See You in the New Year!

Neon New Year Facebook Cover
Facebook
Follow by Email
Twitter

See You In The New Year!

Posted by STAIR-Annapolis on December 15, 2021

As 2021 comes to a close, we have so much to look forward to here at STAIR-Annapolis!

Preparations are well underway to welcome students and tutors back to six of our 12 sites in February 2022. We have dozens of volunteer tutors committed to join us and a strong team of volunteer leadership in our Site Coordinators and Co-Coordinators. We've scheduled site preparations, on-site orientations, and New Volunteer training to make sure we're ready to return to in-person programming.

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of shoppers and our friends at Barnes & Noble in the Annapolis Harbour Center, we have hundreds of new, diverse books to distribute to young readers as a result of the recent Holiday Book Drive. These book donations have been sorted, tagged, and packaged as Winter STAIR Book Bundles, waiting to be delivered to schools in January. Our Fall Book Bundles were a hit with students and teachers, so we're excited to have even more great books to gift with this second delivery.

This will be our last blog post of 2021. We'll be back in the New Year with lots to share as our return to in-person programming draws closer. Stay tuned!

Your care and support for the STAIR-Annapolis program over these past 21 months has meant the world to us. In the spirit of giving, we hope you give yourself time to relax, reflect, and read this holiday season. STAIR-Annapolis staff and Board of Directors wish Happy Holidays and a joyous New Year!

quote Program News

STAIR to Resume In-Person Programming in Early 2022

Neon New Year Facebook Cover
Facebook
Follow by Email
Twitter

STAIR to Resume In-Person Programming in Early 2022

Posted by STAIR-Annapolis on December 8, 2021

Have you heard the news?

STAIR-Annapolis is prepared to make a safe, thoughtful return to in-person programming in early 2022!

After months of careful consideration and many discussions with our Anne Arundel County Public Schools partners in education, we've decided to take a strategic approach to our return to ensure the health and safety of volunteers and students. STAIR-Annapolis will reopen at a reduced capacity in early 2022: We'll be back at 6 of our 12 sites, with 6 students at each site.

STAIR will continue to follow the latest AACPS mandates, which currently require all employees and volunteers to show proof that they have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit a weekly negative COVID test.

We know that a controlled, deliberate reopening plan will give us time and space to make adjustments to new policies and procedures as necessary. It is our great hope that STAIR-Annapolis can fully return to programming for the 2022-2023 school year.

Visit the STAIR calendar for important program dates starting in January.

We are very excited to return to the classroom and join our volunteers in continuing the important work of developing second graders into strong readers.

More details are forthcoming as we finalize these plans, so please stay tuned to our social media channels, website, and blog for the most up-to-date information.

We can't wait to see you again very soon!
Ari with tutor Cathy
DSC_0395
_MG_9822
Photo Feb 13, 4 40 05 PM
quote Program News | Volunteers

A December Reading Challenge

Neon New Year Facebook Cover
Facebook
Follow by Email
Twitter

A December Reading Challenge

Posted by STAIR-Annapolis on December 1, 2021

Wow! Our final monthly reading challenge of 2021 is here!

We hope you've enjoyed following along with these challenges, designed to inspire exploration of new authors and topics, to encourage reading at home everyday, and to help develop a habit of reading.

2021 has been a year of changes and adaptation. We've settled into the "new normal" brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the things that once felt so strange to us--wearing masks, social distancing, remote work and Zoom calls, limiting gatherings, curbside pickup, creating our "bubble"--are now more or less part of our daily routines. How are you doing? Have you been able to make more time for reading this year?

Our December reading challenge invites you to celebrate just how far we've come, with themes that include perseverance, unity, triumph over adversity, and growth mindset.

For a simple December reading challenge that's easy to adapt to any age, reading level, or genre preference, follow the list below. One book per week, every week this month:

Feel free to come back to these Reading Challenge posts anytime for inspiration. Thank you for being a part of our community of readers!

quote Family Engagement | Read at Home

FALL-ing into Books!

Neon New Year Facebook Cover
Facebook
Follow by Email
Twitter

FALL-ing into books!

Posted by STAIR-Annapolis on November 17, 2021

Have you heard the news? STAIR-Annapolis is reaching young readers with an exciting new initiative: STAIR Seasonal Book Bundles!

We recently received a MASSIVE donation of beautiful Simon & Schuster children's books from a generous donor. Actually, a number of STAIR supporters had a hand in making sure these books reached us from their former home in New York City. The donation included fiction and nonfiction, books about nature and animals, books about families and neighborhoods, funny books, sweet books, sports books, biographies and history books, and some of the best recently-published children's books.

