Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/264109
The Community Foundation of Sarasota County recently hosted the EdExploreSRQ Showcase, featuring local community provid- ers who post "explorations" — experiential learning programs — for teachers to access for the benefit of their students. "The celebratory event, a partnership of the Community Foundation and the Sarasota County Schools, offered a rare opportunity for informal conversation, refreshments and, most importantly, a chance for teachers to talk face-to-face with the EdExploreSRQ pro- viders," a news release explains. EdExploreSRQ is an initiative that pro- vides students in grades K-12 "with valuable exposure to arts, science and culture through 'explorations,' in-classroom and off-campus experiences offered by numerous partner organizations," the release explains. The goal is to improve connections between the classroom and community assets that bet- ter support Common Core and the Sarasota County Schools' Next Generation Standards, the release adds. The associated website — EdExploreSRQ.com — serves as a resource not only for teachers but also for parents seeking family entertainment opportuni- ties that support their children's learning in school, the release says. "The Showcase bubbled with enthusiastic teachers and administrators who wandered E D E X P L O R E S R Q S H O W C A S E B R I N G S E D U C A T O R S , PROVIDERS TOGETHER FOR INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS (From left) Booker High School teacher Myndel Miller, artist Amy Webber and Helena Cao, a teacher at Laurel Nokomis. Contributed photo by Jake Hartvigsen Sarasota News Leader February 21, 2014 Page 85