Past projects 186
Board Books For Munchkins, Moms And Dads
Funded Mar 11, 2015We just received the first of two shipments of board books. I must admit, I'm impressed by the quality of the books. I ordered the top 100 most popular board books, sight unseen. There are some VERY attractive, interesting books in the order. We put up some old shelves along one of the walls in the Parents / Therapists Section. We placed parent flyers on half of those shelves and have displayed the board books on the other half. Currently, the seats in the Parents / Therapists Section are traditional school chairs, arranged in rows...we're in the middle of Exam Season. Once that is over, at the end of the month, those seats are going to go into storage and I'm moving in some kid-sized sofas and bean bags. The adults will have to squeeze into them until we can get something larger. The multicolored, mini bookshelves that you financed in a previous project will go beside the sofas. Those mini bookshelves are very colorful and about three feet high. They'll have more board books inside them. I think they'll be sure to attract the munchkins. Thanks to you, the next time we have a Parent Meeting in the library it'll be inside the evolving Parents / Therapists section, and I can invite the parents to check out the new board books. I am also going to go after some grants to get some easy reading materials in both English and Spanish - that is to say, bilingual books with English text on one side of the page, Spanish text on the other. We're going to need bilingual materials as well as solely English, if our aim is for kids to read at home with mom and dad - or should I say 'Mami' and 'Papi'? It's so good to plan improvements to the library and watch them come to fruition! It's challenging to provide books and facilities to kids, parents and teachers, particularly in these lean years that began with the recession. I really don't know what our library would have done these past few years without the help of good people like yourself and Donors Choose. Thank you so much for remembering the kids when times got hard!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Dr. Who
Funded Mar 5, 2015The 'Doctor Who' books arrived this morning and have all been checked out. I know the Whovians in school so I emailed their teachers as soon as I'd unpacked and processed the books. The kids came running. Wonderful sight to see! Unfortunately, some of the books listed in the original project turned out to be unavailable. Donors Choose asked me to select alternative materials so I opted for a set of Jeff Smith's 'Bone' comic books. We bought a 'Bone' series several years ago which has proved so popular that it is falling apart. The book spines have been patched up so much, it's hard to read the titles. I was actually planning on posting a 'Bone' project, so all's well that ends well, I guess. I took photos of kids with their 'Doctor Who' books today and will snap some of the Jeff Smith fans once the 'Bone' books arrive. Many thanks for all your support!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
It's Cool To Be A Dork.
Funded Feb 24, 2015The 'Dork Diaries' books arrived this morning. I laid them out on a table near the door, e-mailed the teachers in 3rd through 7th grade and sat back to watch the fun. It's now 12:15 and the books have gone. I thought, knowing the popularity of 'Dork Diaries', that I'd set a limit on the number of books that each kid could check out. That means that I've spent the past two hours witnessing claps, jumps, shouts, laughs, pouts and pleading. It's been quite a show. Thank you. As one of the girls in the photos said when she saw the books, "It's a special day today!"”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Middle School Volunteers: Boosting Parental Involvement
Funded Mar 5, 2015Hello there! I just posted some photos that will show you the merchandise you purchased and that will also give you some idea of what the library looks like. The teens in the photos are student aides. I put the Dr. Seuss figures on a bulletin board outside the library main entrance and on the back door. Both Seuss figures are accompanied by signs in English and Spanish saying that parents are welcome in the library before and after school. I'm going to open the back door wide at 2 p.m. each day, so that the Seuss display on the back door itself becomes a sign facing the corridor behind; the easel with the invitation to spend some time in the library will be placed out in the corridor, too. I hope that parents picking up Kindergarteners are tempted to come in and spend some time in the library. There is a row of Kindergarten classrooms just behind the back door. I also included a photo of the rather desolate area at the back of the library that I hope to develop into a Parents' / Therapists' center. You can also see our mural of the Lorax (can you call it a mural when it's made from bottle caps?); the biography section (with a proper mural, painted by an ex-student, currently in 11th grade; and the kids' story section (with another mural painted by the same wonderful student). I hope that gives you a sense of what our library looks like. Thank you for helping us out!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Pro-Wrestling Hits The Library
Funded Dec 31, 2014I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as the kids enjoyed the books! I have to confess that I don't know any of these wrestlers from Adam, but the kids who opened the boxes seemed to know all there is to know about each and every wrestler. They were thrilled by your gift. John Cena is now standing beside the sports section, showing the kids the way to the new books - or he would be, if the new books were there. The fifth-graders who unpacked your books checked them all out. These gifts are going to be super popular and will inspire many children to read. Bravo! Thanks for remembering our kids.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Ever Been Addicted To A Book Series?
