Message from Agassiz School of the Fine and Performing Arts
Thanks SO much for the generous contribution of over 2000 books to Agassiz School! Every student from kindergarten through eighth grade received from 5-10 books in both Spanish and English. The photos show a first grade classroom receiving their books. The joy you see was duplicated in each and every one of our classrooms!
The mother of one of our bilingual families commented to her daughter, ” Now our house looks like the library!”
I still have students thanking me every day, and letting me know which of the books is their favorite.
Your program is outstanding. We truly appreciate your gift to us!
Julie Hines-Lyman
Agassiz School of the Fine and Performing Arts
Board Members Visit Talcott Fine Arts Academy
On Friday, May 1, R4R Board members Paul Natkin and Jeff Peterson celebrated “Day of the Child” with teachers and students at Talcott Academy. R4R donated a large selection of books and, as part of the celebration, each student in grades pre-K through eighth, was allowed to select five books to take home.
After picking out his books, we overheard fifth grader, Isaac, exclaiming, “Cool! Cool! Cool!” We asked Isaac about his new books and he proudly showed off his Spanish language book about fire trucks. “I really like fire trucks, but I really wanted to know about their parts” Isaac told us.
At Talcott, students learn both Spanish and English so teachers and students greatly appreciated the donation of books in both languages. “There’s never enough books in Spanish,” explains teacher Raysa Ramos. “Some students are more comfortable reading one language over another, so to have a selection in both languages gets them to read even more.”
Some of the books donated were “just for fun” reading, while others met Talcott’s curriculum. “We’re getting books that are connected to what we’re teaching which is ideal” said Chicago Public Schools Literacy Coach, Margaret McGregor. In fact, R4R plans to work closely with Talcott to match future book donations to school lesson plans.
As all of the students patiently stood in line to pick out their books, we could see how much these books meant to them. After making their selections, most of the kids immediately sat down in the hallway and started to read, some quietly and some, like Isaac, couldn’t contain their excitement.
As the students made their way back to their classrooms, we heard dozens of students say “thank you” which warmed our hearts and made us proud to help kids develop a love of reading. We can’t wait to go to the next school!
R4R Board member Jeff Peterson
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