IDEAS - School's Program

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by P. Jeanne Haessler on September 24, 2009 at 2:24am

Welcome to KAS Cressida! Glad to have you aboard. You've done a wonderful job with the Teacher's Resource and there's been several members suggesting great things for school activity. I will cut and paste them to here if I find them again. Meanwhile I look forwards to this being a very active thread.

hugs, Jeanne :)

Permalink Reply by Rona Malewit on September 24, 2009 at 3:48am

Hello, I also started a KAS in our Schools group - please jump over there and join in! It's just me so far. ;-)
take care,
Rona

Permalink Reply by Anne Powell on September 24, 2009 at 4:34am

Hi Rona

I will answer for Cressie for now - I think the family has some big "doings" over the next few days and may not be online. We are trying to gather, under this IDEAS category, as many great ideas as possible.. and you will notice there are several different discussion groups going. We are attempting to keep the ideas listed by topics so they are easy for everyone to find. I did notice you new group, and I hope you will be a contributor of ideas to this discussion group, and if we find any great ideas surfacing in your group, one of the moderators will make sure it appears here too.

Glad to see your interest in the schools - I think there is huge potential there for promoting KAS to students, teachers and parents.

We look forward to hearing your ideas

Permalink Reply by Elizabeth on September 29, 2009 at 2:20am

I'm a teacher and will be doing KAS with my students (middle school) next term. I will keep you all posted as we go, but the kids are really excited. They are also going to get their families on board, and we will have a 'free dress day' (kids give a $2 donation to wear plain clothes instead of uniform for the day) to raise money for postage. I will let you know how it goes - once I've given it a run though, I should be in a better position to advise what worked and what didn't etc. Any other teachers on the forums who have already started who can throw any tips my way?

Permalink Reply by Cressida McDonald on September 29, 2009 at 11:50am

Hi everyone,

Thanks Anne for responding on my behalf. True indeed that the McDonald clan had half of South Africa descend upon us for a very special wedding this weekend, not to mention work etc.. So thank you!

How exciting to see the blossoming of the schools' program thread!

Jeanne, thank you for your warm welcome - look forward to reading any other ideas you find in separate threads. I will also have a scout around and invite both the idea and the author to join this particular discussion.

Rona, how wonderful of you to have started a KAS schools' program. I hope we can really get something going here - goodness knows we aren't short of enthusiastic, motivated women! Please feel free to invite anyone else you have made contact with about the schools program.

Elizabeth, what great news you'll be introducing KAS to your class and school! Funnily enough we first developed the Teacher Resource with primary school children in mind, but it has really taken off at Dayelsford Secondary college, with both boys and girls really getting into it. It will wonderful to get your feedback on how your students engage with the program, as it would be great to know that we have a broader market (so to speak!) with both juniors and middle schools.

Please don't hesitate to ask if you need any assistance at all.

And yes, as Elizabeth asked - any other teachers out there already integrating KAS into their curriculum? We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. We'd also love to received any testimonials people may have, either on the book or on integrating the program into their schools. Testimonials are a great way to help sell the Teachers Resource - which means support for KAS and more blankets on more orphans!

Phew, I've written a novel!! Apologies, I won't leave it as long next time!!! Thanks everyone. Sandy and I are working on some additional Teacher Resource's which we hope to get to you for feedback as soon as possible!

Take care, Cressida

Permalink Reply by Rona Malewit on October 14, 2009 at 10:34am

We are asking our club participants to either bring their own hooks or needles or pay a nominal fee $6.50 so we can purchase them one of each. We're also putting out feelers for any donations of 'stash' yarn towards the project. Debbie bought a large bag of brightly colored yarn at GoodWill, so she's passing that on to the children to use. I have a bit of a stash myself, if we are short for our initial 13 participants (12 sign-ups plus my son). I've also spoken with an employee at Hobby Lobby and she suggested we draft a note on the school letterhead, asking for any donations of yarn or hooks & needles, so we're going to do that too. If we get donated items, we can use the cash towards the postage. Also thinking the fund-a-square is a good idea towards postage, and we can also ask our Parent/Teacher Organization if they would like to donate towards postage, if we find ourselves short. That's it so far...

Permalink Reply by Cressida McDonald on October 21, 2009 at 2:51pm

Hi everyone..please also check out the Group "KAS in our schools" which is going great guns with loads of ideas.

In summary, here are some of the ideas presented so far:

- Check out freecycle.com for potential yarn stashes
- Print outs are fun - they can be accessed on the resources page, or from the Teacher Resource
- Certificates of appreciation are great for motivation - also accessible from the resources page
- Rona and Dawne approached foundations/orgnaisations in their locale for donations of yarn and needles. This is also a great way to "spread the word"
- Rona is asking for a $6.50 "joining fee" to help pay for needles and yarn, or else postage
- Not forgetting "fund-a-square"

These are all wonderful ideas, that will go a long way to making school programs a success.

Sandy and I are meeting another school in Melbourne tomorrow, so I'll be sure to implement some of these ideas and come back to everyone with feedback.