Keeping you informed on the latest TLA activity supporting the Moonshot Moment!
Your Monthly News & Recap for December 2017
"What does it take to create literate, compassionate creative citizens who improve our world?" 

- This is the framing question behind everything we do at The Learning Alliance!
Upcoming Events


January 20th  -   Moonshot Institute  @ First Presbyterian

January 21st - 25th - Florida Children's Week

January 22nd - Moonshot Monday 

January 23rd - Moonshot Reading Rocket represents TLA/Moonshot Moment at Children's Week in Tallahassee

January 24th - MCAN Meeting @ Indian River County School District Office

February 3rd - Launch of SDIRC Moonshot Literacy Lane, fueled by TLA

Moonshot Music
The Moonshot Rocket has launched a new early literacy program called "Moonshot Music." Based on the international, researched-based program Music Together, "Moonshot Music" develops early literacy skills in young children through joyful, and developmentally appropriate learning.
  
Moonshot Music supports:
*Language development and Enriched Literacy
*Social and emotional development
*Cognition and general knowledge
*Physical and motor development

Our program partners include all five IRC Headstarts and three  Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) locations.  The Moonshot Music early literacy program serves over 280 children at IRC Headstarts, and over 135 children at RCMA. 



Team Rocket enjoyed taking their teddy bears, rubber duckies, animal ears, and egg shakers to Highlands Headstart for Moonshot Music  -   "Clapping, patting, and using egg shakers with rhythms helps children hear the syllables of words, and it improves motor skills." -ALSC




The Rocket, with a special holiday guest, visited the 3 and 4 year olds at 
Fellsmere Headstart  as part of our Moonshot Music engagement





Moonshot Music in Action 



Moonshot Academy Informances
Throughout the month of December, Moonshot Academies (MSA) conducted their end of semester informances. Students who attended MSA had an opportunity to share what they learned with their parents, showcase their projects, and participate in culminating performances. 
 
Students who attend MSA are identified by the iReady diagnostic as being in the lower 50th 
percentile. These students who are behind their peers need extended learning opportunities to catch them up. In order to do so, students who attend MSA are:
  • Engaged in various arts and Enriched Literacy activities
  • Challenged to deeply understand rich text and vocabulary
  • Work one on one and in small groups with a focus on Foundational Literacy to remediate deficiencies and/or increase their language arts skills
  • Participate in Applied Literacy projects that bring what they're learning to life and apply it to real-world issues
  • Learn Social Emotional Literacy skills that help them to build empathy and connects them to their school community 
The following schools partner with The Learning Alliance to host Moonshot Academies:
  • Indian River Academy
  • Rosewood Magnet School
  • Vero Beach Elementary
  • Beachland Elementary
  • Citrus Elementary
  • Pelican Island Elementary
  • Fellsmere Elementary School
Moonshot Academy Parent Testimonials 







MSA students made a hydroponic garden out of recycled materials as part of their applied learning




MSA students performing a recycling song they learned which helped them to understand the 
how reducing, reusing, and recycling are beneficial to the environment 





MSA students performing a Public Service Annoucement




M oonshot Academy students demonstrate their learning over the past six weeks  through an interactive literacy-based skit to parents and families, at their "Informance"




MSA sudent conducting a student-led parent-teacher conference where the student 
shared his progress and what he earned during the semester



Research has shown that engagement in afterschool and summer programs provide positive outcomes for children and youth that include improvements in school attendance, positive academic gains in reading and math, and increased confidence in their learning ability. Students who attend our academies often make gains that exceed their peer groups. Last year, students who attended The Learning Alliance's Moonshot Academies showed a 57% growth rate in comparison to their non-MSA peers who showed a 10% growth. (Resource, Youth.gov)


TLA's Moonshot Bookmobile in Fellsmere
The Learning Alliance partnered with Literacy Services Board Member, Donna Remsnyder, to bring the Moonshot Moment Bookmobile to Fellsmere's monthly food distribution event in December.   

We opened up the Bookmobile for families to select free books while waiting for the Food Distribution, and then TLA, KRC, Fellsmere Police and members of the Fellsmere Exchange Club wrapped over 200 books that the families could take home as holiday gifts.  

Families who are receiving the monthly food vouchers typically do not have the disposable income to purchase books for their children, so the Bookmobile has been a welcome vehicle to bring literacy resources to Fellsmere.  Educators contend that access to books should be seen as a necessity, alongside access to food, shelter and health care. Indeed, numerous studies have shown that making books more accessible to children can produce marked improvements in their reading behavior.  ( Resource  New  York Times, May 2011)




Volunteers from KRC, Fellsmere Exchange Club,  Fellsmere Police Department, and Literacy Services of Indian River County assisted with wrapping books for parents and grandparents



Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry getting in on the gift wrapping action



The Moonshot Bookmobile provides over 5,000 books to individuals throughout Indian River County many  of whom are low to moderate income individuals who do not have extra income to afford books


The Learning Alliance | www.thelearningalliance.org
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