EconoCents Vol 1 Iss 10

EconoCents  
Vol 1 Iss 10
Economics Challenge
The Kansas State High School Economics Challenge Championships were April 1 at WSU. Adam Smith Division winners were Shawnee Mission Northwest.  David Ricardo winners were Salina South.  We can read more about this on our blog.  You can view pictures on our Facebook page.  Thank you to each of the teachers who invested in their students.  Thank you to the investors in the LiFE Fund for making this event possible.

Personal Finance Challenge
State High School Championship is Today, Wednesday, April 8 at 

WSU Rhatigan Student Center.  Middle School Championship is next week, Wednesday, April 15 at WSU 

Rhatigan Student Center. The Platinum Investor for the Personal Finance Challenge is Capital Federal.

Financial Fitness Extravaganza
The Annual Teacher Workshop is scheduled for June 22 - 23 on the WSU Campus.  This workshop has been called by many teachers as the best teacher training workshop they attend.  KCEE would like you to be here.  Complete information and registration details are available at our website.  Click here. 
The Platinum Investor for the Financial Fitness Extravaganza is the Fred & Mary Koch Foundation.

Amazon Smile
A reminder that you can support the Kansas Council for Economic Education when you purchase items at amazon.com.  Click here for a direct link to our smile page.  Thanks for helping us promote economic and financial literacy in Kansas.

Council for Economic Education (CEE) is seeking teachers 
The Council for Economic Education (CEE) is seeking teachers in grades 4 to 12 who will have their students take one of the CEE’s three new personal finance tests:

• Test of Financial Literacy (TFL) for grades 11 to 12. (50 test items)
• Test of Financial Knowledge (TFK) for grades 7 to 9.  (45 test items)
• Basic Finance Test (BFT) for grades 4 to 6.  (35 test items) 

All students are eligible to take a test regardless of whether they have had personal finance instruction in school (course, unit, or lessons).  All students know something about personal finance through various activities:  school work, talking with parents or other adults, watching the news, browsing the Internet, participating in community program, or life experiences.

The testing will be conducted nationwide using CEE’s Online Assessment Center. The test is all multiple-choice and should take a class period. A few demographic questions are asked at the end of the test to be used for overall analysis. The CEE will ensure the privacy of students and not know their names. Teachers register their students with anonymous codes and only they know their identity.

If you are interested in participating please fill out this short survey about your students and the class(es) you are teaching. Once completed you will receive a confirmation with brief instructions on how to proceed.

Dillons Community Rewards
You may have heard about the Dillons Community Rewards program.  The Kansas Council for Economic Education is now a part of this community.  You can register your Dillons card with the KCEE account and KCEE will receive monies from the Dillons organization.  Visit this website, log in to your Dillons account or create a new one online. click Enroll Now and enter the five digit number for KCEE 74404. Thank you.

Thank you for using KCEE resources to teach economic and personal finance in your classroom. Thank you to our investors for making this possible.  KCEE impacts the LiFE of a Teacher, a Student and a Community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Matt Johnson, CFRE
VP Development & Communications
Kansas Council for Economic Education

EconoCents Vol 1 Iss 9

EconoCents  
Vol 1 Iss 9
InvestWrite Winner Announced!
The Kansas Council for Economic Education was notified that a student in one of our schools had been recognized for their essay in the InvestWrite program of the Stock Market Game.  We were very excited to hear this and were able to recognize this student in front of her peers during an all school assembly.  You can read all about it in our blog post

Life Smarts Challenge
LifeSmarts Varsity State Champions are Iola high School.  They are going to Seattle!  Click here for a look at our blog.  You can view pictures on Facebookhere.  Be sure to share these links with your students. Thank you to our supporters at&t, Kansas Office of the State Banking Commissioner and the LiFE Fund.

Remember State Junior Varsity (Middle School) Championship is Wednesday, April 29 on the WSU Campus.   

Econ Challenge
High School State Championships are April 1 at WSU.

Personal Finance Challenge
State High School Championship is Wednesday, April 8 at WSU Rhatigan Student Center.  Middle School Championship is Wednesday, April 15 at WSU Rhatigan Student Center.

