public. 11. Introduce the Oregon College Savings Plan to key stakeholders in the district, including PTA chairs, involved teachers, major supporters, etc. 3

ARTWORK The Oregon College Savings Plan has developed colorful, whimsical artwork in conjunction with the Be College Ready program. You can download this artwork in both.jpg and.pdf formats for blog posts, newsletters, social media, etc. Visit http://becollegeready.net/grants- Pass.shtml to access the following native files: Flyers for Your District s School Presentations Web Banners Be College Ready Logo Oregon College Savings Plan Logo 4

TALKING POINTS In order to be college ready today, schools and families need to be prepared for the financial realities of achieving a higher education. Be College Ready is a program designed to help parents and families better understand the long- term benefits of higher education and how to reach their college planning goals. Be College Ready will be piloted in elementary schools in five school districts across the state Grants Pass, Hermiston, North Clackamas, McMinnville and Seaside. Be College Ready will kick off in Grants Pass in September 2015. The Oregon College Savings Plan hopes to expand the Be College Ready program every year, ultimately offering it to every school district statewide. Be College Ready will bring the Oregon College Savings Plan directly into the state s elementary schools by 1. Educating parents about how to plan for future college expenses; 2. Motivating kids with fun classroom materials; and 3. Partnering with local business and civic organizations to provide program resources that meet the needs of each local community. The Be College Ready program was designed so that school districts, individual elementary schools and parent/teacher groups can take full advantage of the program s resources with very little time and effort. Be College Ready will allow each participating school to become certified as a 529 College Savings School. To become 529 certified, the school agrees to share information about the Oregon College Savings Plan on its website; have Plan materials available in the main office; shares monthly updates with the school population and parents; and host an informational session about college funding for parents and the local community. Participating schools will receive homework folders, pencils, pens, bookmarks and motivational posters to share with all of its students. In the first year, each participating school will receive a $529 cash donation to the school s classroom grant fund or other predetermined fund that benefits the classroom, a 529 School certificate, and a window sticker designating it as an official 529 school. The State of Oregon s 40-40- 20 education plan sets a goal that by 2025, 40 percent of adult Oregonians will have a bachelor s degree or higher, another 40 percent will have associate degrees or other certificates and the remaining 20 percent will have high school diplomas. The Oregon College Savings Plan can play an instrumental role in achieving this goal. 5

SCHOOL PRESENTATIONS IN YOUR COMMUNITY The Oregon College Savings Plan will be giving presentations to parents in the Grants Pass community to raise awareness about saving for college and help families understand what it takes to Be College Ready. These informative seminars will explain the tax advantages and other benefits of saving for college with the Oregon College Savings Plan. 529 plan specialists will be on hand to answer questions. The events will take place: September 22 Allen Dale Elementary School, 2320 Williams Hwy 5:30pm - 6:30pm Redwood Elementary School, 3163 Leonard Rd 5:30pm - 6:30pm September 23 Lincoln Elementary School, 1132 NE 10th St 5:30pm - 6:30pm Parkside Elementary School, 735 Wagner Meadows 5:30pm - 6:30pm October 13 Riverside Elementary School, 1200 SE Harvey Dr 5:30pm - 6:30pm Highland Elementary School, 1845 NW Highland 7pm - 8pm 6

SOCIAL MEDIA Our goal is to maximize the use of social media to promote the Be College Ready program. We want to ensure that the public is aware of upcoming events and inform them that we are available to do presentations if there is an interest in learning more about the program. Following are some social media templates you can use as a guide to promoting the program. First, make sure to Like us on our Facebook page at https://facebook.com/oregoncollegesavings; and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/oregoncsp. TWITTER With Twitter, you only have 140 characters to say what you want to say in a tweet (excluding URLs). You need to get to the point quickly, paring the facts down to their core essence. Here are some templates:. @GPSD7 students will #BeCollegeReady! We re supporting @OregonCSP to help families reach college planning goals www.becollegeready.net Learn how to #BeCollegeReady with @OregonCSP at @GPSD7 #AllenDale & #Redwood 9/22 at 5:30, all families welcome #collegesavings Do you know about @OregonSoS #40-20- 20 education plan? Find out how to reach your college goals with @OregonCSP at www.becollegeready.net FACEBOOK Facebook allows you the chance to provide more details than Twitter; however, remember people still have very short attention spans in today s world and you don t want to suffer from TL;DR (too long, didn t read). Examples: @Grants Pass School District 7 students will Be College Ready! We re supporting the @Oregon College Savings Plan to help families reach their college planning goals. Learn more at www.becollegeready.net (link to blog post on your website or post jpg of Be College Ready flyer) Do you want your child to Be College Ready? Come to a presentation on 9/22 with @Oregon College Savings Plan at both Allen Dale & Redwood Elementary & find out how to reach your college planning goals. Presentations start at 5:30pm. www.becollegeready.net (link to blog post on your website or post jpg of Be College Ready flyer) When possible, post photos or flyers or videos; visuals that will catch the reader s attention. 7

SAMPLE COPY FOR NEWSLETTERS Grants Pass Elementary School Students Will Be College Ready The State of Oregon s 40-40- 20 education plan sets a goal that by 2025, 40 percent of adult Oregonians will have a bachelor s degree or higher, another 40 percent will have associate degrees or other certificates and the remaining 20 percent will have high school diplomas. The Oregon College Savings Plan can play an instrumental role in achieving this goal. Grants Pass elementary schools including Allen Dale, Highland, Lincoln, Parkside, Redwood and Riverside will be participating in the Be College Ready pilot program that will help parents and families to better understand the long- term benefits of higher education and how to reach their college planning goals. This program will kick off in September 2015, bringing the Oregon College Saving Plan directly into Grants Pass with the goal of educating parents about how to plan for future college expenses, while motivating kids with fun classroom materials. The Be College Ready program was specifically designed so that school districts, individual elementary schools and parent/teacher groups can take full advantage of the program s resources with very little time and effort, explained Michael Parker, executive director of the Oregon College Savings Plan. In order to be college ready today, schools and families need to be prepared for the financial realities of achieving a higher education; we want folks to know that we are here as a resource. The Oregon College Savings Plan will be giving a number of presentations to parents in the Grants Pass community to raise awareness about saving for college and help families understand what it takes to Be College Ready. These informative seminars will explain the tax advantages and other benefits of saving for college with the Oregon College Savings Plan. State 529 plan specialists will be on hand to answer questions. Visit http://becollegeready.net/grants- Pass.shtml for event dates. The Oregon College Saving Plan is committed to helping families. Parents need to be knowledgeable about and prepared for the financial realities of achieving a higher education. The Oregon College Saving Plan is a 529 plan, which is an investment vehicle specifically designed for college savings. It is quick and easy to open an account, just visit www.oregoncollegesavings.com or call 866-772- 8464 to learn more. 8

SAMPLE COPY FOR BLOG POSTS Oregon College Savings Plan Launches Be College Ready Program in Grants Pass Elementary Schools The State of Oregon s 40-40- 20 education plan sets a goal that by 2025, 40 percent of adult Oregonians will have a bachelor s degree or higher, another 40 percent will have associate degrees or other certificates and the remaining 20 percent will have high school diplomas. The Oregon College Savings Plan can play an instrumental role in achieving this goal. To help parents and families better understand the long- term benefits of higher education and how to reach their college planning goals, the Oregon College Savings Plan is launching a new program called Be College Ready. This program, which will kick off in Grants Pass on September 8, will bring the Oregon College Savings Plan directly into Grants Pass elementary schools, with goals of educating parents about how to plan for future college expenses, motivating kids with fun classroom materials and partnering with local business and civic organizations to provide program resources that meet the needs of each local community. Initially, Be College Ready will be piloted in the elementary schools of five school districts, with the goal of expanding the program every year, and ultimately offering it to every school district statewide. The program was specifically designed so that school districts, individual elementary schools and parent/teacher groups can take full advantage of the program s resources with very little time and effort. Be College Ready will allow each participating school to become certified as a 529 College Savings School. This special designation will serve as a continuous reminder to the school population, the parents and the local community about the importance of college savings and what it means to be college ready. To become 529 certified, the school agrees to: Put information about the Oregon College Savings Plan on its website Share the Oregon College Savings Plan monthly updates with the school population and parents Make Oregon College Savings Plan materials available in the main office Host an informational session about college funding and work to promote the session to parents and the local community In return for participating in the program each year, schools will receive the following from the Oregon College Savings Plan: Homework folders Pencils and pens Motivational bookmarks Motivational posters In the first year, a participating school will also receive a $529 cash donation to the school s classroom grant fund or other predetermined fund that benefits the classroom, a 529 School Certificate, and a window sticker designating it as an official 529 school. In order to Be College Ready today, schools and families not only need to help prepare students for the academic challenges of the 21st Century, but also be knowledgeable about and prepared for the financial realities of achieving a higher education. The Oregon College Savings Plan is committed to helping families, and Be College Ready can be a great partnership between elementary schools and the communities and families they serve. 9

