884 More Children's Books to Collect...LifelineExtensions.blog's Readers Can Help...

The continued success of my recent Geraldine R. Dodge Principal’s Fellowship Grant funded June 2009 trip to Panamá, Central America has been nothing less than outstanding and astounding. I'm grateful to the Dodge/FEA Foundation for making this experience possible.



http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009907310303

http://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_15/issue_11/lifestyle_05.html

http://www.centraljersey.com/articles/2009/07/02/south_brunswick_post/news/doc4a4cc3977f325843867825.txt?sessinfo=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



La Directora (my new Panamánian Principal colleague) and I have e-mailed each other about the Children’s Book Donation experience and school site visit – she, her staff, and the almost 170 students at La Escuela are so genuinely thankful for the 110 children’s books written in English, which the Dodge Grant funds enabled me to purchase and donate to their school library.

This book donation represented the first collection of books written in English the school has ever had in their biblioteca (library).

Currently, instruction in the majority of schools in the public school system in Panamá occurs solely in Spanish. At La Escuela, a specialist visits the school one day each week to instruct the students in English for a portion of the school day; however, all other instruction takes place in Spanish.

Part of the reason for the book donation was to begin adding a healthy collection of age-appropriate authentic literature written in English so that we not only help combat illiteracy; but we help pave the way for consistent Bilingual and ESL education to occur at La Escuela on the small island of Panamá, which is my husband’s birthplace.


One of my follow-up goals after the trip is to keep the Lifeline Literacy Connection with La Escuela active and meaningful for the students and faculty there by hosting a Christmas 2009 Book Donation & Collection Drive.


LifelineExtensions.blog readers ~ you now have a chance to participate in this wonderful effort!

Between August 3, 2009 through November 6, 2009 I’d like to collect 1,000 children’s books to donate to La Escuela so that in late November, I can send a Christmas 2009 Book Donation package to my colleague in Panamá to add to the school’s extremely small library collection.


Here are a few ways our LifelineExtensions.blog's readers can help with donations of the remaining 884 books we have left to collect:


· Purchase one children’s book of your choice each month during August through early November.
· Collect one slightly used children’s book of your choice during the same months.
· Purchase or collect whatever amount you choose of children’s books during the same months (please use

Amazon.com for purchases if you can – however, we want you to purchase books from any place that’s the easiest for you):

http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Books/b/ref=bhp_bb0309A_childr2?ie=UTF8&node=4&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf _rd_s=browse&pf_rd_r=152CCGP973DTD75N3FYV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=482864351&pf_rd_i=283155


All LABELED book donations can be mailed to the following address by November 6, 2009 – please include your name on the inside front cover as the donor of any books you send:

Sharon Biggs, M.A.

Marketplace Dynamics, LLC
301 North Harrison Street, Suite 35
Princeton, NJ 08540-3512


I know how much we are all investing into helping kids around the globe prepare for life in the 21st Century.

By assisting in the process of building a healthy school library stocked with children’s books written in English to help improve the Bilingual and ESL education at La Escuela we will extend a lifeline.

This lifeline will help to better position one lively group of eager-to-learn students at a small and needy school in Panamá to reach their highest levels of individual excellence and success in this globally-focused 21st Century.


Thank you all in advance for your active participation in this tremendous book donation and collection drive! We appreciate every donation that will be made!


Sharon M. Biggs, M.A.
Educational Leader