ETA hand2mind Transforms New York City Elementary School Classroom, Helping Students Become "Joyful Readers"
2005 "Magnificent Classroom Makeover" Awards $10,000
in Educational Materials, Professional Development from Literacy Expert Miriam
Trehearne
VERNON HILLS, IL, September 7, 2005 — When Susan Soler’s kindergarten and first-grade students go back to school at New York City’s John Melser Charrette School, they will learn that their classroom is about to undergo a "Magnificent Classroom Makeover" from ETA hand2mind . Soler is the grand prize winner of the company’s 2nd annual Magnificent Classroom Makeover Contest, which provides educational materials from ETA hand2mind and products from other contributors as well as professional development from literacy expert and author Miriam Trehearne valued at more than $10,000. Soler plans to use the print and hands-on literacy learning materials to make her students "enter their classroom each morning and wish they never had to leave," helping them to become "joyful readers."
Soler’s classroom will be transformed by a team from ETA hand2mind that will deliver and set up The Learning Place® for Literacy, which includes hundreds of ETA hand2mind books, reading manipulatives, and teacher support for kindergarten and first graders. In a school that is celebrating its centennial this year, the company will create a new, exciting environment for learning with classroom furniture, computer software, a listening center, interactive learning tools, and additional educational products contributions from participating companies.
Soler and her colleagues from throughout Community District #9 will learn how to use the new materials to help their students build literacy skills with a full day of professional development from Trehearne, author of the four-volume "Comprehensive Literacy Resource" series from ETA hand2mind . The books, which cover preschool through sixth grade, are packed with hundreds of pages of research-based information linked to practical assessment and teaching ideas designed to help bridge the literacy achievement gap.
"When we read Susan’s compelling essay about her love for books and commitment to early literacy education and then saw the video that demonstrated her classroom’s need for a makeover to support her passion for teaching, we knew she was this year’s Magnificent Classroom Makeover winner," said Dennis Goldman, president, ETA hand2mind . "We are excited to see the ways that this makeover will enhance her students’ education."
The first runner-up in this year’s contest is Lynn Ruppard, second grade teacher from Oak View Elementary School in High Point, N.C. Her classroom will receive a $1,000 ETA hand2mind gift certificate and a copy of the "Comprehensive Literacy Resource for Grades 1-2 Teachers ," by Trehearne. She will also receive a half-day of professional development led by an ETA hand2mind literacy expert. The second runner-up, Sandra Schmidt, Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, Wenatchee, Wash., will receive a $500 gift certificate from ETA hand2mind and a copy of Trehearne’s book.
For more information about the 2nd annual "Magnificent Classroom Makeover," visit www.etacuisenaire.com/makeover.
About ETA hand2mind
ETA hand2mind is recognized as the premier publisher and pioneer of interactive literacy and manipulative-based education, with reading, math and science programs that engage students, support educators, promote partnerships with parents, and empower children to master skills and galvanize their love of learning. For more information, visit www.etacuisenaire.com or call 1-800-445-5985.
For more information, press only:
Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications, 773-325-9935, lwolfe@lwolfe.com
Erika Gimbel, L. Wolfe Communications, 773-777-8218, egimbel@lwolfe.com
©2005 ETA hand2mind . All rights reserved. Cuisenaire® and Learning Place® are registered trademarks of ETA hand2mind . The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
