TTP Newsletter

October 2009

Volume 7, Issue 3


Carpe Librum’s Back!
Check out our fall book sale

As many of you have probably heard by now, Turning the Page is happy to announce our fall book sale, which opened this past Monday with a line already formed before the doors opened.  Sales will take place in three downtown locations during October, November and December.  As always, we are still looking for book and media donations, so please feel free to drop off items at any of the locations whenever we are open.

With our convenient fall sale dates, there’s never been an easier way to get your holiday shopping done quickly and affordably.

October 19th – 31st:
1730 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Weekdays, thru October 31st:  10:00 am – 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 24th and 31st:  10:00 am – 6 pm

November 9th – 20th:
2000 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Weekdays, November 9th – 20th: 10:00am - 7pm
Saturday, November 14th: 10am - 6pm

December 4th – 18th:
1850 M Street, NW
Friday, December 4th: 8:30am – 7pm
Saturday, December 5th and 12th: 10am – 6pm
Weekdays, December 7th – 18th: 10am – 7pm

Please note, we are closed on Sundays!

Community Nights are Fun for Kids
Students enjoy reading and activities as part of our well-loved Community Night program

Our hallmark program, Community Nights, has attracted more than 3,600 parents at 538 events in the past nine years. These events give parents a time to come together to talk about important educational issues, while also providing students the opportunity to interact with child mentors in fun and educational activities. Our child mentoring team designs educational activities that begin with reading an age-appropriate book and then continue as students enjoy a related activity.  Recruited from Georgetown University, The George Washington University, Howard University, and through word of mouth, our child mentors commit to a year of working with our students.  Jen Perry, a George Washington University senior and a child mentor for the past four years, says she loves “getting to know the kids, and having them get to know me, not only from Community Night to Community Night, but also from year to year.”  For many of our child mentors, this time is not simply a volunteer commitment, but a part-time federal work study job, made possible through a partnership with DC Reads.  Says Jen, “I feel as though we could all easily sit at desks and push papers around, but this is a true real-life experience; and not to mention an obvious good cause.”

Students, mentors, and parents alike have been pleased with this year’s child mentoring activities.  Each mentor begins the evening by reading with a small group of students, focusing on reading comprehension and other important literacy skills.  Groups then create crafts or participate in other activities. Recently, young students created caterpillars after reading Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  An older group of students created their own (paper) musical instruments after reading the story of famous opera-singer Marion Anderson.  Other exciting activities are still being planned, including plans for second and third graders to create their very own lava lamps!

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a child mentor, please click here for more information!


Classes Explore the National Building Museum with Turning the Page
Students explore community themes as part of the Community Visions program

Recently the four classrooms that participate in Turning the Page’s Community Visions program visited the National Building Museum. Community Visions—in its second year—is a thirty-two week program providing students with the opportunity to explore their communities through museum trips and a documentary-process using digital photography and written work.  Students visit three museum partners over the course of the program, beginning with the National Building Museum in September.  Students enjoyed a program offered by the museum called City by Design, introducing students to important components of city design and function.  Each classroom then created its own city out of recycled materials!

The lesson began with a short history and fun facts about the National Building Museum. Students marveled at the enormous and beautifully crafted pillars and were especially impressed by the fact that President Barack Obama held one of his inaugural balls at this location. The real fun began when the classes moved to the second floor where they learned how cities are planned and then had the chance to build their own cities.  The students’ creativity showed with the marvelous buildings they created. Each participant was able to take home his or her building along with a greater knowledge of how communities are developed. 

Turning the Page visits each classroom prior to each trip to engage students in discussions. In the weeks following each trip, students use their cameras to capture images demonstrating their increased understanding of that unit’s topic.  The Community Visions team is excited to be using digital photography for the first time this year, and students are eagerly awaiting their next field trip to the National Postal Museum later this fall.


School Spotlight:  Tyler Elementary School
Impressive second year partnership

One of the joys of working with seven partner schools is witnessing the accomplishments and achievements of each school. Tyler Elementary School in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Southeast DC has carved out a unique niche for itself. Its incorporation of a Spanish immersion program alongside its traditional elementary school curriculum has made it a desirable school for those parents seeking a bilingual or traditional environment for their children. Tyler also boasts an excellent Special Education program.  These two attributes have attracted a diverse population of students and families.  Turning the Page began our partnership with the Tyler school community during the 2008-2009 school year and is pleased to be working with the parents, students, and teachers again this year.  Last year saw high attendance at the eight Community Nights, with an average of over 31 parents each evening. This year, an average of 60 parents attended the first two Community Nights. At last night’s event, for the first time ever, we began serving dinner 30 minutes early to accommodate the large crowds!

In addition to Community Nights, the Tyler school community participates regularly in other Turning the Page programs. Six teachers participate in Literacy Through Photography, our ten-week classroom resource program incorporating photography, writing, picture taking and a museum trip.  Tyler’s successful Parent-Teacher Association has taken a lead role at the school, ensuring that all parents are aware of and take advantage of the many opportunities available. During the ‘08-‘09 school year, the PTA sponsored more than 10 events, including: a Ballots and Brownies Election Day Bake Sale, an Autism Awareness Month Celebration, a Spring Cleaning and Family Resource Center Workday, and an Enrollment and Registration Party and BBQ. Many of the involved parents have attended one of TTP’s Parent Leadership workshops held three times each year and continue to recruit new parents to the school.

Principal Terry Dade constantly strives to bring new opportunities to his school community. Tyler was recently named as an arts integration school, and will incorporate programs designed to integrate music, dance and visual arts into all subject areas beginning in the 2010-2011 school year. Turning the Page’s successful Literacy Through Photography program will be a highlight of this integration, with plans to implement the program in every classroom!