The 2019-2020 school year has just ended here on the coast of Ecuador and our new library has truly become the place of investigation and imagination that we had hoped it would be! Some activities we used the library this year for were:
And thanks to your generous support, this year we have made multiple improvements to the physical space of the library, including:
The library will always need love and support to continue providing great experiences for our students. We will always need new books, pillows and cushions, arts supplies and office supplies. Although this is true, our goal to get the library up and running has been accomplished and with great success! We are now ready to close this campaign on GlobalGiving.
If you would like to continue supporting our students and their studies, please follow us on Facebook, check out our website, or make a donation to our Environmental Education program here on GlobalGiving to continue receiving updates from us!
We are so grateful for all you have done and hope to hear from you soon! Big hugs from Los Algarrobos!
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One of our greatest challenges as an instution here in Ecuador is convincing our teachers to try new strategies and methodologies with their students. Our teachers all grew up with traditional teaching styles that mostly included copying and dictation for reading and bland repitition for math. Now that they are teachers themselves, it is difficult for them to expand beyond what they already know.
But this year with the new library, we see the teachers coming out of their shells to try something new. Change is gradual so we are focusing on one methodolgy: Learning Centers. In this strategy, a teacher organizes four different activities, many that the students can do independently. Every 10-15 minutes, the students will rotate around the tables until they have tried every activity. Since the classrooms are quite small, this stragey is best implented in the library. Learning Centers allow the teacher to work with just four or five students at a time, ensuring that each one really understands the material and providing extra help where it's needed. They also incorporate play and problem solving into the class, and provide access to the books more frequently than when they spent the whole day in the classroom.
We created a schedule for the library where each teacher had a weekly slot and they are all taking advantage of this new opportunity. We are very pleased that the library has provided the space and opportunity to give our students a more dynamic and effective education.
We'd also love to remind you that Giving Tuesday in just a few days, on December 3, your donations here on Global Giving will be partially matched! Giving Tuesday is a movement worldwide to celebrate generosity and you're invited! Keep our library up and running and become part of the movement!
The first semester has passed and we have put our new library space to great use! In addition to being a place of reference for students to research and check out books, the library has also become a place to host activities for students, teachers and parents.
During the mornings, many teachers bring their students into the library to work on theatrical activities or group work. In the afternoons the library may host teacher development workshops or meetings with parents. The library has become a site where all branches of our educatonal community, students, parents, and teachers, can come together for the common goal: creating an enriching environment where Canoa's children can learn and grow!
As you may have heard in the news, there are massive protests happening all over Ecuador. This has caused the Ministry of Education to close schools for over a week now. There are no students to enjoy our beautiful library! With the economic paralysis we are experiencing, we expect the coming months to be very difficult for our Los Algarrobos families to contribute with tuition.
Please consider a donation to help get our families and teachers through this tough time!
It’s hard to believe that almost 3 months have passed and we are so happy with our new library! The children have been thoroughly enjoying the books, Legos, play dough, games, dress up costumes and musical instruments. As we settle into our new library space, we want take a moment to highlight the work of one of our most dedicated volunteers: Dannielle Brandon.
Four years ago, Dannielle came to help us at Los Algarrobos. In search of a project, she set her sights on the bookshelf hidden away in the secretary’s office. With a lifelong career working with children, Dannielle recognized that this was a resource to take advantage of. She made it her mission to collect educational toys in addition to the books. Over the years, she has worked tirelessly to transform a small bookshelf into a full library, a magical place where our students can grow, learn and imagine.
This year, Dannielle took a much deserved vacation and upon her return, we were anxious for her to see the new space in use and add her personal touch as she always does so well. We are pleased to add that we are into our second year of lending books out and the children are slowly becoming comfortable in the library in a cultre that is not generally focused on books and reading. We want to thank Dannielle from the bottom of our heart and share her amazing work with all of our supporters!
In other news, thanks to your generous support, we were able to purchase windows for the west side of our new library building. This is the wall where we often display the children’s artwork so it was very important to keep the rain on the outside.
Please stay posted! As the school year goes on books and toys are often lost or damaged. And we are always using up paint, glue, colored pencils and paper among many other arts and crafts supplies! Your continued support will keep the library stocked and updated!
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM GLOBAL GIVING
The countdown to the July 18th Bonus Day is on! This bonus day is all about matching BIG gifts. Starting at 9:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 18, GlobalGiving is putting up $130K in matching funds for donations of $100 and above. The higher the donation, the higher the match!
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On Wednesday we welcomed a new school year with an inauguration ceremony! After some motivating words from the director, students and parents went to see their new classrooms and meet their new teachers! Everyone is so excited to start a new school year!
We are also very excited to open our new library! Particularly during recess hour, the library becomes full of students exploring new toys, games and books. This is possible thanks to YOUR generous support!
Please stay posted! As the school year goes on books and toys are often lost or damaged. And we are always using up paint, glue, colored pencils and paper among many other arts and crafts supplies! Your continued support will keep the library stocked and updated!
In other projects...
Only this weekend, GlobalGiving will be matching all Climate Change projects 50% up to $500! As the most updated part of our mission, an Environmental Education Program will be implemented for the first time ever and will need consistent funding. Take advantage of this matching opportunity and keep Climate Change Solutions in our students' minds and hearts!
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/environmental-education-program-2/
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