immanuel lutheran preschool-downers grove: September 2013

Saturday, September 28, 2013

#626...Otis read by Anna Hengst to the Yellow and Blue Classes

Downers Grove Library sent Immanuel and other preschools in Downers Grove a copy of this lovely book. Ours arrived in Spanish, so we asked a preschool mom from the past to come and read it to the preschoolers and teachers. We all certainly enjoyed our time together and thank Mrs. Hengst for reading and translating it for us and we thank Downers Grove library for sending it to us! :)

Article from March 13, 2012
Jumpstart and the Pearson Foundation announced today that Penguin’s Otis, by New York Times bestselling author Loren Long, has been selected as the official book of the 2013 Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, now in its eighth year, is an annual reading celebration that highlights the need for high-quality early education in America by mobilizing adults and children to set a record for the largest shared reading experience. Last year, more than 2.3 million people participated in the record-breaking campaign. This year, Jumpstart’s Read for the Record will take place on Thursday, October 3rd, a day in which millions of young people and adults will come together to read Otis in support of early education. As in years past, record breakers will be able to help set a new world record by reading the book for free at We Give Books (www.wegivebooks.org), the free digital reading initiative created by Penguin and the Pearson Foundation. Since the campaign’s inception in 2006, more than nine million people have joined local Jumpstart’s Read for the Record reading celebrations and over $8 million has been raised to support Jumpstart’s year-round work in preschools in low-income neighborhoods.

In addition, the Pearson Foundation has donated 1.2 million books to local schools, libraries, and community organizations in conjunction with the annual campaign. ”Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is a meaningful way for Americans to support the critical need for high-quality early education in our country,” said Jumpstart’s president and CEO, Naila Bolus. “We know that for children living in low-income communities, this need is significant. By the time these children enter kindergarten, they are already 60% behind their more affluent peers. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record brings light to this national issue and gives citizens a platform to voice their support for this cause.”

“A high-quality early education is an essential first step for every child, and Jumpstart ensures that children in the low income communities it serves have the best chance possible to begin school ready to learn,” said Mark Nieker, President and CEO, Pearson Foundation. “Together with Penguin, we are looking forward to our eighth year organizing, supporting and taking part in Read for the Record—and in the process to drawing attention to all Jumpstart does year-around in classrooms across the United States.. We’re particularly pleased that Loren Long, who was part of our first Read for the Record celebration in 2006, is such an essential part of this year’s campaign. ”

Otis is a timeless story of a friendship between a lovable tractor and a calf that live on a farm. Otis is replaced by a new tractor and learns the meaning of perseverance and true friendship when the calf needs his help. For more information about Otis, please visit http://www.lorenlong.com/otis/otis.html. To learn more about supporting Jumpstart and participating in Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, visit http://www.jstart.org.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

#622...Class of 1999 and now the Class of 2013.

This is our class photo from the Blue Class in 1999. Later in the spring I took the next one wearing our 2013 graduation shirts! Now they are off to college this year! How quickly the time has gone and how blessed I am!