⛈ Beating the heat with a summer Rainstorm!
Rainstorm 2025, a new website theme, and more!
Hi Splashers! Hope you’ve all had a wonderful summer. LU has been working hard on a brand new website theme, updating Splash resources, and hosting our first Rainstorm event since 2022.
✅ tl;dr:
Applications are open for LU Chapter Board Co-Chair and LU Board (email nomcom@learningu.org if interested)
Rainstorm 2025 was a success! Over 300 students participated in a day full of learning, hosted by 39 teachers from across the country!
Webteam has officially released their new theme, Droplets! Check out all the new features, and let us know what you think here!
🕵️ We need YOU! Recruitment alert!
Chapter Board Co-Chair Application
LU is seeking candidates for the LU Chapter Board. Anyone who is not on the Board of Directors and has been an admin for a Splash chapter in the past is eligible to apply (Deadline Aug 29).
The Chapter Board brings together representatives from many Splash chapters to provide a collective voice for current Splash admins in LU (e.g., they help elect LU Board Members), and to provide chapters a forum to interface with each other. We've not had an active Chapter Board in a while, and would really like to revitalize it! We are hoping to find two co-chairs who will facilitate regular meetings of the board, and they will have lots of freedom to shape those meetings and the board's focus. Apply at this link by Aug 29.
Calling all volunteers
Learning Unlimited is calling all teachers and admins to join the LU squad to support nationwide Splash programs. Come join various committees such as webteam, communications, and finance, no experience necessary!
Interested? Check out our website www.learningu.org and fill out this form to apply. Email info@learningu.org for more information.
🤖 Resources
As we start a new semester, we would like to remind you of LU resources to host a successful program.
🗣 As the semester is getting started, a reminder to check-in with your Chapter Services Mentor for a successful Splash program
🏫 Check out these classroom resources that can help you design a super engaging class! Also, here’s a self-guided lesson planning worksheet.
📖 Whether it’s your first time running a Splash or you’re a seasoned veteran, check out the LU Handbook to learn more about LU and the services we offer.
📧 Learning Unlimited email domains are now available for chapters. Reach out to Zoe at zoe@learningu.org to claim a @learningu.org email address for your chapter.
💬 Communications
Join the Learning Unlimited Slack channel to keep up-to-date with LU announcements, chat with LU staff and other Splash program admins at any time.
Drop by the weekly Tuesday office hours (Tuesdays 7-11pm ET / 4-8pm PT) on Gather for a virtual co-working space and to speak with LU staff.
🖥️ Questions about your website? Reach out to the webteam at #web-support on Slack or email websupport@learningu.org at any time. Or stop by the Gather workspace on Tuesday or Thursdays (7-11pm ET / 4-8pm PT)
📢 Tell us your experiences! Spread the news!
Fill out this short survey to share your teaching experiences—a cool class you have taught or seen, your secret teaching tactic, or golden moments of learning you witnessed!
Have any news, tips, or comments to share? Email us stories to be featured on our next newsletter or send us feedback.
Get one new member on your team to subscribe to this awesome-possum newsletter to receive (roughly) bimonthly posts.
⛈️ The storm has passed! Rainstorm was a success!
In our first Rainstorm event since 2022, LU’s Summer Rainstorm 2025 brought together over 300 students from around the country (and even internationally!) for a day full of learning. LU offered 39 classes in various subjects, totalling over 800 hours of instruction.
Rainstorm 2025 classes included:
"What's the deal with gladiators, am I right?": Exploring Comedy in the Ancient World – taught by Aidan Gray (Cambridge University)
From Languages to Highways: Graph Theory and the Mathematics of Connection – taught by Shoshana Elgart (Stanford)
Zoology & Medicine – taught by Ajay Krishnan (UC Berkeley)
and more!
We would like to thank the 35 teachers who taught at Rainstorm (shout out to teachers from UC Berkeley, Stanford, Northeastern, Yale, Cornell, UChicago, UCLA Splashes, and more!) and all our volunteers – we could not have done it without you! 🫶
LU plans to host annual Rainstorm events, so please consider teaching or volunteering with us in the future! Some highlights from this year’s event include:
Teachers cited Rainstorm 2025 as an opportunity to gain more experience and build confidence in teaching
Rainstorm provided a platform to share their passions with a young and curious audience
Teachers and admins were able to connect with each other from across the country
Missed Rainstorm 2025? Check out the Learning Unlimited Cloud Youtube for classes from previous programs (and some classes from Rainstorm 2025 will be uploaded soon). If you are interested in participating in LU programming, fill out this form or create an account on the LU Cloud website.
🛹 News from the Board
The LU Board is still seeking applicants. If you are interested, please email nomcom@learningu.org as soon as possible!
🖥️ Web Updates from the Wizards of the Web! (Will, Katherine, and Miles)
💧 Droplets is now live! Check out these new features and more:
🧗 Droplets has been built from the ground up to promote a clean, modern, and mobile experience. This theme is more customizable, less intrusive, and wider than any previous theme.
🎨 This theme features redesigns of the Main Program Management, Main Onsite, Dashboard, Printables, Manage All Programs, and Theme Editor pages.
✍️ Droplets will introduce new customizability options in font sizes, header/footer colors and visibility, dropdown menu colors, and navigation/contact info.
👨💻 Full release notes available on our Github
📝 If you’ve tried out our new theme (test it out here), please complete this brief survey to let us know what you think.
Reach out to us on #web-support on Slack or email websupport@learningu.org with any questions, bug reports, or feature suggestions.
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