Daycroft Students Pledge to Do Without Electronic Media for a Week
Daycroft Montessori School’s “Turn Off Your Media (and Read!)” Challenge Frees Time for Students to Reach Their “March Is Reading Month” Goals
Ann Arbor, MI (March 4, 2010) – Who says today’s children don’t like to read?
Next week, dozens of students from Daycroft Montessori School of Ann Arbor will turn off their TV, video games, Internet, and other electronic media for seven days straight – and devote much of that time to good old-fashioned reading.
The students, ranging from preschoolers to sixth-graders, are taking part in Daycroft’s annual “Turn Off Your Media (and Read!)” Challenge – one of the special “March Is Reading Month” activities at the school.
Participants have pledged to abstain from all electronic entertainment (exceptions: listening to music and doing homework that requires electronic media) for a seven-day period. Their time away from electronic media can run from either Saturday, March 6 to Friday, March 12, or Monday, March 8 to Sunday, March 14.
“For one week at least, parents of participating students can expect to see their kids curl up in chairs and bury themselves in books,” says Lissa Main, Daycroft’s library and technology coordinator. “No Mario Brothers, no text messages, no American Idol – for many Daycroft families, it should be a welcome respite from electronic media overload.”
Rewards for Reading
Main is the driving force behind many of the school’s “March Is Reading Month” initiatives. Each year this month, the Daycroft community recognizes the importance – and celebrates the joy – of reading for learning and entertainment. Throughout March, Daycroft students will log their reading time, both during school and especially at home.
Per Main, “The ‘turn off your media’ pledge helps to keep students on track with their individual and classroom reading goals for the month.” She adds, “It doesn’t hurt that there are some enticing rewards awaiting those who meet their reading challenges.”
Students who reach their targets for reading time in March receive a $5 gift certificate redeemable at Daycroft’s annual Book Fair, happening March 26 through April 2. Students who go the extra mile and successfully turn off their electronic media for a week get an additional $5 gift certificate for the Book Fair.
The prizes are courtesy of the Daycroft Parent Guild, supporters of the “March Is Reading Month” programs, as well as many other school events and activities.
Last year, 127 Daycroft students met their individual and classroom goals for March reading time, earning a total of $635 in Book Fair certificates. Among them, 46 went without electronic media for a week, earning another $230 in gift certificates.
Will Daycroft students surpass these reading rewards in March 2010? Main hopes they will, but won’t know for sure until tallying students’ completion slips and matching pledges to performance.
Family Game Night
A new feature of this year’s “Turn Off Your Media (and Read!)” Challenge: Midway through the week, Daycroft students and parents will meet up to share in playing traditional board games and card games at a special Family Game Night event.
The fun will happen on Thursday, March 11, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, at Daycroft’s Elementary Campus on Zeeb Road near Jackson Road. All Daycroft families, including those from the school’s Preprimary Campus on Oakbrook Drive, are invited to attend.
Families can bring their favorite board and card games from home, or simply play the games that will be on hand (Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, Uno, and more). Says Main, “For many kids today, ‘games’ means ‘video,’ and they can be played by just one or two people at a time. At Family Game Night, we hope to show that some of the most fun can come from a game shared by many, and without an electronically generated soundtrack.”
A light dinner of submarine sandwiches and soft drinks will be available optionally at Family Game Night for a nominal cost. Families may also bring their own snacks.
Reading for a Cause
Again this year, the rewards of “March Is Reading Month” at Daycroft will extend beyond the school’s families and facilities to the community at large.
In Daycroft’s “Read for a Cause” program, students ask family members and friends for monetary pledges tied to the students’ reading achievements for the month. Funds raised through these pledges purchase children’s books for the Family Book Club of Washtenaw County (www.familybookclub.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to assuring that all area children, regardless of their family circumstances or economic means, can realize the value of reading and develop a love for it.
“The Family Book Club donates thousands of children’s books to the county’s low-income families every year,” notes Main. “Last year, Daycroft’s ‘Read for a Cause’ pledges raised $1,150 for the organization. We hope to do even better this year.”
During Book Fair, Daycroft families can further contribute by purchasing a designated book, My Friend Is Sad by Mo Willems, for donation to the Family Book Club. The school is aiming for approximately 100 copies of the book to be acquired for the charitable organization in this way.
About Daycroft Montessori School
Daycroft Montessori School blends the distinctive student-centered teaching methods of Maria Montessori with traditional and progressive teaching methods. Daycroft thus accomplishes its educational mission: to provide a personalized learning environment that appreciates individual differences, nurtures the whole child, and enables students to develop at their own pace and achieve to their full potential.
Daycroft is one of Washtenaw County's leading independent schools. It began as a preschool program in 1968. Daycroft has since grown to include a full-day kindergarten program, an elementary school program through 6th grade, before-school and after-school care, summer camp programs, and enrichment classes.
Daycroft has earned accreditation from the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS; www.isacs.org). It is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS; www.nais.org) and is affiliated with the American Montessori Society (AMS; www.amshq.org).
Daycroft Preprimary School (preschool and kindergarten) is at 100 E. Oakbrook Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Phone: (734) 930-0333.
Daycroft Elementary School (grades K through 6) and Daycroft's administrative offices are at 1095 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Phone: (734) 662-3335.
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