Thank You From Sand Point Elementary

Here are a few sweet thank you notes from first and second grade students at Sand Point Elementary, who participated in a "Read & Roll" reading challenge, which was kicked off by a surprise classroom visit from several Rat City Roller Girls, and ended with free tickets to the February 9th derby bout for the students. At the bout, Seattle librarian and author Nancy Pearl read "Where the Wild Things Are" to the halftime crowd, who raised over $1800 in donations to First Book!

 

 

Fall 2012 Grants

We are pleased to announce that First Book – Seattle has awarded a total of $11,385 in book grants to 7 worthy schools and organizations in King County this winter. That means that local children will be the proud owners of 4,554 new books.

These organizations serve a true diversity of cultures, needs, and age groups in our area. Congratulations to each of these remarkable organizations

Aki Kurose Middle School – Self Contained Autism Class: Aki Kurose is a Seattle middle school located in the most diverse zip code in the world. This class serves students with moderate to severe autism. This program works to bring students out of the school and into the community to build life skills. First Book books will allow students to continue to develop their vocabulary and language skills at home.

Concord International School: Concord International School is a dual language immersion elementary school in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood. Students are learning subject matter in both English and Spanish. The school fosters a global perspective on curriculum, with an emphasis on art and science. First Book books will allow teachers to facilitate cross-grade reading partnerships.

Health Sciences and Human Services High School: This small high school in the Highline School District has a curricular focus on health fields and community service. Students aspire to be doctors, nurses, scientists, social workers, and educators in a college-preparatory setting. First Book books will allow teachers to promote reading within families and hold a family book night.

Lake Washington Head Start Program: This Head Start program supports low income families in Kirkland and Redmond through preschool programs and other family services. First Book books will foster family engagement in the MotherReads/FatherReads classes, which focus on parenting skills, communication, and school readiness.

Sand Point Elementary School: Located next to transitional housing, Sand Point Elementary serves a diverse group of Seattle students, including students who were formerly homeless and students from refugee families. First Book books will allow a first grade teacher to supplement materials in her Reader’s Workshop curriculum and allow students to practice those skills at home.

Valley Cities Family Support Program: The Valley Cities Family Support Program fosters healthy youth development through after-school and summer programs at the Laurelwood Gardens and Kings Court apartment complexes – two low-income public housing developments in Federal Way. First Book books will allow the organization to develop a book club for youth of varying ages and create more Family Nights that focus on reading and early learning.

Wing Luke Elementary: Wing Luke is a Seattle elementary school that offers an English Language Development program. At Wing Luke, kindergarten and first grade English Language Learners are taught in a collaborative classroom setting, where the classroom teachers and the English Language Development teachers work together to meet students’ language development needs. First Book books will allow teachers to send books, rather than just photocopied material, home with students for repeated reading with parents.

Thank you to everyone that contributed to First Book-Seattle in 2012 for making these grants possible. We hope that you will continue to support First Book-Seattle in the future so that we can provide more books to kids and worthy organizations in 2013. To learn more about getting involved or making a donation visit http://www.facebook.com/firstbookseattle or http://www.firstbook.org/seattle.

Our First Grants

We are thrilled to announce our first partnerships with local organizations! In April, we awarded grants to Kent Youth and Family Services and Seattle’s Neighborhood House. We are excited to work with these deserving groups to get new books into the hands of King County children.

Kent Youth and Family Services’ Read To Succeed Initiative operates the After-School Academy for Millennium Elementary kindergarten students. These students participate in a class at the Birch Creek Youth Center, in which educators work to build literacy skills and support independent reading. This program operates in an immigrant community and strives to build connections between families and school.

Neighborhood House’s Child Development Programs serve four public housing communities in Seattle: High Point in West Seattle, Rainier Vista and New Holly in South Seattle, and Yesler Terrace in Central Seattle. The preschool programs offer extensive exposure to books and materials that are rich and reflective of the students’ cultural groups. Early literacy is incorporated into story times, projects, and dramatic play.

Congratulations to Kent Youth and Family Services and Neighborhood House! And thank you to our contributors and volunteers for making these first grants possible.