Past projects 186
Our Underpants Are Frayed And We Need A New Set
Funded Apr 17, 2013The kids in the thank-you photographs are busy processing your books (adding barcodes, stamping the name of the library inside etc.) so that they can be the first to check them out. They have to be the first: I've been told that in no uncertain terms. The kids have their eyes on the new book in the series: 'Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers'. The first books will be checked out in around half an hour. ALL of the new 'Captain Underpants' will be checked out by the end of the week. That's a given. They love this series! THANK YOU for helping out our kids!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
A Proposal From 3 Fifth-Graders, In Their Own Words
Funded Mar 28, 2013Thank you for the books. We really love them. They are in our library. They are in the teachers' section so teachers can check them out. Two middle school teachers already checked them out. They say their kids like the books. We helped the librarian barcode the books and put labels on the book spines. You guys are very generous. We couldn't do this without you. These books will encourage kids to read and will teach them a lot about African-American history.
- Epiphany, Joseph and Karina : )”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by JP Morgan Chase and 8 other donors.Help our Autistic Students Connect with the World
Funded Mar 11, 2013Hi there! The Kindergarten teacher has been working with your iPads for a couple of weeks now, so I asked her to give us some feedback. She has loaded the iPads with some Apps that teach letter name and sound recognition, plus simple math operations. Here's what she has to say:
"The iPads have helped me by having my special needs students engage in meaningful activities with the electronic tutor while I can help other students, and now I have been able to test inside the classroom without having disruptive behavior. The programs I have downloaded are programs targeting my students' specific needs. They are working independently on their academic levels without the need of a one to one."
Sounds good, doesn't it? (She makes the reference to testing because April is testing month. Yes, they do test kindergarteners!) I was pleasantly suprised by her comments: I expected her to mention an academic impact, of course, but it seems that the iPads have also improved kids' sociability / facilitated classroom management, which is great.
So this project looks like a winner! THANK YOU FOR REMEMBERING YOUR KIDS. It's wonderful that there are folks out there who care!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Teaching Kids About Nutrition and Wellness
Funded Mar 19, 2013Thanks very much for the books about nutrition and wellness. The book covers and illustrations are great. They really 'pull the kids in' to the text. The books fill a void: we had a Nutrition teacher until last year, but her position was cut. We have a 'Healthy Generation' committee that promotes good eating on campus, but it has a fight on its hands: you should see some of the stuff that the children bring to school lunch. THANK YOU for always being there for our kids. We really do appreciate it.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by Produce For Kids & Publix and one other donor.More Stilton, Please
Funded Mar 14, 2013Thank you! 'Geronimo Stilton' is the latest craze among the munchkins. The 2nd / 3rd Grade Gifted class, in particular, is gaga over them. (They're a fickle bunch.: a few weeks ago, every kid's favorite comic book was 'Baby Mouse'.) I stay open for an hour after school every day. Half a dozen third graders come here when school ends at three, sit on the sofas and devour 'Geronimo Stilton' books. They race each other to see who can read most, of course. Don't you remember doing that? THANK YOU for keeping our kids supplied with books! They love 'Geronimo Stilton'. We really appreciate your kindness.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Change the Life of a Very Special Kid
Funded Mar 5, 2013Here's a letter from the young man who uses the Braille machine:
First, thank you. Thank you so much for the machine. It has made life easier. I can type faster with it. It is wonderful. Thank you for donating the money to get this machine. I appreciate your help. It is a really good machine to use. You are so kind to help me get this machine. It is the best!
And a message from his teacher:
Words cannot express what a difference you have made to my student. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Shiver, Linger and Forever Howl at the Moon!
