To be eligible, each Student/Teacher and Family/Student team must follow these simple guidelines:

1. Show Us Your Success!

Every challenge submission needs to be supported by proof. Fill out this month’s Google form to enter. This can be photos, documents, videos, or even links to social media reels, stories, highlights, or Google Photos albums. 

2. Submit by the 1st, Win by the 5th!

All proof must be uploaded to the portal by the 1st of the following month. The raffle drawing will happen by the 5th, and winners will be notified via the email used for the submission.

3. One Month at a Time!

You can’t submit for the next month until the previous month’s entries close. (Give a cheer to our hardworking MSB gerbils who keep everything running smoothly!)

4. More Entries, More Chances to Win!

The number of complete submissions equals your number of entries in the raffle. 

For example:

   – Joe Smith & family complete eight challenges, which means that  Joe earns eight raffle entries.   Easy, right?

For every student you enter, you’ll be entered into a separate monthly drawing for a $50 value prize and each entry means more chances at the year-end $250 prize!

For example:

• If Penny Jones & her family complete and submit ten challenges and Penny has a teacher complete three entries, Penny gets 13, and her teacher would get 3! 
• If  Damion Doright has 0 entries from his family but his Paraeducator submits 3,  His teacher does 2, and his  RSP does 1, that means Damion gets six entries, and each member of that service team gets the number they submit for the teacher raffle.
• Don’t be like Tommy OopsIForgot—no entries mean no raffle tickets!

5. Grand Prize Alert! Every month, you submit at least one entry, and you’ll be entered for our June Grand Prize drawing worth $400! (Each student can earn up to 9 family entries and nine teacher entries for the year.)

**And most importantly, HAVE FUN!** Contact the MSB Outreach Team (OutreachECC@mdschblind.org) if you need support, resources, or just a little help along the way.

January: Career Education

Career Education focuses on the development of knowledge, the refinement of innate talents, and the promotion of skills needed for success in employment. This includes exploring different careers, internship or job experiences, and informational interviews It focuses on components of activities and behaviors and skills needed to prepare students for all the roles they will play throughout their lives, including the maintenance of economic independence in adult life. (ECC Essentials, Chapter 11)

I can research a career of interest and evaluate the skills I have or need to achieve in order to work in this field.

How will we get there?

Know. Understand. Do. A framework to guide learning activities.

Know (K): Tends to be binary. Either you know it or you don’t. Examples: Facts & Dates, Definitions, People & Places

Understand (U): Is a continuum; from novice to advanced. Examples: Big Ideas, Essential Questions, Generalizations

Do (D): Show they understand and the application of skills/content.

Resources

• APH – Career Connect https://aphconnectcenter.org/careerconnect/
• Perkins – Career Education for Children Who are Blind or Visually Impaired https://www.perkins.org/resource/career-education-children-who-are-blind-or-visually-impaired/

To submit to the monthly ECC Challenge:

1. Complete activities and experiences featured in this month’s ECC Challenge.
2. Complete the Google Form on the TVI Portal OR email this worksheet and a photo to OutreachECC@mdschblind.org.
3. The student and teacher will be entered into this month’s raffle!

Tell us what you KUD!

January

Student name:                                                                                  Teacher name:

Vocabulary

• Talent/ability
• Skill (hard/soft)
• Work habits
• Job Requirements
• Job accommodations/adaptations

K: Can the student define these words? ☐

U: Can the student explain relationships between words and obtaining a job/career? ☐

D: Can the student use these words in conversation or writing? Can the student teach or share with someone else? ☐

Vocabulary/Materials

• Resume (various examples)
• References
• Applications (various examples)
• Experience

K: Can the student tell you what these are? ☐

U: Can the student tell you how they relate to the employment process and careers? ☐

D: Can the student evaluate where they are in the employment process? ☐

Concepts/Activities: Use to teach words, objects and concepts

K: Have the student list their talents, abilities, and skills (hard and soft) ☐

U: Have the student list people or activities that could be used as references or experiences. ☐

D: Have the student create a resume or fill out a job application. ☐

Experiences: Connect words, objects, and activities to everyday experiences

• Locate someone who works in the field of interest and ask to interview them on how they achieved the position.
• Research a career of interest and determine the skills, abilities, and accommodations needed to achieve this position.
• Compare your skills and abilities with those found during career research and evaluate if it’s a possible fit.
• Create a plan for job experiences or skill building toward a career of interest.

ECC @ Home: January Challenge – Career Education

Student Activities:

• Create a list of people who would be a good reference for you.
• Volunteer somewhere to gain a new experience.
• Research a job you are interested in.
• Put together an outfit you would wear to an interview.
• Watch a TV show and discuss all the jobs represented on it.
• Create a list/resume of skills/experiences you currently have.
• Ask a teacher or parent to evaluate your work habits.
• Utilize a calendar for appointments and due dates.
• Discuss what makes someone a good employee.

Family Concept Practice:

• Give your child a regular chore or responsibility to complete at home.
• Evaluate your child’s ability to complete tasks on their own.
• Talk about careers your child is interested in and how to achieve them.
• Have a mock interview with your child.
• Invite your child to a work-shadow day at your job.
• Create a Transition Portfolio for your child.
• Ask people in your neighborhood what they do for a career and why.

Parent Only Activities:

• Attend the 1/4/25 ABLE Accounts Workshop.
• Have your child shadow you or someone at work.
• Volunteer somewhere new with your child.

Resource Links (do not count as entries if completed):

• Video Link: I Can Use Work Skills at Home and in the Community
• Take the ONET Career Profiler
• APH Career Connect
• Explore Transition Portfolios

Details:

• Submission Deadline for January: February 3, 2025
• Prize Drawing: $50 Walmart Gift Card
• Submission & Proof Upload Link: Google Form
• Questions or Support Needed? Email: OutreachECC@mdschblind.org