I am legendary.

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Sarah Stevens

Around 2pm every Wednesday afternoon, the Fordham vans pull up to P.S. 73 and 10 incredible college students head off to pick up their 4th and 5th grade friends from class. Once our students see their Fordham mentors headed down the hallway, they immediately grab their stuff and run up five flights of stairs to the Change for Kids tutoring areas. They can’t wait to get to work. (Once they catch their breath of course!) For these kids, being a part of the P.S. 73 Fordham Writer’s Club is the best part of their week.

As the Director of Education, I am of course thrilled with the amount of writing that gets accomplished during their sessions. But I am even more encouraged by the bond that our kids end up forming with these college students. The Fordham mentors become teachers, role models, and friends, and the impact they make on our kids is obvious.

Each semester the group tackles a different style of writing. Last fall they worked on a school newspaper. They studied what it meant to write news briefs, feature articles (complete with proper interviews), and opinion pieces.

This winter and spring was all about creativity. First they studied poetry. They wrote touching self reflections, silly bits about their favorite food, and Melanie even wrote about how much she loves the CFK group! After everyone had tried their hand at poetry, the group moved on to short stories. There were tales of best friends at sleepovers, one super fan’s run-in with the boy band sensation “One Direction”, and many, many super heroes. We’re so proud of their work and impressed by their imaginations. Click on the images below to read the full publications!

As a cap to their amazing year together, the tables will be turned and instead of the college students traveling to PS 73, the mentors will be hosting the writers club members on the Fordham campus next week. A few of the many activities will include a concert by the college glee club, a poetry slam with one of the English professors, a tour of the football facilities, and of course a trip to the campus cafeteria. We can’t wait to share pictures from the day, and we know our students will leave inspired to work hard in school and reach for their dreams.

Excerpts from the P.S. 73 Fordham Writers Club Spring 2013 Journal:

Joel

I am smart and fast.
I wonder how people were created.
I hear fire.
I see a fire sword.
I want a Wii.
I am smart and fast.
I pretend to be a ninja.
I feel legendary.
I touch air.
I worry about school.
I cry for video games.
I am fast and smart.

I like fire
But I like the desire
To be a ninja
And pinch ya.
But I am getting tired.

Yes that’s me
Look and you’ll see
My hair is backwards
My eyes are dark brown
My arms are strong
My hands are soft
My heart is full of love.

- Joel

Josue

Joyful
Outstanding
Smart
Utterly Fun
Ecstatic

- Josue

Nook

I wanted to buy a new book
So I downloaded some on my Nook
It cost a lot of money
But the book had a bunny
When my Mom saw the price she shook

- Neichel

Chocolate

Crazy good
Hazel-y brown
Obsessively seen
Can be other colors too
Only the best food
Looks like a bar
Also can have nuts
Trapped in my stomach
Especially on Halloween

- Fadelah

Change for Kids

Change For Kids is awesome
Hey it is fun
At 2:00pm they pick us up
Now in the program we are writing poems
Going with friends to the program
Every Wednesday they come

Friends come and share their ideas
Oh it is fun to be in there
Really awesome my Caz is awesome too

Kids talk about what they are doing
I always play around in there
Do all my work there
Some times we get stuff, too.
I love Change For Kids, do you?

- Melanie

Boom!

It was a bright and shiny day. I was planning to go shopping for my sister’s birthday party. Then, I sat at the table to eat my cereal when I heard a voice. I went to check and see where it was coming from. It was coming from the news on the TV. The news reporter said an asteroid was heading to the earth. I knew I had to do something to save the world. I am the only hero in the world.

Oh, I’m sorry. Let me introduce myself. My name is Super J.L. and my sidekick is Sparrow de la Cruz.

I called my sister and told her that the party was off. Then, I called Sparrow immediately to tell him what was happening. We quickly made a plan. I would go to space using my ponytails and put a bomb on the asteroid. I would come back to earth as it exploded in space. Sparrow prepared my launching spot and I went to get the bomb. The day had come. On April 3, 2013, a Wednesday, I launched to space with my ponytails and put the bomb on the asteroid. Then I hurried back down to earth without getting hurt. As I was going down…boom!!

