What a successful event!

On Friday, we raised about $1000 for Anna! More than half was through donations, but a lot was from the raffle (big thanks to Kerstin and Lauren for getting people to buy tickets!!) and the door. 25 people came, and we got many more than that to buy raffle tickets.

Yesterday I had a yard sale. Anna came for a bit, but it was very hot and we didn't sell a lot. Grant and I are going to have some kind of event for the Fourth of July to raise more money. So...we are WELL on the way, at about $1800. That means we only need $1200...but STILL!!

My plan now is to continue to raise the money, and then to assess Anna when she has completed camp. I know what her reading is like now, and I will be able to independently assess her in August. That way I'll have a good idea if the camp is worth it. If it is, I may set up a non-profit to send kids from the city to this camp. We'll see!

Students' Last Day was Friday

Hello, my friends. I've been MIA because it's been a busy/sad few days. Our school was taken over by another charter school company, so about 40 staff members, including myself, are out of a job. So, we all said goodbye to the students on Friday amidst many tears.

I am taking one of my students to a baseball game next week.

And, of course, there's Anna! I will be seeing her tomorrow or the next day to talk about our yard sale on Saturday. We're going to try to make all the money this weekend...we'll see!

The event at City Tap House is on Friday. I have a BUNCH of stuff to raffle off (t-shirts, concert tickets, glassware, gym memberships, etc), and I have gotten verbal confirmation from a lot of people. Today I'm going to print fliers and post them around my neighborhood. Of course it is raining, which makes fliers difficult, but I'll do my best.

I am sad that I will not be working with all these students again. I want to keep trackof Anna and re-assess her fluency when she has finished at Benchmark. She currently reads about 50/60 words per minute, depending on the level of the material. She should be reading over 100 in fourth grade. I'll meet with her in August to assess her, so I can use her as sort of a case study.

Thank you all again for the donations and support!

She got in!!

So, yesterday Anna's grandmother (actually her great-grandmother, but she calls her grandma) came to school around 12:45 and we drove out to Benchmark. We got there with about two minutes to spare because we weren't sure where it was. I was driving, which was nice. Anna was excited and a little nervous, and was talking the whole time...until we pulled up to the school. She was completely silent.

We went in, and introduced ourselves, and almost immediately Anna was taken into "Classroom 3" to be screened. Her grandma, Mary, and I sat in the library to wait. They have THOUSANDS of books. I am so jealous and wish all my students could have access to such a library. You could tell the books had been read, too. They were used but in good condition. Mary and I filled in a form about Anna's school and life history while we waited, and chatted a bit. We were both nervous that Anna wouldn't be accepted.

After what seemed like HOURS (really about forty-five minutes), the examiner called us back in to talk about Anna. Anna sat in the library to read while we went. The examiner had had Anna read word lists, read a few stories aloud and answer questions about them, read a story to herself and answer questions, and listen to a story being read and answer questions about that. She came in at about end of second grade/beginning of third grade, which is what I had suspected. Then the woman told us that Anna would really benefit from their program! So we were both really excited, talked briefly about the next few steps (Anna will get a packet of information in the mail), and went out to find Anna. She was on the computer (of course, she loves them!). We said goodbye, and went to McDonalds to eat.

When we got in the car, Anna said, "I'm hot I'm cold I'm scared I'm excited," all at once. I think she was relieved to know that she was going. When they dropped me off at school, her grandma gave me a big hug. I think she wasn't sure what the school would be like, but now I think she's just as excited as I am. The two of them are going to put together some things to sell at the yard sale we're going to have on June 25th.

So...now that it's officially on, PLEASE ask your friends and family members to donate! Please come to my event on June 24th if you are in the area! Thank you all so much for your support and the donations we've already received. =)

Exciting times...

This weekend was full of excitement...I spoke with a woman at City Tap House, and we are putting together an event to benefit Anna. As of right now, the event will be on June 24th, 2011, at 5pm at City Tap House. For two hours, those who purchase a bracelet at the door for $5 will receive drinks specials. All the door money from that will go to Anna. Then, at the event, I will be raffling off different items. The woman I spoke with, Jessica, is going to talk to her boss about making the event bigger. She said the company really likes to help local causes. I'm really excited to hear what she has to say when we speak later this week.

