December 24, 2010
Dear Friends of Pine Ridge,
Thank you so much for your generous donation of copies of Fahrenheit 451. I am thrilled that my students will have the chance to read this challenging, grade-level book: for many of them, their first exposure to classic literature. Their reading comprehension and vocabulary skills will benefit from exposure to this complex text, while their critical thinking skills will grow as they grapple with its themes.
Really, I cannot thank you enough for the gift which you have given my students – not only books, but also the chance to succeed at high levels in whatever future they choose for themselves.
Sincerely,
Mary Bowden
Freshmen English teacher
Little Wound High School
July 28, 2010
Dear Friends,
On behalf of Little Wound School Elementary I would like to extend a sincere thank you for your donation. The pillows you sent will be put to good use in the classrooms of LWS.
We work hard here at LWS to encourage our Junior Mustangs to be readers, and the pillows will help us in that mission by providing a comfortable space to let reading happen for our young readers. Your previous generosity to our school along with this most recent donation have truly given us the opportunity to make learning happen here in our school.
Deepest Thanks,
Dane VanNosdeln
Little Wound School, 2nd Grade Teacher
July 26, 2010
Dear Friends,
School will begin in less than a month. Students will come eagerly into their new classroom to find new, cushy pillows in the classroom library—thanks to you! There will be new plush pillows in the school library too. We as a school (with your support) have worked very hard on improving the books in our classroom libraries over the past year and a half. Now you have helped us upgrade the physical environment of the libraries and make them more appealing and comfortable for our students.
Thank you for everything you do to support our students’ education!
Shannon Brady
Little Wound Elementary
June 24, 2010
Chris,
The LWHS Roots & Shoots group and I would like to thank you and all the generous donors of FoPRR for donating so many wonderful items to the Senior Citizen Center. This place plays an important role in the lives of many elderly and is one of the centers of activity in our community. Our goal with the Center has been to not only improve the physical structure, but to also fill it with items that every senior citizen who enters could enjoy.
Our fundraisers have allowed us to purchase much needed kitchen equipment while your donations have truly brought so much joy and activity. The new TV is enjoyed everyday and will allow the Center to finally have movie nights. All of the puzzles and card games give everyone the opportunity to engage in fun activity. The Wii is a gift that our group is really excited about because we will be helping the elders learn how to play and then having tournaments with them! We hope that it will eventually lead to the Senior Citizen Center having tournaments with elder groups in other neighboring towns. Sounds like fun, right? We will keep everyone updated!
Thank you again for supporting our efforts to improve our little part of the world.
Sincerely,
Laura & LWHS Roots & Shoots
June 2, 2010
Dear Friends,
I just wanted to thank you all for your contributions to Little Wound School and to my middle school science classroom in particular. I have received copies of some great National Geographic videos that allow my students to take adventures and visit places without ever leaving my classroom.
You have helped my students explore space, go back in time to see how early humans lived, and visit the rain forests of South America. You have sparked their interest in topics they didn’t even know existed, and for that, I humbly thank you for all that you do.
Pilamaya,
Kate Adolf
Little Wound Middle School, Science Teacher
April 26, 2010
Dear Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation:
Thank you for the books! The students in my Native Literature class love having a book they can actually take around with them. Without your donations, we had to limit our reading to the classroom, but now they can take a book home and share it with family members or friends! We’ve covered so much more, thanks to your generosity. Hopefully, they will begin to write about their experiences as Native Americans.
A special thanks to those donors that graciously sent The Lovely Bones and My Sister’s Keeper. Not only were they enjoyable to read, but it created a bond for those who read it. Much deeper issues were discussed and had such a profound impact that other kids who weren’t in the class came to check the books out. You gift spread a wealth of experiences and gave deeper meaning to reading.
Marla Herman
Teacher, Little Wound High School
Kyle, SD
April 26, 2010
Dear Friends,
Here on the reservation, the world can seem so small. Many of our students have never left the four-state region of South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. Your generous gifts from National Geographic will expand their horizons.
In high school social studies, students will learn about westward expansion via Guns, Germs, and Steel. In middle school social studies, students will uncover Ancient Egypt with Into the Great Pyramid and Egypt – Quest for Eternity and use Diamonds of War: Africa’s Blood Diamonds to support their discussion of social issues. Middle school science students will be exposed to The Human Family Tree, Classic Rain Forest, and Nature’s Fury. The magazines will give students a much-needed and much-sought dose of nonfiction about their world.
As always, thank you for your kindness and your dedication to our children.
Shannon Brady
Reading Coach
Little Wound School
April 23, 2010
Thank you Chris and everyone who donated all the wonderful prizes for our Bingo fundraiser. After many weeks of having to postpone, we were finally able to put on the Bingo. At first it started out really slow, but thankfully more and more people started to show. It turned out to be a great event with people laughing, joking and having a good time. The Roots & Shoots students were awesome! They took charge of the whole event – calling numbers, serving people, and cleaning up after everyone. I was so proud! We were also very fortunate to have so many donated prizes from FoPRR and other supporters. Each prize was a combination of items that would be useful in any household. At the end of it all, there were many happy players!
