June 2017 Education Committee Update
Tutoring Program
On April 27, we hosted a dinner for our tutors, who read with Henry C. Lea School first-graders throughout the school year. The event was held at the home of EC member Stacy Bartholomew, who, this year, was also a tutor. For the tutors, it was an opportunity to meet and share perceptions about how children learn to read. In toasting the group, program coordinator Martha Ledger referred to The Thank You Book by children’s literature superstar Mo Willems: “While Piggy and Gerald acknowledge it was readers who made them famous,” she said, “we know that our success stems from all of you, without whom there would be no program.”
The 2016 – 2017 tutors were: Stacy Bartholomew, Brenda Bonhomme, Bethany Brooks, Chelsea Chamberlain, David Curtin, Anja Dalderup, Nancy Geryk, Ellen Goldberg, Jerene Good, Maurice Jones, Stephanie Kallen, Marshall Ledger, Martha Ledger, Lynn Major, Patricia Renfro, James Roebuck, Libby Rosof, Anurag Sagar, and Linda Visconti.
For the third year now, Education Committee chair Kate Mills organized the purchase of individualized summer reading materials for the tutees. Funds for the books came from a City Church grant supporting community literacy projects. Each tutee received a packet of books, plus a certificate acknowledging progress in reading and a personal note from the tutor. The aim is to help tutees maintain over the summer the gains they’ve made during the school year.
Book Choosing
In April, the Education Committee offered its annual Book Choosing for 60+ first-graders at the Henry C. Lea School. We provided a selection of exciting books on a variety of topics and organized a dozen volunteers to read with students. Each student got to choose a book from the selection, read it with a volunteer, write his or her name on the inside jacket, and then take it home to add to (or start) a home library. Many volunteers had participated in past Book Choosings, but some were at Lea for the first time. Everyone—volunteers and students alike—enjoyed the chance to read a new book together.
Looking for new members!
We have ideas for new programs and are looking for additional committee members! Please contact Kate Mills at katewmills@gmail.com if you are interested in joining our committee.