P-3900

Community Literacy

Description

Financing

Documents

Photos

History Logs

Project Description

Country: USA

Location: Mesa, Arizona

Total Budget: $5,000

Area of Focus: Basic education and literacy

Activity Type: Education: Literacy

Summary: Fourteen hundred dictionaries and one classroom library to an estimated 1,600 high needs students from Mesa Public Schools in Mesa, Arizona.


We are committed to supporting early literacy in our community for our children and our future. We know that a literate society increases individual and community well-being as well as economic vitality.

We are requesting a Rotary grant to fund dictionaries for third grade students in our six to eight highest impoverished schools in Mesa, and a classroom set of books to supplement the literacy curriculum in one of these high need schools.

Goal: 1,400 dictionaries and 1 classroom library to impact an estimated 1,600 students

Target completion date: September 15, 2021 for the Dictionary Project and October 15, 2021 for the Literacy Project.

The grant will allow every third grade student in the most impoverished schools (6-8 schools have been identified) to have his/her own dictionary to use in and outside of school. Multiple teams of Rotarians will place "Mesa Rotary" labels in the dictionaries, then box and distribute them to the schools. Once delivered, Rotarians will meet with students and staff to teach the children how to use their dictionaries. We estimate that 20 or more members of our Club will participate and we will spend up to 30 to 45 minutes at each school.

For the literacy project, the classroom set of books will allow students to check out high-quality literature to take home and read, and then return. Our team leader will coordinate with Redbird's Principal to purchase and install the literacy set. We will start with three to four Rotarians and invite our Interact and Rotaract volunteers to provide a 30-60 minute introduction to the young students and their new classroom library.

Learning to read is a key milestone for children living in a literate society. Students need access to high-quality reading materials to increase their literacy environment, vocabulary, and appreciation for reading. Third grade reading ability is one of the best predictors of high school graduation (firstthingsfirst.org).

Redbird Elementary is the proposed school for the literacy project, and their demographics and student achievement are similar to the other identified schools. Redbird is located in one of the most impoverished parts of our community and enrolls 500 students in grades K-6. The students are from a diverse ethnic background (65% Hispanic, 15% White, 7% Black, 5% two or more races, 4% Native American, and 4% Native Hawaiian, Asian or Pacific/Other Islander), with over 80% of the students from low income families (Greatschools.org).

A vast body of research notes that students from low income families are at an increased risk for reading difficulties (Dubow & Ippolito, 1994; Juel, Griffith & Gough, 1986; Smith & Dixon, 1995). Additionally, 10-15% of students with significant reading difficulties will drop out of high school and only 2% will complete a four-year college degree (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000). Student achievement on the state assessment, AZ Merit, falls below state averages in English at Redbird (Redbird is 30% compared to 42% for the State in English, 28% compared to 42% in math, and 48% compared to 52% science, respectively) (Greatschools.org).

Given the high poverty and low student achievement, Redbird has a passionate principal and experienced staff (with over 97% of them with more than 3 years of teaching experience who are ready and willing to take on the task. The project is also supported by the district superintendent.

The dictionary and classroom library projects will support literacy and student achievement.

Project Contact Person

District: 5495

Rotary Club of: Mesa

Primary Contact: Nicolle Karantinos

Email: nkarantinos@gmail.com

Project Status

Completed
This project is "Completed". This means the project has been implemented and the report was accepted by the district leadership. The project will stay listed on this website as a testimony of the achievements of the project partners.

Project listed for the 2021-22 Rotary Year.

Proposed Financing

Existing Contributions Towards This Project

Date

Cash

DDF

Total

Mesa (5495)

29-May-21

$2,500

$2,500

$5,000

Total

$2,500

$2,500

$5,000

Project Supporting Documents


[2-May-22]
Receipt


[2-May-22]
Report

 

Project Photos


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Go to the administration page to upload photos.

History Log Entries

29-May-21

by Rebecca Wilks

Project Review (1) please submit your MOU. It is required before your application can be considered complete. (2) Please let us know which of the two projects is your first priority. We're unlikely to have funding for second projects this year.

29-May-21

System Entry

System Entry: Creation of project page.

29-May-21

by Benjamin C. Yanofsky

System Entry: Project sent for club signatures.

29-May-21

by Benjamin C. Yanofsky

System Entry: Project signed by Benjamin C. Yanofsky.

29-May-21

by Nicolle Karantinos

System Entry: Project signed by Nicolle Karantinos.

19-Jun-21

by Rebecca Wilks

Congratulations. Your project has been approved. You will receive the funds by electronic transfer in about two weeks.

19-Jun-21

by Rebecca Wilks

System Entry: Project approved by the District Approval Committee.

3-Aug-21

by Rebecca Wilks

I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, but (though the "block" district grant has been approved) The Rotary Foundation has not yet released the funds. It's frustrating when things like this are out of our hands, but we hope to be sending money to the clubs very soon. Thanks for your patience.

29-Aug-21

by Rebecca Wilks

District Grant funds are available. To avoid further delay, please email a scanned or photographed voided check (on the account you'd like to funds transferred to) to District Treasurer Rex Townsend, rext5495@gmail.com

5-Oct-21

by Rebecca Wilks

Please help us! The District Grant Committee would very much like to get this money to you. Please get your banking information to Rex Townsend ASAP! rext5495@gmail.com

14-Oct-21

by Rebecca Wilks

We're not sure what has happened with communication with your club, but since you've not sent information about the bank transfer despite several attempts, I'll put a check in the mail soon.

15-Oct-21

by Rebecca Wilks

System Entry: Check for DDF payment issued by Foundation Treasurer.

16-Apr-22

by Rebecca Wilks

A friendly reminder: the final report on this grant along with receipts for all spending, are due April 30. Late reports can jeopardize future Global and District grants.

26-Apr-22

by Rebecca Wilks

A final reminder; the final report and receipts are due April 30. Late reports will jeopardize future grants. Thanks.

2-May-22

by Rebecca Wilks

System Entry: Project has been implemented and final report uploaded.

2-May-22

by Rebecca Wilks

System Entry: Final report approved by the District Approval Committee.

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