So thank you all again for all you do to help us make positive changes in our community!
Laura (High School Roots & Shoots Advisor)
Little Wound School
March 13, 2010
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your generous donation of books for our English 11 classes. Together, you donated nine class sets and a number of individual titles that students can read during their Native American literature unit. Your amazing generosity has transformed the novels available for our students. Before, the teacher had to scrounge to have enough copies for class sets, and many of the books were in disrepair. But, thanks to you, students will be able to read nice, new copies of both classics and recent fiction.
Thank you for your continual support of our students’ education.
Shannon Brady
LWES Reading Coach
March 5, 2010
Dear Chris and FoPRR,
We would again like to thank you for all of your kindness and support. Your donations helped us start something that will hopefully grow into something great!
Although our first Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser wasn’t a huge success we learned a lot from it and are ready to try again! You all are such a huge part to the success we have here and we are truly grateful for all you do. Wish us luck as we try again!
Sincerely,
LWS Roots & Shoots
February 14, 2010
Dear Chris and FoPRR:
I would like to thank you all for the kindness and donations of blankets, clothing, winter gear and heaters given to our Roots & Shoots program. With all of the extra items we were able to have two more big distributions – one in Wanblee and one in Kyle. Every item we have received has been given to a person in need and was so appreciated! The students are always happy to share and love giving to those in need!
This whole experience has been so positive for our students. Your kind support and words of encouragement have helped them continue to serve the community. We now are looking to move ahead and focus our energy on helping the seniors in Kyle. We will keep you all posted! Thank you for sharing!
Sincerely,
Laura (High School Roots & Shoots Advisor)
Little Wound School
January 15, 2010
Dear Friends of Pine Ridge,
Yesterday, a few teacher friends and I were walking home from parent-teacher conferences. One teacher was talking about how a third grader came up to her after school, abuzz with how many chapters she’d read that day. Another teacher commented, “Remember when that didn’t happen at our school?” Those of us who’d been at the school for more than a year paused because we did remember. The two new teachers missed the implication.
We paused because we know how much the culture of reading has changed at our school in just a year and a half. A year and a half ago, few classrooms had their own libraries. The school library was jam-packed with books, but they were a disorganized jumble. Many of them had been donated over the years as other libraries weeded their collections. As kind as these gifts had been, the donated books often did not appeal to the interests of our readers, many of whom already struggle to engage in reading. Not too many third graders (or even fifth graders or even adults!) are thrilled by the prospect of finding The Complete Consumer Book on their library shelves.
This culture shift is due in part to the dedication and energy of our staff, but it is also due to friends like you across the country and the world. You are the ones who have heard our need for quality books and responded. Teachers, parents, and even our external literacy consultants have deemed our school and classroom libraries “transformed”—from repositories of other people’s cast-offs to homes for our students’ beloved books and for new books specially chosen by the staff to meet our students’ interests and needs. This would not have been possible without your generosity.
A year ago, second-grader Adam hated reading. He wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole. Now he proudly lists off the books he has read and enjoyed-—Miss Malarky Leaves No Reader Behind, the Pigeon books by Mo Willems, Eyewitness: Pirates, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Math-terpieces. Light shines in his eyes, and I know his future is brighter for being a reader. You have made this possible. Never discount your contribution. Even a single book that we want and need can make a difference.
Pilamaye,
Shannon Brady
LWES Reading Coach
January 8, 2010
Dear Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation,
Thank you for your generous donations of Sherman Alexie books. Each English class in the high school will be getting one of each of the books so that students will have access to them throughout their high school careers. Last year, some of our students discovered Alexie and have been hankering for his books ever since, even getting some of their classmates interested in reading them.
It has been wonderful to see. The students love to read books that speak to their experiences as young Lakota men and women. Thank you for making this possible.
Pilamaye,
Shannon Brady
Reading Coach
Little Wound School
January 3, 2010
Dear Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation,
I recently received your donations of Sherman Alexie books, and I wanted to offer you my great thanks. I teach ninth grade English at Little Wound School in Kyle, and my hundred ninth graders are all, seemingly, interested in reading the two copies of Flight by Alexie which are part of my classroom library – to the degree that these books are almost always checked out. And so I’m extremely grateful to have more copies of Alexie books to offer my students. His books are not only beautifully written but also realistically portray characters who remind my students of themselves, and these books hold even my most reluctant readers spellbound. So on behalf of myself and the ninth graders at Little Wound, thank you for helping to make reading as fun and interesting as it should be!
Wishing you all the best in this new year,
Mary Bowden
Little Wound School
If you've received a phone call soliciting donations for "Pine Ridge Reservation" please consider it a scam and do not provide any credit card information.