To be continued…

- Jessica

School Beautification Day at P.S. 15

Posted on March 26, 2013 by MauraB

On Saturday, March 23rd over 50 volunteers descended on P.S. 15 for our very first School Beautification Day at our newly adopted partner school. As a team, we transformed hallways and refreshed classrooms to warmly greet students and teachers when they arrive back from their well-deserved Spring Break.

P.S. 15 Change Team corporate sponsors TopSpin and Schreck Rose Dapello & Adams represented over half of the energetic and committed volunteers. We are thrilled to have such amazing corporate friends. The TopSpin team took over painting the entire second floor hallway, and then moved to the third floor to revamp the white walls of the music room into a colorful and welcoming space. The Shreck Rose team enthusiastically tackled cleaning the schools’ kindergarten rooms from top-to-bottom–every surface and toy in sight–including an excellent contact paper cubby project!

A major project for the day was revitalizing the schools’ entryway by painting a bright mural featuring scenes of students reading books outdoors through the four seasons. Featuring the schools’ logo and motto, the mural reflects the energetic, welcoming environment that the staff and students have created at P.S. 15.

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The second floor, home to the school’s office and several classrooms, got a facelift as its white walls were painted a cheerful yellow. The schools’ music room, which is currently home to CFK Music teacher Ms. Terri’s class, was given new life with multicolored walls and trim.

Two kindergarten classes and one Pre-K class are going to return to gleaming, spotless classrooms, where they’ll be inspired to continue working hard. From chairs and tables to blocks and LEGOs, volunteers scrubbed, scrapped, and scoured each classroom.

The School Beautification Day at P.S. 15 made a tangible mark on the school, but also illustrated the deeper commitment Change for Kids has to create empowering learning environments. As stated by Laura, the P.S. 15 school literacy specialist, every beautiful wall or clean classroom signals to students that P.S. 15 and the students in it are truly important and special.

Ninjas, Pop Rocks and Turtles

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Sarah Stevens

Normally on the Friday before Spring Break you can tell that everyone’s mind is on one thing only… vacation! But last Friday there was a different kind of excitement in the air at P.S. 81. The Story Pirates were setting up in the auditorium, and the classrooms were all buzzing with anticipation. Whose stories were they going to perform?

Story Pirates cast members

A few weeks ago, two third grade classes and two fourth grade classes worked closely with the Story Pirate teaching artists to craft brand new short stories. During the residency the Pirates helped our kids create richly detailed characters like Zombie Fireman, Joshua the Singing Cheetah, and Movie Star Destiny. Each character had to overcome a few crazy obstacles before achieving their goals, and our students’ imaginations never ceased to amaze us!

Student authors Rico, Kayla, Cameron, and Damian.

Student authors Destiny, Kayla, Cameron, & Damian

Now it was performance day and a few stories were about to come to life! The entire school was invited to the performance to celebrate the authors. Around 9:15am the music started and the crowd cheered. First up was a story by 4th grader Cameron B. about Ninja Man who battles an evil dragon with rotten smelling food. Next, a story by 3rd grader Destiny S. about a girl named Amanda who was just trying to find some Pop Rocks (because they are her favorite candy ever, duh!) and instead ran into a crowd of zombies. The third story by 4th grader Damian M., was about Denzel and all the scary nightmares he was having. He dreamed about Rocky, Zombies (yes, more zombies) and his teachers! And last was a story by 3rd grader Kayla V. about Michelle’s sneaky Turtle who kept running off and hiding. (Oh, those pesky pet turtles).

After all four kids’ stories premiered, Nick, the MC for the day, led the audience in a whirlwind brainstorming session to create a new story from scratch as a group. As students added suggestions for new characters and plot twists, the Pirates acted each new scene out with hilarious perfection. The result was a story about a famous wrestler who instead of fighting, challenged his opponents to battles of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, “The Ultimate Dance Off”, and “American Idol Karaoke.” Needless to say, everyone in the auditorium, including all the adults, could not stop laughing.

Each story had amazing twists and turns, and of course, incredibly creative solutions and endings. The loudest cheers of the morning came after each author’s name was called, making them feel like celebrities for the day. We couldn’t think of a better way to head off for spring break!

Learning to Love Literature at P.S. 73

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Katie C.

Click here to go directly to the video.

For the last eight weeks, 18 incredible volunteers and over 40 students in our literacy tutoring program have journeyed along the Hudson River, adventured with the heroic dog Balto, and discovered far-off parts of the globe. After these weeks of learning, our hard-working students are on spring break, with the state tests they’ve worked so hard to prepare for around the corner.

