2009 Berwyn Challenge

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Thank you so much for donating the books necessary to have an informative and successful family reading night with our parents. Our students' parents, many of whom do not read and write themselves, not only learned ways that they can help their children learn to read, but also how they can learn to read. The parents who attended the two hour workshop were very grateful to have learned such strategies. Many of these parents explained that they have never even thought to buy books for their children to read at home. They grew up in an environment and culture where learning was to take place at school. Learning was considered "work". Work was work and home was home. These parents expressed to me that before attending the seminar, they never knew that learning was supposed to start at home when children are very little. They thought that children first learned their letters, numbers, colors, and shapes while in kindergarten. They were amazed when we told them that learning starts at home and that many children come into kindergarten already knowing these things, or at least having a good understanding of them.

With your help we were not only able to educate parents about their role in helping their children learn how to read, but we were able to provide them a list of strategies and instruction on how to use them, and a few books to start with. The children were able to select their books from a selection that was at their own reading level, and each parent was given a list of strategies that could be specifically used with the books their child selected. Without your help we could not have had such a successful reading night. I have even had conversations with some of the children, and they have told me that their parents are now reading with them almost every night.

Thanks again for your generosity!

”

With gratitude,

Ms. Parvin

When I first received the packages from the bookstore, I laid the books out on a table so all of the kids could peruse and talk about the collection before anyone was allowed to take the books out of the classroom library. It was a very exciting day because new materials are rarely, if ever, coming into our classroom! I allowed the boys to look through the books first, and it was inspiring to see their enthusiasm. Surprising to me (though perhaps it shouldn't have been) was the fact that so many of my girls were just as eager to read the new books! We officially have several new female fans of graphic novels.

Over the past few weeks the kids have thoroughly enjoyed reading the new collection. The graphic novels and biographies of famous athletes have been the biggest hits. At the end of each school day, the entire middle school reads for 15 minutes prior to end-of-day announcements. Previously, several of my boys used this time to wander through the classroom library uninspired or hold a book open and pretend to read it. Now, however, those same boys come to class with the book they've checked out from the new collection and get to reading right away. How fantastic for a teacher to see, knowing that their skills won't improve unless they practice.

Thank you from all of us for your kind donation. I truly appreciate your support and generosity!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Vanderhill

I can't tell you what music it is to my ears when I say, "Time to pack up and go back to your homeroom, " and I hear moans and groans of, "CAN WE STAY? THIS IS FUN." Your generous gift shows that learning IS fun. Thank you so much for donating interactive pocket charts. It helps students SEE what is sometimes hard to visualize. My students have gone back to their rooms and bragged about how much fun they have playing games with me. Little do they know they are learning.

Thank you again for thinking of our class when choosing to make your donation. ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Olsen

Thank you so much for the lighting supplies you have sent our children. When we started this program three years ago, I walked into a completely empty stage - bare walls, no equipment, and few kids.

We have a great staff and administration who bend over backwards to help our department. However, there are only so many resources to go around.

We have build our department up to the point where about 9% of the student population performs in our department at some point during the year.

Your donation helps the students see that they and our department are special and important. By giving them lighting equipment, these students don't just learn about the performing arts. They experience first hand how teamwork, motivation, and creativity impact their work and themselves. Thank you again for your donation!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Shariffskul

Thank you so much for your donation to our music classroom! When I told the music students, they were so excited! I cannot wait to implement all of our new instruments in the classroom. We just received some claves yesterday, and our students wer thrilled to be able to use them! You made a huge difference in our classroom for years to come. That is the best part about our donation, you have a lasting effect on students for years to come. We will be uploading pictures as soon as we get all of our instruments! I cannot wait to see the look on all of their faces. Thank you so much!!!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Uher

This is just a small token of my gratitude for your generous donation to my classroom. The books that you donated have helped my students become excited about reading. Once the package was opened, my students were asking to borrow them. They might have been more excited to receive them than I was!

Without your help, my students never would have had these amazing resources. I can't begin to explain to you how exciting it is as a reading teacher to see students get excited over books! I wish I could capture that moment and relive it whenever I need to smile.

Without donors like you, thousands of classrooms in the United States would go without! Thank you so much for your support. It means the world to me.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Trekas

I'm writing to express how happy and grateful I am for your generous donation. I would also like to thank you for taking the time to read my proposal online. My students were very excited when the books arrived and couldn't wait to get their hands on them.

I would like to share with you what you have done for my students. A lot of my students are struggling readers who need to be exposed to literature. My students are motivated to read, but they have limited exposure to genres such as science fiction, fantasy, and graphic novels to name a few. In the past few years, there has been a growing interest in science fiction and graphic novels. The students in my school and community are becoming more and more interested in these genres. Because of this growing interest, I decided to ask for specific books that would match the interests of my students as well as meet their various cognitive, and social emotional needs.

Because of your donation, my students are excited to read again. They are excited to read books they normally wouldn't choose. My boys are thrilled to read The Olympian series by Rick Riordan and my girls are ecstatic to read the series books by author Sharon G. Flake. My students really enjoy the classroom library and have completely made it their own by sharing the responsibility of cleaning it, organizing the books, and sharing them.

Most importantly, I want to thank you for helping my students feel appreciated and noticed. A lot of them couldn't believe that someone like you would help them grow as readers. Your donation has proven to them that reading is powerful and that genres such as science fiction should not be forgotten. You have given them hope and motivation to become independent readers and thinkers, and you have helped me to continue instilling the power of reading. For all of this I thank you. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Hernandez

Thank you very much for your generous donations to my project! We have been using the new chairs which you helped to purchase, and they aren't cracking and breaking! It's so much easier to work with my kids at a table in chairs that support the children. I no longer have to worry about a chair possibly breaking or cracking at any minute.

I cannot thank you enough for your generous donations. We couldn't do it without your help! Thank you for sharing in my love for teaching and helping student to learn!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Optie

I cannot even begin to tell you how much of a difference you have made already! As soon as I told my students that we were getting 5 keyboards, there was a HUGE cheer throughout the classroom! The kids are so thrilled, they are asking every day if they are here yet! They are already asking what songs they are going to learn, what songs they can add to what they know, and how many days a week we can play piano! Some of the students are so eustatic, that they are coming before and after school asking if they can practice once they get here. There are even students willing to give up their lunch periods to play! That is amazing. So are all of you! You made a difference in over 650 children this year, and more to come in the future! Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Uher