Funded Nov 18, 2014Thank you! The books came in two stages. The 'Maze Runner' and 'Wimpy Kid' books arrived first and were all checked out - including the electronic books. It's very exciting to see the kids using e-books. I'd thought that they might not take to them...but, of course, I was just showing my age. They love electronic media and took to the e-books like ducks to water. The 'Wimpy Kid' books are so popular that the kids are putting them on library hold. The 'Magic Tree House' and 'Percy Jackson' books arrived about a week later. The kids are particularly fond of the guide to the 'Percy Jackson' books. It's large and beautifully illustrated. We have a hit on our hands!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
The Maze Runner!
Funded Nov 10, 2014Thank you for the 'Maze Runner' books. My seventh grade library aides checked them out before I could even put them on the shelves. They'll be holiday reading for Karina and Amari. They've each checked out an entire set. I'm going to offer the digital versions to another lucky kid over the holiday. The original deadline to send in thank-you letters was Jan 9, but I'm going to ask for a month's extension so that the kids have time to read the books over the winter break + then write you some decent thank-you letters once they get back to school. The 'Maze Runner' is perfect for getting teens to read. The kids have seen the movie and are keen to read all the books. I hope Karina, Amari + the kid who reads the digital versions enjoy these books as much as I have. Great stuff! Thank you so much for taking an interest in our kids.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
The Morning Show Goes Digital!
Funded Oct 12, 2014Think of the 'Morning Show' that you watched in school. It was filmed on a large camera, mounted on a tripod perhaps, and transmitted via CCTV to TVs mounted on the walls of every classroom. When shows were recorded at all, they would have been recorded onto VHS tape. (Hope I'm not dating you too much!) That system no longer works in our school. The sound on the CCTV is too soft in some classrooms, too loud in others. Those televisions on the walls have, over the years, broken down - and replacing them would be far too costly. What money we have for visual aids in the classroom has been spent on smartboards, not wall-mounted TVs. The CCTV system may no longer work, but your donation has helped us get around the problem. Thanks to the equipment that you bought us, a student newsreader now reads announcements from a laptop, while the laptop camera records him / her. We then upload the recording to schooltube.com, and send a link to the uploaded video to all the teachers in their morning email. The teachers can then show the announcements to the children over their smartboards. This simple idea is working really well. THANK YOU for helping us turn it into a reality!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 2 other donors.Using Technology To Make Reading Scores Go Through The Roof
Funded Oct 7, 2014Hi! The photos are from our last 'Accelerated Reader' celebration. The kids who met their monthly reading goals for September met up in the Media Center. First, they received special certificates. The celebration had a 'Japan' theme. A lady from the local museum demonstrated the Japanese art of 'gyotaku' - that's making prints from fish. (They should be freshly caught, but we used rubber ones.) Then, the kids made their own prints. Finally, we raffled some Japanese candies and treats. Next month, the 'Accelerated Reader' winners will go to the 'Bakefest'. A high school student who runs a baking business is going to show our winners how to bake and decorated cupcakes. I can't wait for that event! In the works, we have celebrations about Indian dancing and capoeira (Brazilian stylized fighting/dancing). We are able to motivate and reward our young readers because of 'Accelerated Reader'. Without the 'Accelerated Reader' system, this wouldn't be possible. THANK YOU for helping us renew 'Accelerated Reader' for another year! We really appreciate it. Bravo!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Fly Guy!
Funded Sep 18, 2014Among the first and second grade, the word is out that there are new 'Fly Guy' books in the library...which is a shame because they were all checked out the first day they went on the shelf! I'm having to put the new 'Fly Guy' books on hold for disappointed latecomers. Looks like the project just hit the spot! Incidentally, a parent told me one more reason why the kids like 'Fly Guy' so much. It's divided into chapters. Ridiculously small chapters for you and me, but gargantuan chapters for a child who is just learning to read and eager to get onto 'chapter books'. Thanks a million for supporting our munchkins. They are the most important of all our library patrons. Well done!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by NEA Foundation and 5 other donors.