Economic Poster Contest
Economic Posters have started to come in the mail.  Be sure to get your students involved! The Economic Poster Contest is for Students K - 8. Visit our website for more information and to see last years winners. More than 1000 students participated across Kansas. Deadline for entries is April 6, 2015. There are free resources for Teachers who submit 13 or more entries from their classroom.

Council for Economic Education (CEE) is seeking teachers 
The Council for Economic Education (CEE) is seeking teachers in grades 4 to 12 who will have their students take one of the CEE’s three new personal finance tests:

• Test of Financial Literacy (TFL) for grades 11 to 12. (50 test items)
• Test of Financial Knowledge (TFK) for grades 7 to 9.  (45 test items)
• Basic Finance Test (BFT) for grades 4 to 6.  (35 test items) 

All students are eligible to take a test regardless of whether they have had personal finance instruction in school (course, unit, or lessons).  All students know something about personal finance through various activities:  school work, talking with parents or other adults, watching the news, browsing the Internet, participating in community program, or life experiences.

The testing will be conducted nationwide using CEE’s Online Assessment Center. The test is all multiple-choice and should take a class period. A few demographic questions are asked at the end of the test to be used for overall analysis. The CEE will ensure the privacy of students and not know their names. Teachers register their students with anonymous codes and only they know their identity.

If you are interested in participating please fill out this short survey about your students and the class(es) you are teaching. Once completed you will receive a confirmation with brief instructions on how to proceed.

Dillons Community Rewards
You may have heard about the Dillons Community Rewards program.  The Kansas Council for Economic Education is now a part of this community.  You can register your Dillons card with the KCEE account and KCEE will receive monies from the Dillons organization.  Visit this website, log in to your Dillons account or create a new one online. click Enroll Now and enter the five digit number for KCEE 74404. Thank you.

Annual Report
The Kansas Council for Economic Education Annual Report for Fiscal Year 14 is available at this link.

Economic Outlook Conferences
The Center for Economic and Business Research (CEDBR) at WSU has several Economic Outlook Conferences scheduled for this fall across Kansas.  I would encourage you to attend and tell your students about it.  The conferences will feature national, state and local community information about business climate and growth.  The CEDBR is an excellent resource too for local economic information that you can use in your classroom.  Visit their website and sign-up for their newsletter.  

Thank you for using KCEE resources to teach economic and personal finance in your classroom. Thank you to our investors for making this possible.  KCEE impacts the LiFE of a Teacher, a Student and a Community.
Sincerely,

Dr. Matt Johnson, CFRE
VP Development & Communications
Kansas Council for Economic Education

EconoCents Vol 1 Iss 8

EconoCents  
Vol 1 Iss 8
Spread Love, SHOP GOOD Sweepstakes
Enter to win something for yourself and a donation to KCEE.  Click the link for complete details.

Free Car Shopper App
Want your students to learn while they're using their phones? Have them download Car Shopper! With Car Shopper, students can

• Learn to do a cost-benefit analysis of buying their dream car
• Explore millions of different vehicle combinations
• See how much gas, insurance and car payments will cost

Download the Car Shopper app for free from iTunes or Google Play today!

Smile at Amazon.com
Many of us shop online at Amazon for a variety of things.  Go tosmile.amazon.com and select Kansas Council for Economic Education as your charitable organization of choice.  Each time you make a purchase, KCEE will receive a donation from Amazon. This deals makes everyone smile. :) 

Life Smarts Challenge
State High School Championship Competition is set for Tuesday, March 3rd on the WSU Campus. Visit our website for more details.  State Middle School Championship is Wednesday, April 29 on the WSU Campus.   

Econ Challenge
It is time to get on board for the Econ Challenge. Visit our website for more details. Online testing window opens Feb 25 and closes Mar 10.  High School State Championships are April 1 at WSU.

Personal Finance Challenge
ONLINE COMPETITION TESTING: Opens Monday, March 2 and closes Friday, March 13.  Visit our website for more information.  State High School Championship is Wednesday, April 8 at WSU Rhatigan Student Center.  Middle School Championship is Wednesday, April 15 at WSU Rhatigan Student Center.

Economic Poster Contest
Economic Posters have started to come in the mail.  Be sure to get your students involved! The Economic Poster Contest is for Students K - 8. Visit our website for more information and to see last years winners. More than 1000 students participated across Kansas. Deadline for entries is April 6, 2015. There are free resources for Teachers who submit 13 or more entries from their classroom.