Also, I emailed about a gazillion different places around the country asking for donations of items to raffle. I've gotten a good response so far -- t-shirts, tickets, gym memberships, and yoga classes -- among others!

Tomorrow, Anna goes in to Benchmark to be screened for the camp. So, tomorrow we find out whether she can even go. I am hopeful. I am a little worried.

I also just found out that the money is due by the first day of camp -- July 5th!!!!! I really hope we can do this! Please tell your friends and family. Thank you!

Six More Days of School!

This year has flown by. It seems like it was February just yesterday and we were still prepping for the PSSAs. Now, there are just six more school days -- and two of them are half days. I'm going to miss all my students terribly.

Anna's paperwork has been sent to Benchmark. I'm hoping to receive more donations from friends and family, and also to put together a few events geared toward raising money. Tomorrow I am going to a local bar/restaurant to discuss an event there. More details on that when I have it! Anna and I are also going to have a yard sale at my house (which is only a few blocks from her own). I think we'll also sell water ice and lemonade. That should generate some more money as well.

If this camp does wonders for Anna (which I really hope it will), I may put together some sort of continuing fund to send a student from our school every year. I want educational opportunities to be available to all students, regardless of their families' incomes.

Here is what Anna has to say about camp and summer:

Anna wrote most of this herself (I wrote a few of the prompts and helped her sound out any words she asked about), and added the pictures. I taught her how to download them from the Internet, save them in her folder, and insert them into the document. Success! She is very excited about the zip line and rope climbing.

I went to read better and writing better so I went to go to benchmark summer camp. I want to Have a lot of fun went the game with reading and writing . and make friends

When I think about summer camp, I think of reading and writing and playing doing math. Swimming rope climbing zip line looking at animals.

My favorite thing to do in the summer is play with my friends go swimming go to the park go to ac.

My favorite subject in school is…math…because I like to add and im good at it. Science because I like to learn about earth and Pluto and the other planets.

What summer camp is this, exactly??

A friend pointed out that I should discuss what this summer camp was all about. As I mentioned before, this is a school that focuses on students with reading problems. I heard about them at the International Reading Association conference I attended in May. As the Benchmark School's welcome message says, "Benchmark School's mission is to provide students who enter the School as bright, struggling readers and writers with the tools and strategies they need to become lifelong learners, strategic thinkers and problem solvers." This is my goal as an educator. What I want for Anna and (perhaps in the future) other learners like her is to have the opportunity to work with highly experienced professionals. While I do consider myself a qualified educator, I lack the experience that the teachers at Benchmark possess.

As for their summer program, they summarize it as such: "The five-week Summer Language Arts Camp is designed for students ages 6 to 11 who can benefit from reading and writing instruction beyond the regular school year, as well as enjoy the fun of a recreational day-camp experience. The program combines 1–3/4 hours of Benchmark’s nationally recognized language arts program with extensive recreational activities, including a Confidence Course. Designed to make even the most reluctant reader "hooked on books," the program places emphasis on developing increased confidence and self-esteem both at work in the classroom and at play with peers." Anna is not so much a reluctant reader as much as an uncertain reader -- she reads as accurately as she can, but the words do not process correctly, and then the meaning is unclear. During the months when I was able to work with her almost daily (either one-on-one or in a small group), her progress was almost tangible. However, when there have been gaps in her more individual instruction, she forgets the strategies we have worked on. I hope that by attending this camp over the summer she will gain the ability to remember those strategies. An hour and forty-five minutes of dedicated reading and writing instruction every day is exactly the opportunity Anna needs to really solidify these strategies in order to enter fourth grade.

I am trying to keep these short and readable, but please comment if you want more stories or more anything! Also, please click the picture above that says "Benchmark School" to connect to their website, where you can read all about their school and summer camp.