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Reading to Kids News
May 5, 2022
 

Dear Friends of Reading to Kids,

We hope you had a wonderful Star Wars Day yesterday!

RSVPs for our May 14th reading clubs are currently full this morning, but that may change over the next eight days if more teachers commit to hosting that Saturday morning.

Kindergarten crafts at LA Elementary

If you have ever read with us at any of our prior reading clubs (face-to-face or virtual), please keep checking our homepage at www.readingtokids.org to see if we were able to open new spots for our "Fantasy, Folklore, & Fairytales" virtual reading clubs on May 14th!

(If you are signed up but can't attend after all, please click here to cancel ASAP so someone else can take your place!)

We continue to limit RSVPs for these virtual reading clubs only to returning volunteers - people who have volunteered with us at least once before at any of our previous face-to-face or virtual reading clubs. See below for how virtual clubs work.

If you check our website and find all reader spots are full today or over the next eight days, please keep checking back so we'll have enough volunteers.

STAND-BY READERS WANTED!

If all spots are full you can also let us know at info@readingtokids.org if you are willing to be a "stand-by" reader for Saturday, May 14th. A "stand-by" reader is someone willing to fill in for any grade at any school if we have any last-second reader cancellations.

Stand-by readers must be available that Saturday morning from 8am to around 11am and willing to read via Zoom to any grade at any school. It's a valuable role!

OPERATIONS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Volunteers checking in with their Site Coordinators on Zoom

For our virtual reading clubs we need experienced volunteers to be a second or third virtual Site Coordinator in our Zoom reading clubs for any of our schools.

Being a Site Coordinator guarantees you a (non-reading) spot at our next reading clubs, so please e-mail us at info@readingtokids.org if you can help us create wonderful reading clubs!

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HOW VIRTUAL READING CLUBS WORK

Zoom reading clubs

Because LAUSD has not yet determined when volunteer organizations can return to on-campus events, we continue to use Zoom for these virtual reading clubs.

The reading clubs will be hosted by participating teachers at each school using their school Zoom accounts, but you will need your own Zoom account to join the reading club. If you don’t already have a Zoom account, you can sign up for a free, Basic account here: https://zoom.us/pricing

IMPORTANT: You will need to use Zoom from a desktop or laptop computer. The phone and tablet versions of Zoom do not have the necessary features for our virtual reading clubs.

Ideally, anyone who volunteers for these virtual reading clubs will be comfortable using Zoom. If you wish to test out your Zoom connectivity prior to the reading clubs, we encourage you to email us at info@readingtokids.org so we may do a brief test run with you before the virtual reading clubs.

The Friday before the reading clubs you will receive a link for a Zoom "check-in" session with your Site Coordinators that will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. that Saturday. Click here to review the schedule for these virtual reading clubs.

Once you and your fellow volunteers are checked in, that same Zoom session will have a Zoom Volunteer Orientation / Virtual Reading Club Training that will start promptly at 9:15 a.m.

At 9:30 a.m. you and your volunteer partner will leave that Site Coordinator session and then join the teacher's Zoom session. The teacher will host the Zoom call and make you co-hosts. The first 30 minutes will be for troubleshooting and a prep session for just you and your reading partner and the teacher.

The kids will join that same reading club Zoom session at 10:00 a.m., and it will likely go until 10:30 or 11:00, at the teacher's discretion.

After the reading clubs end you will then rejoin your Site Coordinator's Zoom call for a brief wrap-up.

To screen share the book you will be reading with the children, you will need Adobe Acrobat or the free Adobe Reader from https://get.adobe.com/reader.

We will provide you a PDF of the read-aloud book so you can prepare for the reading clubs. You can see the read-aloud book titles for this month at https://readingtokids.org/Books/BooksMonth.php.

We will provide at the above link activities and simple craft ideas the kids can do at home. You would prepare to lead the kids in an activity and craft, though you may not actually do a craft, depending upon how the Zoom session goes. The kids may just want to talk to new faces!

Kindergarten crafts at LA Elementary
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LEGENDARY BINGO ON MAY 25TH:
JOIN US, SHARE OUR FLYER,
& HELP FIND PRIZES!

Drag Queen Bingo!

It's back! On Wednesday, May 25th, join Reading to Kids for Legendary Bingo back in person at Hamburger Mary's in West Hollywood!

The drinks are strong, the drag queen bingo is "R" rated, and seating is limited, so be sure to reserve your seat in advance!

Reading to Kids Bingo Night flyer

If you've been before you know it's a blast. If you haven't, click here for a video of one of our previous winners to see what you've been missing!

Please click the image above for a flyer in .PDF format and forward it to anyone you know who may be interested in going to our Legendary Bingo Night. You can also print out the flyer and post it wherever many people are likely to see it, perhaps with a note that you are going and inviting others to join you.

WHEN:   Wednesday, May 25, 7pm - 8:30pm
WHERE: Hamburger Mary's Restaurant
               8288 Santa Monica Blvd.
               West Hollywood, CA 90046
               (323) 654-3800
               bingoboyinc.com/schedule-of-events/
Cost:  $20 suggested donation (cash only, please!), which includes 9 regular bingo games and one grand prize bingo game with fantastic prizes!

Legendary Bingo is very popular and there is limited seating available. Plan to arrive before 7:00 p.m. to get a seat. We strongly suggest making a reservation at bingoboyinc.com/schedule-of-events/ or (323) 654-3800 to ensure your seat.

All proceeds go to Reading to Kids. For more details, visit our May 25th Bingo event on Facebook and invite your friends!

HELP US FIND MORE BINGO PRIZES!

You can also help us gather more prizes for the bingo winners! To help you get started, here is information about Reading to Kids you can share with potential donors (such as where you work or shop), as well as a donation form for them to complete.

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HELP US FIND GRANTS!

Jessica Brown-Clark with Target grant check

Did you know Reading to Kids receives about half of our funding from corporation and foundation grants? For example, over the last five years alone six of our volunteers helped us receive $83,000 in grants from their employers!

Please check to see if your employer offers grants that Reading to Kids can apply to and let us know at info@readingtokids.org! You may help us buy thousands of books for kids!

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Thanks, and please keep checking www.readingtokids.org over the next eight days to see if we get to open more spots for our May 14th reading clubs!

Sincerely,

Charlie Orchard & Talethe Collins
Reading to Kids
1600 Sawtelle Blvd, Suite 210
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 479-7455
(310) 479-7435 (FAX)
info@readingtokids.org
www.readingtokids.org
www.facebook.com/readingtokids
www.twitter.com/readingtokids
www.readingtokids.blogspot.com

Make a donation:
www.readingtokids.org/HowToHelp/HelpDonate.php

MAY 2022
Reading Club RSVPs
School RSVPs Capacity
Alta Loma 6 6
Esperanza 5 5
Gratts 7 7
Los Angeles 5 5
MacArthur Park 6 6
Magnolia 9 9
Politi 6 6
White 8 8
TOTAL 52 52
MAY Books. . .
Kindergarten book
Kindergarten
First Grade book
First Grade
Second Grade book
Second Grade
Third Grade book
Third Grade
Fourth Grade book
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade book
Fifth Grade

Reading to Kids is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Visit www.readingtokids.org for more information.

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