What to do with so many beautiful books? Share them, of course!

While we continue to thoughtfully plan for a safe return to in-person programming, we want to stay connected to our Anne Arundel County Public Schools partners and our students. Gifting new books for home libraries through STAIR Seasonal Book Bundles is a great way to do just that.

Earlier this month, STAIR staff delivered Fall Book Bundles to our Reading Specialist friends at all 12 elementary schools we serve. It was so nice to see so many friendly (masked!) faces on our rounds and to take a few moments to check in with these hard-working teachers who support developing readers every day.

Reading Specialists will distribute the donated books to students in need of reading support to help ensure they have beautiful new books to read at home.

Seasonal Book Bundle deliveries are already schedule for January 2022, March, and May. We're really excited about this project and happy to have an opportunity to safely support young readers all year long.

If you'd like to make a contribution to help us purchase even more books for students' home libraries, we invite you to consider supporting STAIR's Annual Appeal or joining us on Facebook and Instagram this #GivingTuesday, November 30.

quote Family Engagement | Program News | Read at Home

Barnes & Noble Taps STAIR for Holiday Book Drive

Neon New Year Facebook Cover
Facebook
Follow by Email
Twitter

Barnes & Noble Taps STAIR for Holiday Book Drive

Posted by STAIR-Annapolis on November 10, 2021

With the holiday shopping season upon us, STAIR-Annapolis is thrilled to announce that we've been selected by our friends at Barnes & Noble in the Annapolis Harbour Center as the beneficiary of their annual Holiday Book Drive!

As we take time to thoughtfully plan for a return to in-person programming in 2022, book donations like this help us stay connected to students in need of reading support safely and impactfully.

Research has shown that having access to books at home helps improve kids' vocabulary development, attention, and overall academic success. Kids with home libraries of just 20 books are more likely to stay in school longer than their peers who don't have books at home. A home library can also help children develop a good relationship with reading, encouraging them to turn to books for entertainment, to learn about new things, to find answers to their questions, and to satisfy their curiosity about subjects that interest them.

Throughout the month of November, shoppers at Barnes & Noble will have an opportunity to donate a book to STAIR-Annapolis with any purchase. These books will be used to supplement our Seasonal Book Bundles, a new initiative we're really excited about.

STAIR Seasonal Book Bundles will be delivered four times this school year, in November, January 2022, March, and May. The Book Bundles are curated and packaged by STAIR staff, then delivered to Reading Specialists at all 12 AACPS elementary schools we serve. Reading Specialists will distribute the books to students in need of literacy support, helping them build home libraries and ensuring they have access to new, diverse books at home anytime.

Building home libraries is one of the most important aspects of our traditional programming--students enrolled in the STAIR tutoring program get to choose a new book to take home each week--so it's wonderful to be able to continue to give the gift of reading to kids in need even when we can't be together.

If you'd like to support the Holiday Book Drive, simply shop at Barnes & Noble in the Annapolis Harbour Center anytime from now until December 5. At checkout, ask to add a book donation for STAIR-Annapolis to your purchase. Store staff will be happy to recommend a suitable title for our young readers if you're not sure what to buy!

quote Events | Program News

A November Reading Challenge

Neon New Year Facebook Cover
Facebook
Follow by Email
Twitter

A November Reading Challenge

Posted by STAIR-Annapolis on November 3, 2021

November is a wonderful month to slow down and express gratitude before the rush of the holiday season.

This month we also celebrate authors, family literacy, generational storytelling, veterans, kindness, and generosity.

November 1, National Authors' Day and Family Literacy Day

November 8, National Parents as Teachers Day

November 11, Veterans Day

November 13, World Kindness Day

November 15, National Philanthropy Day

November 25, Thanksgiving Day

November 30, #GivingTuesday

Family Stories Month

National Gratitude Month

National Life Writing Month

For a simple November reading challenge that's easy to adapt to any age, reading level, or genre preference, follow the list below. One book per week, every week this month:

  • Read a book written by a team of authors who are related to each other.
  • Read a veteran's memoir.
  • Start a gratitude journal, and write down something you're grateful for every day this month.
  • Read a book with the words "thank," "grateful," or "kind" in the title.

Good luck! We'll be back next month with a new reading challenge for you. Until then, keep reading!

quote Family Engagement | Read at Home