Financial Fitness Extravaganza Dates
The Financial Fitness Extravaganza is scheduled for Monday & Tuesday, June 22 - 23.  The FFE will be on the WSU Campus. Financial Fitness Extravaganza has been called the best teacher workshop in the area.  Please save these dates on your calendar and plan to attend.  See what happened last year.

Thank you for using KCEE resources to teach economic and personal finance in your classroom. Thank you to our investors for making this possible.  KCEE impacts the LiFE of a Teacher, a Student and a Community.
Sincerely,

Dr. Matt Johnson
VP Development & Communications
Kansas Council for Economic Education

EconoCents Vol 1 Iss 7

EconoCents  
Vol 1 Iss 7
Life Smarts Challenge
Register for the Life Smarts Challenge.  LifeSmarts Challenge teaches students about consumer skills relating to Personal Finance, Technology, Consumer Rights & Responsibilities, Health & Safety, and the Environment. Visit our website for more details.   State Championship Competition is set for Tuesday, March 3rd on the WSU Campus.

Econ Challenge
It is time to get on board for the Econ Challenge.  Visit our website for more details. Online testing window opens Feb 25 and closes Mar 10.  High School State Championships are April 1 at WSU.  

Economic Poster Contest
The annual Economic Poster Contest will happen during the Spring semester. The Economic Poster Contest if for Students K - 8.  Visit our website for more information and to see last years winners.  More than 1000 students participated across Kansas. Deadline for entries is April 6, 2015.  There are free resources for Teachers who submit 13 or more entries from their classroom.

Workshops/In-Service Training
The Kansas Council for Economic Education is available to conduct in-service training in your district or school.  These are restricted by timing and the number of requests.  Please contact us about how we can serve youkcee@wichita.edu 

Financial Fitness Extravaganza Dates
We like to plan early if possible.  Our Annual Financial Fitness Extravaganza is scheduled for Monday & Tuesday, June 22 - 23.  The FFE will be on the WSU Campus. Financial Fitness Extravaganza has been called the best teacher workshop in the area.  Please save these dates on your calendar and plan to attend.  See what happened last year.

Thank you for using KCEE resources to teach economic and personal finance in your classroom.  Thank you to our investors for making this possible.  KCEE impacts more than 1,000 teachers and influences more than 100,000 students.  

Sincerely,

Dr. Matt Johnson
VP Development & Communications
Kansas Council for Economic Education

EconoCents Vol 1 Iss 6

EconoCents  
Vol 1 Iss 6

Gen i Revolution: Free Online Personal Finance Game
Assign your students work they'll enjoy for the holiday break! 

• Easy Class Registration (team or individual play)
• Ability to Monitor Student Progress
• Manage Access to Missions
• Free Teacher Guide Available
• Video demos for game provided along with player's and mission guides 
• Companion Curriculum Resource Available - Learning, Earning and Investing for a New Generation  
• Mini-games also available: Murktide Invasion and Beyond the Mission 

Gen i Revolution is currently being used by teachers across EVERY state in the U.S.-Sign up today!

Life Smarts Challenge
Register for the Life Smarts Challenge.  LifeSmarts Challenge teaches students about consumer skills relating to Personal Finance, Technology, Consumer Rights & Responsibilities, Health & Safety, and the Environment. Visit our website for more details.   

Economic Poster Contest
The annual Economic Poster Contest will happen during the Spring semester.  The Economic Poster Contest if for Students K - 8.  Visit our website for more information and to see last years winners.  More than 1000 students participated across Kansas.

Workshops/In-Service Training
The Kansas Council for Economic Education is available to conduct in-service training in your district or school.  These are restricted by timing and the number of requests.  Please contact us about how we can serve youkcee@wichita.edu 

Financial Fitness Extravaganza Save the Date
We like to plan early if possible.  Our Annual Financial Fitness Extravaganza is tentatively scheduled for June 23 - 25.  Financial Fitness Extravaganza has been called the best teacher workshop in the area.  Please save these dates on your calendar and plan to attend.  See what happened last year.

Thank you for using KCEE resources to teach economic and personal finance in your classroom.  Thank you to our investors for making this possible.  KCEE impacts more than 1,000 teachers and influences more than 100,000 students.  Thank you for another successful year.  May you enjoy your Holiday break.

Merry Christmas,

Dr. Matt Johnson
VP Development & Communications
Kansas Council for Economic Education

EcononCents Vol 1 iss 5

EconoCents  
Vol 1 Iss 5
Life Smarts Challenge
Register for the Life Smarts Challenge.  LifeSmarts Challenge teaches students about consumer skills relating to Personal Finance, Technology, Consumer Rights & Responsibilities, Health & Safety, and the Environment. Visit our website for more details.   

New Online Assessment Tool
The Council for Economic Education has created a new online assessment tool Click here to check it out!

Teacher Spotlight
We have a Teacher Spotlight this month.  Thanks to Nathan Hiebert of Hillsboro High School.  Click Here

Workshops/In-Service Training
The Kansas Council for Economic Education is available to conduct in-service training in your district or school.  These are restricted by timing and the number of requests.  Please contact us about how we can serve youkcee@wichita.edu 

Kansas Association of School Boards
The Kansas Council for Economic Education will have a booth at the Kansas Association of School Board meeting on Friday and Saturday, December 5 & 6. We look forward to seeing many school district leaders there.  Our goal is to encourage them to use KCEE to meet their economic and personal finance literacy needs.

Thank you for using KCEE to teach financial literacy in your classroom.  Thank you to our investors for making it possible.


Dr. Matt Johnson
VP Development & Communications
Kansas Council for Economic Education

EconoCents Vol 2 Iss 4

EconoCents - Teaching OPPORTUNITY

Welcome
EconoCents is welcoming several new subscribers this month.  EconoCents looks forward to communicating with you about economic and personal finance literacy in your classroom.  Visit our website for more details. Click the icons below to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

www.kansas.councilforeconed.org 

Teacher Spotlight
I spoke with several of you about participating in our Teacher Spotlight and Tips & Tricks features. Please take a few minutes to complete the surveys. Other teachers are seeking your input. The more participation we have the more these features will be in the newsletter. Thank you for investing time to encourage others.

 

Click here to take the Teacher Spotlight Survey

Click here to take the Tips & Tricks Survey

Personal Finance Challenge
Time to register you teams for the Personal Finance Challenge.  The Personal Finance Challenge is an engaging competition for students learning about personal finance in the classroom. Working as individuals and on teams, students will be tested on their knowledge of facts and terms relating to finances. Spending & Credit, Saving & Investing, and Income & Money Management are the topics for each round. High scoring teams from the preliminary rounds will be invited to compete at the in-person state competition in the spring.  Visit our website for more details.

Life Smarts Challenge
Time to register for the Life Smarts Challenge.  LifeSmarts Challenge teaches students about consumer skills relating to Personal Finance, Technology, Consumer Rights & Responsibilities, Health & Safety, and the Environment.  Visit our website for more details.  

Fall Conferences
KCEE had a great time visiting with the many educators who use our literacy programs to help their students understand economic and personal finance principles.  Thank you to each one.  We had a drawing at each event.  Here are the winners.

Kansas Association for the Gifted, Talented and Creative - Brenda Piester, Skyline Schools

Kansas Business Education Association - Holly Rutter, Valley Center HS  

Kansas State Department of Education -  Winner 1 - Sandra Gurss, Pleasant Ridge Middle School; Winner 2 - Teri Boyd, Bashor Intermediate

Winners will receive their prize in the mail shortly.  Thank you to everyone who registered.

KCEE receives funding from several investors this past month
KCEE is grateful to community partners who understand and support our vision to create, through economic and financial literacy education, Kansas students who become: more knowledgeable consumers, wiser savers and investors, more responsible citizens and better employees. (click links for the press release)

Office of the State Bank Commissioner

Westar Energy Foundation

Thank you for using KCEE to teach financial literacy in your classroom.  Thank you to our investors for making it possible.

Dr. Matt Johnson
VP Development & Communications
Kansas Council for Economic Education

EconoCents Vol 1 Iss 3

EconoCents

KCEE
Welcome to our new name for the monthly newsletter - EconoCents. Thanks for helping to select our new name.  We look forward to bringing EconoCents to you each month.