Funded Mar 15, 2013Your books arrived several days ago. Some of the middle school girls saw me bar-coding them, and couldn't wait to check them out - but they had to! The books needed to be covered with contact paper. My wife did that last night, so I finally put the books on the shelf this morning. The Media Center was closed all day because of the FCAT... but that didn't stop the middle schoolers from somehow finding out that the books were available. They came after school at 3 o'clock and checked ALL of your books out! The great thing is, the girls who have been checking out these romance titles have only really started to patronize the library this year. I feel that these books are reaching a whole new group of readers. THANK YOU for making this possible!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Help Us SELL Our Library!
Funded Mar 20, 2013Hi! Your gift arrived a couple of weeks ago. The school I.T. guy just dropped by to unpack it and check that everything was working fine. (We have one I.T. guy for the entire school, so these things take a while...) The computer looks great. 'Mr. I.T.' is going to attach the touchscreen monitor to a desk in the very center of the library, close to the Fiction section, since I have a feeling that most of the books the kids review will be novels.
It is going to take the kids a while to film a sizable body of online book reviews. I doubt that the project will be completed until the fall (right now, we're administering state-wide exams, and then it'll be time for end-of-year field trips.) However, I've selected the kids who'll be carrying out the project. They are seventh graders now. Next year, in 8th grade, they'll have to do 20 hours of community service, so they'll fill up those community service hours by filming the book reviews. I'm sending you their pictures as my 'thank-you' photos for this project. (This really is a marvelous bunch of kids. They are the heart and soul of the library, and I'd be lost without them.)
While the book reviews are being filmed, the I.T. guy is going to set the home page of the computer to a page on my library website that shows the kids museums, libraries, youth centers etc. in our city - should come in handy, just in time for the summer.
The kids are thrilled that we have a touchscreen computer, and can't wait to start using it. It is going to be a great tool to get the students to make the most of their city and their library. THANKS A MILLION for making it possible!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Let's Teach Our Kids U.S. History
Funded Feb 2, 2013Thank you for these videos!
The 'Reading Rainbow' titles were put on the shelves this morning and some have already been checked out. The kids are excited that I'm allowing them to take home videos. It makes them feel grown up. (And here we are pining to be kids again, right?)
As for 'Liberty's Kids', the PBS series on the American Revolution, I lent the first of the three volumes to the 4th Grade Gifted Teacher. She is going to show the two DVDs in that first volume to her class, to whet their appetites, then we'll offer her kids the other volumes to check out individually.
What made me choose the 4th grade to get the ball rolling? Actually, it was the 4th grade who gave me the idea for this project. A couple of months ago the 4th grade teachers asked for my help in teaching their kids the causes of the American revolution...in one lesson. We improvised a role play, in which England was one end of the library and the colonies were the other. The kids were Englishmen, colonists, French settlers, soldiers...you name it. The two groups could only communicate through written notes. With a little prodding from the classroom teacher (colonial spokesperson) and me (the King of England - it helps that I was born and raised there) we soon had a great revolution going, and what really pleased me was that each side thought it was in the right. So you can see why the 4th graders got first dibs on the videos...and why I'm sure that they are going to really appreciate your gift.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by JP Morgan Chase and one other donor.The Kid In This Book Is Just Like Me!
Funded Feb 26, 2013I put library barcodes on these books yesterday. They are even better than I'd hoped for! The illustrations are big and 'splashy': they really suck you into the poems and stories. A fourth-grade class had library time with me this morning, so I read them 'My Chinatown' and 'My Name Is Bilal' as a way to advertise the new books. 'My Chinatown' particularly elicited a lot of comments. The pictures are superb. I was going to read them a third book, 'René Has Two Last Names / René tiene dos apellidos', but it started so much discussion among the kids that I didn't have time for the story. The kids checked out most of the books at the end of the story session, anyway. The book generated a discussion because lots of our kids (over 80% are Latin) had two last names (one for dad, one for mom) in their country of origin. Some families dropped the two last names when they came to the States; some decided to maintain them. The kids couldn't agree on which idea was best, and the discussion got a little heated. So your emissaries are already doing their work! : )”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson