April 11, 2022
Spring into Coding
The Infosys Foundation USA, the Office of the Mayor of Duluth, Family Code Night and the National Center for Computer Science Education at The College of St. Scholastica, are pleased to announce ‘CS4DLH – Spring into Coding’ – a two-week event to bring computer science to all students in Duluth Public Schools. This commitment builds upon the launch event in December 2021 that provided professional development opportunities for K12 educators from Duluth Public Schools during CSEdWeek.
CS4DLH Family Code Week, May 9-12
All Duluth families are invited to participate in CS4DLH Family Code Week May 9-12, 2022. The program kicks off on Monday, May 9 with a Family Code Night, the nationally celebrated at-home family learning livestream, during which K-5 children and their parents or guardians pair up to do their first hour of coding, together.
Following a personal welcome from Mayor Larson, participating families across the city will learn key concepts in coding and computer science as they complete fun Code.org puzzles together at home. Interested families can learn more and sign up to attend this free event: bit.ly/DuluthFCN22.
The full calendar of additional activities for Family Code Week can be found below:
- Monday, May 9 at 6 p.m.: Family Code Night (YouTube livestream)
- Tuesday, May 10 at 7 p.m.: How to Build a Sandcastle, book reading by Mayor Emily Larson (YouTube livestream)
- Wednesday, May 11: Unplugged Activity #1*
- Thursday, May 12: Unplugged Activity #2*
*Note: Unplugged activities do not require a computer and can be done by families at a time convenient to them. Unplugged activities will be given to students and families at each elementary school and available at the public library.
Students attending elementary schools in ISD 709 will receive a packet of materials from their classroom teacher on Monday, May 9 with more information. The Duluth Public Library will also have packets of materials available for students and families to do at the library. Computer science books, including How to Code a Sandcastle, will be donated to elementary libraries and the Duluth Public Library.
CS4DLH – Middle / High School Week, May 16-20
All middle and high school students across Duluth Public Schools are invited to participate in a unique opportunity to engage in computer science and career readiness. Middle school math teachers will be leading lessons on how images are represented digitally. In high school, 9th grade physical science teachers will be leading lessons about robotics. And, in community after school programs, the TRIO Upward Bound Math & Science program will be leading activities using Sphero robots.
The local tech community is supporting these efforts by volunteering in classrooms and out of school programs. Volunteers will share stories from their journey to learning CS and how they use computing in their role at their organization.
To learn more about the full ‘CS4DLH – Spring into Coding’ event, how to volunteer, or how to attend as a member of the media, please contact Jen Rosato.
About Infosys Foundation USA
Infosys Foundation USA was established in 2015 with the mission of expanding computer science and maker education to K-12 students and teachers across the United States, with a specific focus on increasing access to underrepresented communities. The Foundation achieves impact through delivering professional development programs for teachers, partnering with leading nonprofits, and delivering innovative media campaigns that inspire everyone to be creators, not just consumers, of technology. Learn more here: https://www.infosys.org/infosys-foundation-usa.html. Infosys Foundation USA – James Mazzullo, james.mazzullo@infosys.com
About Family Code Night & CS is Elementary
CS is Elementary is a non-profit national movement and program to inspire, celebrate and enable computer science education for all K-5 children. More information is available at www.CSisElementary.org. CS is Elementary – John Pearce, john@familycodenight.org
About City of Duluth
The City of Duluth is the fifth largest city in the state of Minnesota. The City employs over 850 people and provides services to over 86,000 people annually. More information about the City, our services and departments can be found at www.duluthmn.gov.
About National Center for CS Education
The National Center for CS Education (NCCSE) champions, researches, and provides equitable computer science education opportunities for K16 students and educators. NCCSE supports over 2,500 teachers and 10,000 students across the country in teaching and learning computer science through curriculum, professional development and other services. The Center works to increase the capacity of school districts and teachers to teach CS, increase access to CS for students, increase the participation of marginalized students and improve the engagement of students in CS learning.