When we caught up with our P.S. 73 tutors after their last day, almost all of them reported that their students are feeling ready for those state exams. Even better, they told us that the students had not only improved their literacy skills, but also started to develop a lifelong love of reading and writing.

The students are just as happy with their progress as we are, and their progress has been enormous! Take Kayla, one of tutor Samantha’s students. “Kayla has made such great progress! In the beginning, she was very timid and nervous to read…Now she is reading all by herself – she even told me, ‘don’t say it, I want to say it!’ She then read the whole book!”

Kayla and her classmates aren’t only cultivating their reading skills. CFK literacy tutors are helping these children develop pride and confidence in their schoolwork and themselves. Our tutors see this development every week as they build a relationship with their students. Like tutor Jane says, “Having worked with Alisha since the fall, I have really been able to see her progress, which of course is a highlight for me. She also mentioned today that she’s really getting good at reading, which is so great!”

Our students see their own transformations too. Destiny, a fifth grader at 73, told us all about how CFK tutoring has prepared her for middle school and helped build her self-confidence.

We’re thrilled that kids like Kayla, Alisha, Destiny, and their peers are so excited about their developing reading skills. Thanks to the teachers at P.S. 73, CFK tutors, and CFK supporters like you, we’re able to help these children cultivate their reading, writing, and communication skills, while boosting their confidence as readers and students. Just look at one tutor’s story about her partner student, Angel: “He got so excited one day after he completed a book and a worksheet, he begged me to tell his teacher. It was nice to see him so proud of himself!”

Vocab Rap: Engaging Students On Their Own Terms

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Steph Thompson

Steph Thompson is a Tutoring Captain for Team 81 at P.S. 81 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

I love tutoring – we have the freedom to be more flexible, to tailor our lessons to the tutees’ individual needs and interests. We can make learning fun. We can all get inspired.

For Alexus and De’John, today’s session turned out to be an unorthodox vocabulary lesson. After reading a few books that didn’t particularly spark any great interest from either of them, I thought, “Oh, I got it!”

I reached into my bag and found Tuck Everlasting, a great book my own kids’ elementary school does for parent-led book club. It was hard but had great rhythm and great words. We decided to go on a vocabulary scavenger hunt. They were willing to suffer the small type. We came up against words like “infinite” and “collaborate,” and we defined them together as a group.

A pause – De’John flipped the book over and read the back cover. What’s flawless? Alexus asked for a drink. Was I losing them? “What do you want to do?” I asked.

“Dance,” said Alexus. “I want to rap”, said De’John. And so we did.

De’John put the definitions- amazingly rhythmic -to a rap. Infinity. Collaborative. Flawless. Hub. Alexus harmonized and danced. I laughed. And recorded. (Click here to take a listen)

Their homework is to practice their rap, their Perfect Together Forever rap. And, of course, I’ve asked them to recruit members to their rap group, The Luthers, the name De’John came up with for the kids interested in continuing the important message of Dr. Martin Luther King. (This month is Black History Month of course!)

They skipped off smiling, excited about their assignment. Another tutoring success!

iLog: P.S. 15 Library Project

Posted on February 6, 2013 by JuliaC

P.S. 15 Hurricane Sandy Supply Drive and Drop-Off

P.S. 15 Roberto Clemente!

On Monday I started my project in the library of P.S. 15. Let me start off by saying- P.S. 15 has a beautiful library. It’s large, there’s a big colorful carpet for the students to sit on, and, most importantly, there are books everywhere. Unfortunately, the school has not had a full time librarian for about three years now, so when I say there are books everywhere, I mean they are everywhere. Piled on top of shelves, stuffed into tight spaces…the check-in receptacle is literally overflowing with books. So in some ways, these mountains of books entrusted to my care are the fulfillment of my childhood dream. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a nightmare that night about drowning in a pile of picture books.