COMMUNITY TESTIMONIALS Testimonials have amazing persuasive powers. Take advantage of incorporating the following testimonials in blog posts or newsletters or even when talking to the media to show that key members of the Grants Pass community support the Be College Ready program. John Higgins, Superintendent, Grants Pass School District No. 7 The Be College Ready program appears to be an excellent opportunity for the families of our elementary students to have access to information and resources that can assist them with saving and planning for college. We are pleased to be one of five districts selected to take part in the program. Cherryl Walker, Josephine County Commissioner I am pleased to see the Grants Pass School District participate in the pilot Be College Ready program for the 2015-2016 school year. This awareness program will inform families about the benefits of the Oregon College Savings Plan, a state program that will help make post- secondary education options more affordable to those here in the Josephine County community. Grant Walker, Director of Recruitment, Rogue Community College The Oregon College Savings Plan has helped many of our students. They tell our recruiters that money is their greatest barrier to going to college, and research shows it is the primary reason students do not complete their educations. When parents participate in the Oregon College Savings Plan and Be College Ready they are investing in their children's futures and clearing the path for their career goals and college dreams. Sally Snyder, Loan Officer, Evergreen Federal Bank When I heard Michael Parker speak about the 529 plan, I was completely energized. We have an opportunity to get many more kids college bound especially encouraging those whose parents do not have that background. They need to know college is there for everyone, and to reach for it! Kate Laskey, Executive Director, Josephine Community Libraries We were able to include information about the Oregon College Savings Plan in all of the children s book bags during our Summer Reading Program that s over 900 children who have information about this new resource. Kevin Clark, Executive Director, Grants Pass Family YMCA We are pleased to work with the Be College Ready program to help local families take advantage of the Oregon College Savings Program. The information and resources they've provided to our families has been very valuable. Tom Drummond, Co- Director, College Dreams College Dreams is delighted to be selected to work with Grants Pass School District and the Oregon College Savings Network on the exciting Be College Ready pilot program. The Be College Ready program will provide us with the opportunity to provide the evidence- based strategies that increase family enrollment and savings deposits in their children's college savings accounts. Diann Gilbertson, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley supports the Be College Ready program. As advocates for local teens, it s an incredible benefit to have resources like this program to share with our Club families. It s vital we work together to help youth, especially those from low- income families, find their path to higher education. 10

COMMUNITY TESTIMONIALS CONTINUED Colene Martin, President/ CEO, Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce Everyone wants the very best for their children as they grow up. When they are first born we want them to be healthy and happy. Then as we watch them grow into teens and young adults, our aspirations change to hoping they are respectful, confident, socially active, get a good education to eventually have a good job and a wonderful life. The Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce encourages parents to consider an Oregon College Savings Plan to insure children s futures are what we dream we want our children to grow up to be. 11

WORKING WITH THE LOCAL MEDIA The Oregon College Savings Plan has a communications team that will work with media in your community; however, you may already have an established relationship with key reporters/ editors/publishers in your region. We encourage you to share information on the Be College Ready program with any members of the media with whom you are connected. If you believe you have a story with a local angle, pitch it to the reporter (please alert us!). If you don t feel comfortable pitching the story, please contact John Valley, Oregon 529 College Savings Network Outreach Director, 503.378.3150, john.valley@ost.state.or.us, and he can do it on your behalf. The underlying goal is to work together to educate families in your community on how to Be College Ready. 12

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