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All posts for the month October, 2014
November Meeting — Let’s Sign!
Posted by Walter Boomsma on October 24, 2014
https://valleygrange.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/november-meeting-lets-sign/
Bookworm Schedule October – November 2014
“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”
–Oscar Wilde
Let’s get reading! Note the days of the week are the same, but the times have changed a little this year.
Friday, October 24– Bookworms will be at PCES at 10:15 a.m. for a brief assembly with second and third graders… Meet the Bookworms! This is the official start of Bookworming this year!
Tuesday, October 28 – Mrs. Bosworth will be at school to read, 9:30 AM
Thursday, October 30 – Mrs. Lander will be at school to read, 8:30 AM
Friday, October 31 – Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, November 4– Mrs. Bosworth will be at school to read, 9:30 AM – Don’t forget to vote today!
Thursday, November 6 – Mr. Lange will be at school to read, 8:30 AM
Tuesday, November 11 – No school!
Thursday, November 13– Mrs. Kimball will be at school to read, 8:30 AM
Tuesday, November 18 – Mrs. Kimball and Miss Shelby will be at school to read, 9:30 AM
November 24 – November 28 – Vacation Week – Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Walter Boomsma on October 15, 2014
https://valleygrange.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/bookworm-schedule-october-november-2014/
“Mr. Boomsma” featured in Maine Seniors Magazine
Mr. Boomsma making discoveries with Kendall Kimball, one of his many young friends at Piscataquis Community Elementary School. (Kendall’s chosen career is to be a pop star when she grows up and she readily agreed to be photographed for the article, already proving she is a “media darling.”)
Known to the kids as “Mr. Boomsma,” Valley Grange Program Director Walter Boomsma is the subject of a special article in the October Issue of Maine Seniors Magazine. Maine Seniors is a high quality magazine published right here in Maine and distributed throughout the state featuring “community icons” and “prime movers”—seniors who are making a difference in their communities and state.
Starting on page 32 of the October Issue, you’ll find a well-illustrated article about Boomsma’s passion for kids and how he discovered it after joining Valley Grange. “Each Grange can choose its own projects, reflecting local needs and interests. That’s how the Valley Grange, whose area stretches from Monson to Milo, came to focus so strongly on children. And how Boomsma—who talks with his hands and quotes Socrates—built a life around it.”
A digital copy of the article will be available on http://wboomsma.com and the entire issue will be accessible at http://meseniors.com before the month is over. The article features some of Valley Grange’s initiatives such as Words for Thirds, Bookworming, and the GrowME project while telling some of his favorite stories about working with kids.
But it also makes clear the fact that Mr. Boomsma believes it’s not about programs. The programs he likes “are really just an excuse to do the real work.”
Written by Donna Halvorsen of Portland, an accompanying article expands and explains the role of the Grange—a Historic Tradition—in Maine.
Posted by Walter Boomsma on October 10, 2014
https://valleygrange.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/mr-boomsma-featured-in-maine-seniors-magazine/
Dictionary Days Are Scheduled!
It’s Dictionary Season! This is a fun time of year for Valley Grangers as we get to fill many little hands that reach out for the Dictionary we provide as part of our “Words for Thirds” Dictionary Project.
This year we will make our annual trek over to SAD 41 on Tuesday, October 15th, stopping at Milo Elementary first thing in the morning and Brownville Elementary closer to noon. Our “road trip” includes third grade classroom visits talking about the Grange Staves representing farmers’ tools and the role of the Grange in getting R.F.D. started.
PCES Third Graders will celebrate their Dictionary Day with a field trip to the Grange Hall on Friday, October 17 at 12:15 pm where they are greeted by “Captain Battick” — a Civil War Navy Captain. Captain Battick explains a bit about the Navy’s role in the Civil War and teaches the Navy Salute! He is most often joined by “Miss Mary” in her pink day dress who explains that “you couldn’t show your ankles and wrists in those days–it was considered improper.” We also discuss “stewardship” and hear from several sixth graders who received their dictionaries three years ago.
SeDoMoCha Third Graders have a similar opportunity on Monday, October 27 when they arrive at the Valley Grange Hall at 9:00 AM for lessons and dictionaries. This is our largest group this year–we expect over seventy third graders!
New this year but not yet scheduled are Dictionary Days at Ridgeview Elementary School in Dexter and Harmony Elementary School in Harmony! We don’t have a definite date yet, but we promise we are coming! Look for Grangers with Dictionaries most likely in early November. We’re excited to be adding another District to our list! With this addition, we are now covering four districts, six schools and putting dictionaries in the hands of over 200 young scholars every year!
Photo by Bob Carroll
Parents of children who are homeschooled are encouraged to contact their local school for information about participating in “Dictionary Day” by attending the program or to receive a dictionary if attending isn’t possible.
Our experience with the kids “re-convinces” us every year of the importance and power of this project. According to The Dictionary Project website, “…Even for children with computer access, a dictionary provides benefits a computer cannot. Dictionaries are portable and can be used anywhere. A child has a sense of ownership of a book that encourages exploration. And only a dictionary can provide that delightful experience of looking up a word and getting sidetracked by all the other fascinating words on the same page.”
This program is made possible by the support of our communities and those individuals who purchase raffle tickets or make cash contributions. If you’d like to help us empower these young scholars with their very own dictionary, you can send a donation to Valley Grange, c/o Secretary Mary Annis, 28 Orchard Road, Dover Foxcroft ME 04426. Together we are building the future.
Posted by Walter Boomsma on October 6, 2014
https://valleygrange.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/dictionary-days-are-scheduled/
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Walter Boomsma
Valley Grange #144 