Basically, my responsibility with this library project is to get the library organized enough that the students can easily locate the books they need and are able to check them out in an efficient way. Also, there are a lot of books that are ready to be put on the shelves, but aren’t entered into the catalog yet. This seems like it should be simple enough, until you actually go to re-shelve the books. You will then quickly learn that the last three years has wreaked havoc on this library’s organizational system. Imagine hundreds of kids enthusiastically pulling out books and then haphazardly putting them back into place, with no one running behind them to fix the misplacement. For instance, as I was alphabetizing a portion of picture books on Monday, a little girl was reading a picture book with one of her teachers (there are always kids in there reading something). When she finished, she walked right up and stuck the book on the shelf next to the “A’s” that I had just finished. I pulled it right back out to find a book written by Patricia Polacco.

We’ll be reorganizing P.S. 15′s library throughout the semester.

One of the most interesting things about the way P.S. 15’s library is set up is that not only is it organized to help students easily find books, but also to help them know how to use a library in the future. There are arrows pointing perusers in the correct alphabetical direction, plus all the non-fiction books use the Dewey Decimal System. This might seem like a trivial skill, but I’ve wasted countless amounts of time wandering aimlessly around my college library looking for books- and I know the Dewey Decimal System. So it’s really important that we help get this library back into it’s original order, not only for what the library can physically give the students, but also what it can teach them on its own.

Maybe it’s the book lover in me coming out in full swing, but I am really excited about the remainder of my project. Hopefully the library will soon be organized and clutter free and then we’ll be able to put up pictures of the kids at P.S. 15 with their exciting new books. Until then, you can find me at P.S. 15, piled under my mountain of books. -Julia Cunningham, Spring 2013 Intern

The Inaugural “Holiday Wish” Coloring Contest

Posted on December 6, 2012 by RoyiviaF

P.S. 73 Winner Bernie Marte with his 4th grade teacher Ms. Reynoso

I’ve been very lucky to not only intern in the CFK office, but to oversee our Brooklyn Tech tutoring program at partner school P.S. 243 in Crown Heights. Brooklyn Tech’s Change Club travels to the Weeksville School every Thursday to provide homework help to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. I get the pleasure of working specifically with a vibrant bunch of 3rd graders and their tutors.

One of my favorite Thursdays was spent helping them visualize and draw their “Holiday Wish.” This season, CFK created a festival coloring contest – the winning image from each school would be featured on our inaugural holiday cards. When I told my students that they would get to draw during their tutoring session, I was met with great enthusiasm.

P.S. 243 Purple Snow-girl

I had great fun observing the students eagerly brainstorming with their tutors. I circled the tables, landing first at Angel’s table. He proudly reviewed his masterpiece with me, “This is my family at our Christmas meal, and that’s my grandpa. I have a big Dominican family.” Over at Nubia and Maya’s table, the best friends were also drawing family scenes, along with elaborate holiday presents. At Anthony and Elvin’s table, they were having their own coloring contest of who could draw the better picture. While Anthony drew a towering electric blue building, Elvin was drawing an impressive Christmas tree with Santa approaching in his sleigh. I spy an artist in the making here. Finally, my personal favorite was Elena’s drawing of a “Purple Snow-girl.” So I have to admit I’m a bit partial to purple, it’s my favorite color. But regardless, who doesn’t like a nice twist on a classic holiday character? As always, I left P.S. 243 with a smile that day.

The holiday coloring contest was an excellent way to begin the new season at our schools. I hope all the kids had as much fun participating as the office did in going through the entries. It was a great way to see quick snapshots of the students through their holiday wishes and their artistic talents. Congratulations to all the winners. Pick up your pack today!—100% of proceeds benefit our programs.

HOLIDAY CARD WINNERS

P.S. 243 Artist: Brittany Kennedy, Ms. Davis’ 4th Grade, Age 8
P.S. 15 Artist: Steven Ponce, Mr. Laliberte’s 3rd Grade, Age 8
P.S. 73 Artist: Bernie Marte, Ms. Reynoso’s 4th Grade, Age 10
P.S. 81 Artist: Rogelio Vargas, Ms. Fraser’s 2nd Grade, Age 7
P.S. 160 Artist: Sharon Sukhu, Ms. Reill’s 4th Grade, Age 10

Robots invade the Bronx!

Posted on June 25, 2012 by AliciaJ

Thanks to Variety‘s incredible support, Change for Kids’ partnership with the Bronx Museum of Art provides a unique opportunity for P.S. 73 second, third and fourth graders – a chance to discover the value of art through curated exploration of various themes and mediums. Students work in small groups to examine, analyze, and eventually create their own artwork during weekly 90-minute visits to the museum. Rather than study these themes purely academically, the children gain hands-on experience interacting with and producing art, enabling them to place their own work within a larger context. The eight-week program culminates with a student art exhibit at both the museum and P.S. 73, where parents, sponsors, school and community members celebrate the kids’ incredible work.

