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September
Newsletter
by Dr. Cindy Cupp
Dear Educators,
Welcome back! I know you are excited about the new school year. This newsletter is being posted on the first of September. Please be sure to check it again in a few weeks. I will be adding more information about the results of the PayDay Updates. This newsletter includes:
1.
Information about the PayDay Update
2.
Three Group Rotation
3.
New CD and Readiness Manual
4.
Jack and Jilly Dress
for Each Month
5.
Feature School of the Month –
Africa
6.
Free Material
Orders for the School Year
2003-2004
Cupp Publishers, Inc. has filled all orders we have received as of August 25, 2003. If you have not received the material you have ordered, please notify your principal and check with your county office.
Wishing you a wonderful school year!!!
Cindy Cupp
Send me your Update each month!! This Update really helped schools, teachers, and students stay focused on reading improvement last year. This Update also allows teachers to easily follow the progress of students each month.
Many schools will be participating monthly in the PayDay Update this year. We will post the beginning scores within a few weeks. If your school would like to be included, please email me at cindycupp@mindspring.com. PayDay Update Forms may be found on this web page under the link titled Forms. I will not use the name of the school or school system in this summary.
In addition to the PayDay Update, I am recommending a strategy I observed at Jenkins County Elementary. The instructional strategy is called Three Group Rotation. To implement this strategy, follow this plan:
Cindy Lott, a kindergarten teacher at Lanier Primary School, worked with me to record a new AlphaMotion® song. Cindy is a great singer and songwriter. This song is available at no charge with the purchase of a set of AlphaMotion® cards or a new Readiness Manual.
The new Readiness Manual has received
rave reviews by Jack and Jilly teachers. I have included fun games and other
ideas for your classroom.
Teachers using Dr. Cupp Readers® have permission to use the images of Jack and Jilly for displays in their classrooms.
January funny hat
February Valentines
March Winds
April Easter
May
June snorkel
November Thanksgiving
October Halloween
Special thanks to Lane Raber of
Westwood School in Dalton, Georgia for providing pictures of Jack and Jilly
dressed for all occasions!!
5. Feature
School of the Month
Sue Beard is the author of the following article about September’s Feature School. Sue has been teaching in the Gainesville City School System for 16 years.
If you would like to contact Sue, you may email her at sbeard@charter.net.
Two years ago, Sue asked Cupp Publishers if we would contribute material to help her students in Africa learn to read. We have been trying since then to get the material to her school. Last summer the material was stolen after it arrived at the school, and this year it is still in the process of being shipped. I think many times we forget how fortunate we are to have such a wealth of materials easily available for our students.
Jack and Jilly Cross the Ocean
Feature School for September:
Highland Christian School in Lusaka, Zambia, Africa
Dear Educators & Newsletter Readers,
My name is
Sue Beard, and Dr. Cupp invited me to write an article about my school. Highland
Christian School is located in Lusaka, Zambia in the shanty compound of
Kalingalinga. It is a very poor, very third world community where most people
have no electricity or running water. I first became involved with Zambia seven
years ago when the Zambian Acapella Boys Choir came to Gainesville, GA and sang
at the school
where I was teaching. I have been involved with Highland School for four years
as a supporter, fund-raiser, encourager and part of the visionary team. I am
also on the board of directors.
Highland is a private school funded
solely by donations and tuition. We have 385 students in grades K-9. This summer
we painted the school, replaced the windowpanes, installed new lighting in five
classrooms, and we are completing the construction of new bathrooms. The
renovation of the building will enable us to renew our license with the Ministry
of Education.
We were able to get some new curriculum for the students, although we are still lacking books and materials for several of the grades. We only have four math books for fifty-five children in the eighth grade! Despite our lack of basic materials, our seventh and ninth graders still did very well on their exams with most qualifying for certificates and several being selected to attend government schools, which is quite an achievement!
Last year thieves stole our Jack and Jilly materials, so now we are anxiously awaiting the new supply. I know that the teachers will like the program, and I am excited about showing them how to use it. I can’t wait to see the results! Many of our younger children are learning English so it will be helpful for them.
Before
After
Our Beautiful Children!
Two of
our orphans
One of the projects materializing now is the implementation of a feeding program. Many of our children are orphans and are very poor. We are going to start a program that will provide lunch for 125 children who don’t necessarily eat every day. We have just gotten word of a donation of seeds to help with the food, now all we need is the land on which to plant, so the director and principal are on the hunt!
We are making progress and things are looking up for our school and community. This summer I was standing outside the office one evening with the principal, Mr. Ngulube, and the place was just buzzing with activity. We chatted about the night literacy and tutoring classes, and the children coming back to study, and a tremendous sense of peace stole over me. I felt that finally Highland was coming into its own as a place where the community could come learn and share and that its purpose was being realized. We still have a long way to go and I will give you another update next summer when I go back. Meanwhile, if you would please keep us in your thoughts and prayers I would appreciate it. Thanks for reading!
Some of our students outside the new classroom block.
Now teachers, I am going to write a short story about Jack and Jilly for you to read to your class. Maybe they could find Lusaka, Zambia on the globe and look it up on the Internet.
In August, 2003, Jack and Jilly, Hop’n Pop, Tiger and Miss Sound O were packed up in boxes and taken to the Atlanta International Airport. They didn’t know it, but they were about to go on the adventure of their lives! The trip took them about 9 hours over the Atlantic Ocean to London, England, home of Buckingham Palace, the Queen and English tea. The next day they began the final leg of their journey. This time the flight lasted 10 long hours and the whole trip was approximately 6,000-10,000 miles. Finally they landed on the ground with a bump at the Lusaka International Airport in Lusaka, Zambia, which is located in South-Central Africa.
They didn’t know exactly where they were going, but they knew that they would be going to a school somewhere to help boys and girls learn to read. Tiger was ready for adventure, but Miss Sound O was hoping that they weren’t going out into the bush. “There might be hungry lions!” she exclaimed. They were taken to a school near the city (thank goodness!) called Highland Christian School where they were unpacked and placed carefully on the desk.
As the teacher picked them up and examined them, they heard the sounds of the children coming in to class. The language they were speaking sounded strange to them. What place was this? What was going to happen to them? Would they be able to help these children? What do you think will happen to Jack and Jilly and their friends in Africa?
Thanks for reading,
Sue Beard
I will be presenting at the Reading Conference sponsored by the Georgia Reading Council in Macon on September 8, 2003. We will be giving away lots of free material. Please be sure to attend our presentation!!
© 2003
Cupp Publishers, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
If you are a
teacher using Dr. Cupp Readers® and you would
like to have your suggestions or ideas posted in the Monthly Newsletter, please
send them to Cindy Cupp at
cindycupp@mindspring.com
Webmaster:
Picture Perfect Productions.