Two quick appeals for you to all consider:

Nurturing Young Writers – Ms. Ciardi

A worthy cause in need of funding is a donorschoose.org project organized by Ms. Ciardi to help her first-grade students become better writers. She seeks funds to buy a basic printer and a collection of books. She writes:

I am teaching my students to think of themselves as writers, just like the authors of the books we read every day in our classroom. First-Grade writers can do many of the same things that grown-up writers can do. I will use this literature to show my students how writers tell stories. I will also encourage my students to notice elements of these books and to use them in their own writing.

I will also celebrate the work of the First-Grade writers by publishing their stories. I will use the printer to publish their work.

I want my first graders to see themselves as writers and to learn about writing from other writers. By studying great children’s literature, my hope is that my students will be encouraged to emulate these writers, and try some elements of their craft in their own writing.

To help with this project, please visit: http://www.donorschoose.org/project/nurturing-young-writers/1182352/

Teachers: If you have similar fundraising projects like Ms. Ciardi’s, we’d love to publicize them and help you with your campaign. Please email Heshan Berents-Weeramuni.

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School Supplies for Guatemalan Schools

Below is an appeal from Curley parent Rachel Parker. Hope you can all help:

Jonathan, Carolena (age 8, second grade), and I will be traveling to Guatemala for 9 days in February to volunteer in the garbage dump in Guatemala City and to visit the little girl whose education we help sponsor. We are collecting donations of school supplies to deliver to both organizations that we’ll be visiting.

Potter’s House http://www.pottershouse.org.gt/ provides holistic opportunities and empowerment to the 11,000 people who live and work in and near the dump – the largest dump in all of Latin America.

Common Hope http://www.commonhope.org/, through a sponsorship approach, provides opportunities for families to receive access to education, health care, housing, and family development.

Here are a few school supplies that both organizations have requested:

• 12-ct. colored pens
• 12-ct. colored pencils
• 12-ct. pencils
• large erasers
• scissors
• glue bottles
• rulers

If you are interested in contributing something, please do so by February 13th at the latest. We will have a box in the front entryway of the triple-decker house that we live in. Please email me for our address (rachel.parker34@yahoo.com).

Thanks for your support for both projects!