At this year’s opening reception on Tuesday, June 5^th, the museum walls were lined with everything from crayon-colored family portraits to models of local landmarks to large scale robots made from recycled cardboard boxes. Each masterpiece singularly integrated the different artistic concepts and mediums discussed throughout the residency. During the event, the students presented their artwork to doting parents and fellow classmates; sharing their creative process, the trials and tribulations of group work and the significance of the art they created. By incorporating elements of their own neighborhood into their projects (including a remarkable model of “Mets” Stadium – “The Yankees have a stadium named after them! Why shouldn’t the Mets?”), the kids were able to establish a personal connection with their work – pouring a bit of themselves into each piece. With parents looking proudly over their child’s work, and the students equipped with newly discovered artistic knowledge as evidenced by the phenomenal body of work, the residency was nothing short of a tremendous success.

P.S. 73 CFK Violin Performance

Posted on June 19, 2012 by AliciaJ

Think back to elementary school, to your first time on stage. Whether it was a chorus or band concert, a dance recital or theatrical debut, think back to the moment right before you went on: the nerves, the excitement… the utter dread (eek!).

Eon and his father, Allistair

For the kids in our violin program at P.S. 73, these emotions hit hard Monday morning as they tuned up for their end-of-year performance. Eight-year-old Eon, who has been involved in the program for almost two years, experienced the pre-stage jitters despite it being his second time around. His father, Allistair, tried to help by giving him some sage advice: “I told him to take a deep breath and just let it out. I told him, ‘You’ll do great.’”

And great he certainly did. Eon, along with 44 of his schoolmates ranging from first to fifth grade, wowed us with renditions of “Twinkle, Twinkle,” “Old MacDonald,” and the William Tell Overture. Dressed to impress in ties and flowered headbands, the students performed alongside their teacher, Julliard-trained Majid Khaliq, for the entire P.S. 73 community. Their successful show was a testament to their hard work, dedication, and practice throughout the past year.

All smiles w/ Mr. Majid!

Not to say there weren’t the occasional moments of distraction; basketball and video games sure are fun. Allistair was quick to share an adorable story of Eon’s five-year-old sister encouraging her big brother to play. “There was one time I could tell he was growing tired of practicing,” recounts Allistair, “But before I could say anything, I see my daughter put the violin in front of Eon and tell him, ‘Play something for me. Play something for ME now.’” And with that kind of support as well as the lessons of commitment and perseverance learned, we’re not the least bit nervous about Eon’s future success — in school or with bow in hand.

Congrats to all of our performers at P.S. 73 on Monday! Be sure to press ‘Play’ below to watch them in action.

P.S. 243 Family Fun Field Day

Posted on May 22, 2012 by AliciaJ

Mr. Justin from FAN4Kids, awesome CFK volunteers, & adorable P.S. 243 students!

Aside from the days the school cafeteria served chicken nuggets for lunch, there was nothing I looked forward to more in elementary school than Field Day. Each spring, the entire grade would gather together on the playground for some fun in the sun. The Egg Walk; Over, Under; Dizzy Bat; Water Balloon Toss (my favorite relay race); all culminating in the final showdown: Class Tug of War.

Last Saturday, May 19th, I took part in the excitement again; this time at Change for Kids‘ inaugural Family Fun Field Day at P.S. 243 in Brooklyn. Over 75 students, parents, and community members joined CFK and FAN4Kids, our healthy living partner, for a bit of friendly competition in kickball, bowling, basketball, and — of course — a water balloon toss!

My favorite little guy of the day!

In addition to fun games and races, we provided a nutritious lunch for the kids and their families. Gone were my beloved chicken nuggets, replaced with: cucumber salad, no-mayo tuna salad (yep…you read that right…NO MAYO!), and peanut butter & banana sandwiches.

All in all, it was an incredibly successful first-go at what CFK hopes will become a much-anticipated and highly-attended annual event at each of our partner schools. I’m already looking forward to next year’s Field Day, when I can lace up, line up, and set off down the relay race track!

Change for Kids

The official blog of NYC education nonprofit Change for Kids

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