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Teaching children to read since 2003!
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Spring Newsletter
Reading Power just completed its 13th year of tutoring in North Chicago and its second year tutoring in Zion
. Our students made great literacy strides while learning and growing
alongside
their volunteer tutors. In partnership with the schools, we provided one-to-one tutoring to over 200 pre-kindergarten - second grade students during the school day through the leadership of our professional staff and the dedication of our many volunteer tutors. The 'magic' of our program was captured as one tutor reflected on the school year:
"
Seeing the amazing children gain more confidence and arm themselves with strategies to solve tricky reading problems is SO rewarding! Building relationships with these special, little people is such a joy! They give me far more than I could ever give them!"
Thank
you
to everyone - volunteers, donors, supporters, and partners - who makes Reading Power possible each year.
~Rebecca Mullen, MSEd, Executive Director of Programs
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Mission Statement:
Reading Power is a literacy tutoring program serving low-achieving children attending elementary schools. Our mission is to accelerate children's literacy learning and to develop in them a love of reading and writing. We accomplish this goal through an independent tutoring program working in partnership with schools. We believe that all children deserve to reach their intellectual potential.
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Author Days and Celebrations
Our students read and write every day at Reading Power while growing and learning alongside their volunteer tutors. To end each year, students participate in Writer's Workshop and draft, write, edit, and publish their own books and letters. Our young authors then share their original pieces with their peers and tutors on our annual 'Author Day'. Students wrote and sent letters to their teachers, favorite authors, parents, and friends. They also published and read original books about dogs, their families, Minecraft, the zoo, and their lives. Writer's Workshop engaged students further in the writing process and the decision-making aspect of authorship. On 'Author Day', pride and excitement radiate from all students and tutors.
Our End-of-Year Celebrations were also a wonderful tribute to the hard work of our students, tutors, and staff. Both North Chicago and Zion schools had a room full of proud students, tutors, and parents as the kids received their certificates, Bernie's Books, summer literacy activities, and lots of congratulatory hugs!
"Thanks to you and all the volunteers! Your support and work with our students is priceless. I appreciate the partnership we have had this year and look forward to next year!"
~Andres Orbe,
North Elementary Principal
RP in the News
Read our feature in the Lake Forest Leader
here.
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Summer Dates
Lake Forest Parade:
Wednesday, August 3
Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. and parade at 10:00 a.m.
Organizational Meeting and Tutor Training:
August 22 - Sept. 1
Times TBD
Zion Community of Character Walk:
Thursday, September 15
9:00 a.m.
Bake 425 Fundraiser:
Thursday, October 6
All Day (15 - 30% of all the day's purchases go to Reading Power)
(Further details will be sent regarding all events closer to the dates.)
Forrestal
Green Bay
North
Beulah Park
Students = 197
Tutors = 185
Professional Staff = 8
Tutor recruitment is underway!
Please, tell your friends and family about Reading Power. Tutor applications can be completed online
(
www.readingpowerinc.org
). We will especially need volunteer tutors in the afternoons and for our pre-kindergarten program expansion (Tues, Wed, and Thursday mornings).
to learn more about tutoring.
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Thank you, Tutors!
Our annual Tutor Appreciation Open House was held at the Church of the Holy Spirit in April and was a celebratory evening for all.
Our volunteers are the fabric of the Reading Power program, and everyone enjoyed the beautiful night, delicious food, and adorable photo 'yearbooks' as a gift to each tutor.
Honored this year was longtime tutor Eleanor McMurrin, now retired. Her passion for teaching and literacy made her a perfect fit with Reading Power's mission to help the young children of North Chicago learn to read and write. Reading Power co-founder Mary Jane Hender, EdD, recruited McMurrin in 2003 to be among the organization's first volunteer literacy tutors. Eleanor demonstrated exemplary commitment to the students of Reading Power, where she individually tutored first and second graders in North Chicago for nearly thirteen years.
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Eleanor McMurrin (center) with Rebecca Mullen, EDP, Dr. Kathy McFarland, CEO, and Dr. Mary Jane Hender, co-founder
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Library Night
Our North Chicago Library Night was held on April 26 at the public library. The kids, parents, and tutors in attendance had a blast seeing the classic book, The Napping House, come alive with Dave Evans' balloon art.
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Longtime Reading Power Donor Shares Special Story
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"With all the worthy and important causes out there, it is sometimes difficult to decide what each of us is called to be a part of. It has always seemed to me that people and situations come into our lives, both good and bad, and often in those times we connect with something we feel was put in our path for a reason. Our late daughter Molly was a champion of the underdog, especially children in need. When she died, a fund was established in her name and
Rev. Gordon Butcher from First Pres. asked if we would consider a donation to Reading Power from her fund. We made an annual donation from her fund for years, and felt good about it because we knew she would have been pleased.
After the fund was dispersed, we continued a personal annual donation, primarily with our daughter in mind. Only last year did I visit Reading Power and see for myself how it works day to day. I really was amazed how focused the tutors were on knowing exactly what each child needed at each session to make progress. I can see why the results have been amazing. It just solidified for me that this is a program that is really making a difference with children. I feel certain it changes the outcome of their entire lives, both with reading and learning skills, but also the encouragement they are getting at such a formative time. I am so happy to be a small part of it."
~Diane Quinn, Reading Power Donor
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Pre-Kindergarten Program Pilot and Expansion |
Reading Power successfully piloted a pre-kindergarten tutoring program in North Chicago this year and plans to expand to more classrooms for the 2016-17 school year.
The reopening of Green Bay Elementary School as Green Bay Early Childhood Center provided the opportunity for Reading Power to address an additional part of our mission: to provide quality, one-to-one literacy tutoring to our youngest North Chicago students - intervening even earlier before some children begin to fall behind. Thanks to the generosity of the United Way of Lake County's Women's Leadership Committee, a seed grant was donated to pilot a pre-kindergarten, push-in program within two classrooms.
For this age level,
all
students participate in rich, one-to-one discussions with our trained, volunteer tutors to accelerate oral language development through quality, interactive literature.
Thank you to our pre-kindergarten tutors who helped develop and hone this new, dynamic program. We look forward to the upcoming expansion. If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering for pre-kindergarten tutoring (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings), please contact Rebecca Mullen, MSEd (
[email protected]
) to sign up and/or inquire about this new program.
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Our volunteer tutors at North Elementary School have started a book swap to share their favorite books and model lifelong reading and learning for our students. Tutors, keep your favorite summer reads to share when we return in the fall!
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Affiliations and Testimonials |
As a nonprofit organization, we are often applying for grants, seeking out new donations, and sharing our story with new constituents. We have created two Google Forms to collect your affiliations and/or volunteer tutor testimonials. The affiliation form will ask about your connections to local organizations, faith-based communities, and civic memberships. The testimonial form is to share any of your Reading Power stories from tutoring throughout the year. If you click on the links, the forms are easy to complete and the information is invaluable to us. Thank you!
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"I am very happy with the Reading Power program and volunteers. They have made
a huge impact on my children."
~Reading Power Parent
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Reading Power Board of Directors
Kathy McFarland, PhD, Chairman,
Jim Chomko,
Kathleen Cowie,
John Davidson,
Peter Fisher, PhD, Mary Jane Hender, EdD,
Todd Litzsinger,
Melinda Mooney, Beverly Raudabaugh, Betsy B. Rosenfield,
Frank Sibley, Nancy Smith, CPA,
Tad Alexander Walgreen,
and Rev. Dr. Gordon Butcher, Emeritus
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