Teacher Spotlight

This month we introduce a new segment - Teacher Spotlight.  At least twice a year we will shine the spotlight on a teacher using KCEE materials to teach financial literacy in their classroom. This month we feature Suzanne Stark of Hays High School.  You can read her spotlight by clicking here.  Thank you Ms. Stark.  

I would like for you to participate in this feature.  The more responses we have the more often we can feature the fine educators who use KCEE in the classroom.  Click here to take the Teacher Spotlight Survey

Stock Market Game

There is still time to get your team registered for the fall session of the Stock market Game.  Visit our website and then select the Stock Market Game.

Personal Finance Challenge

Time to register you teams for the Personal Finance Challenge.  The Personal Finance Challenge is an engaging competition for students learning about personal finance in the classroom. Working as individuals and on teams, students will be tested on their knowledge of facts and terms relating to finances. Spending & Credit, Saving & Investing, and Income & Money Management are the topics for each round. High scoring teams from the preliminary rounds will be invited to compete at the in-person state competition in the spring.  Visit our website for more details.

Fall Conferences

KCEE will participate in several Fall Conferences.  If you are in attendance please stop by and say hello.

Kansas Association for the Gifted, Talented and Creative, Oct 5 - 7 in Overland park at the Convention Center. www.kgtc.org

53rd Annual Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference, Oct 8 - 11 in Dallas, TX at the Renaissance.  Just visiting this one (no booth).  www.councilforeconed.org 

Kansas Business Education Association, Oct 16-18 in Wichita at the Double Tree by Hilton near the airport.  www.ksbea.org 

Kansas State Department of Education Annual Conference, Oct 21 in Wichita at the Hyatt Regency  www.ksde.org  

There are a few others that details are not finalized just yet.

Thank you for using KCEE to teach financial literacy in your classroom.  Thank you to our investors for making it possible.

Dr. Matt Johnson
VP Development & Communications
Kansas Council for Economic Education

EconoCents Vol 1 Iss 2

KCEE receives Award of Merit and Grant

KCEE was honored to receive the Award of Merit from the KACTE. You can view the press release here. 

Kansas Council for Economic Education receives grant from Rotary District 5690 through the Rotary Foundation and the Wichita Rotary Charitable Fund read the press release

Stock Market Game Registration

It is time to register for the Stock Market Game. Visitwww.stockmarketgame.org to register.  The Stock Market Game is free for Kansas Students thanks to our investors.

We are placing a special emphasis on schools in Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandote counties.  We have an investor who wants to increase participation from schools in these counties.

Also, schools in Wichita USD 259 are being funded to increase participation in this city.

Please forward this email to teachers you may know in these areas who could benefit from the Stock Market Game.

KCEE survey participants

We had several responses to our survey on name suggestions for our newsletter, delivery timing and topics to include.  Thanks to everyone who submitted their suggestions.  Everyone is a winner when you teach economics.  However, the one chosen to get some cool KCEE stuff is ...Gina Lyon, Topeka West High School.  Woohoo!

KCEE Newsletter Name

Several suggestions were given for the KCEE newsletter name. The original name was EconEdcetera. The following names were suggested: Dollars & Sense; Econ Extra; Econ Extravaganza; Economics 4 U; EconoCents and EconEdcetera. Please reply with your first and second choice.  

Newsletter Topics

Teacher Spotlight
We had several good suggestions for topics to include in the newsletter.  One in particular was Teacher Spotlight.  I am inviting you to participate in the Teacher Spotlight section.  If you would like to share your story as it relates to KCEE please click on this link to take a short survey.  

Student Testimonials
I was also asked to have student testimonials included in the newsletter.  Since we do not have student information, would you please refer a current or past student who you felt was engaged through the KCEE curriculum. If you would email me their contact information, it would be appreciated.

Teaching Tips
The last section I was encouraged to include was Teaching Tips.  Tried & True and Latest & Greatest were the topics.  Do you have any of these you would like to share?  Respond to this email with your ideas or resources.

Each of these topics will be featured in an upcoming newsletter.  I cannot guarantee that all of them will make it.  Those who submit will get credit for submitting.

Thank you for taking time to invest in others.

Dr. Matt Johnson
VP Development & Communications