Rotary International News – 23 June 2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RI President-elect Ray Klinginsmith speaks during the closing plenary session on 23 June at the 2010 RI Convention in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Photo by Alyce Henson/Rotary Images
Rotary International on FacebookAs the 2010 RI Convention in Montréal, Québec, Canada, drew to a close on 23 June, RI President-elect Ray Klinginsmith outlined his plans for his term, which begins 1 July. Participants also got a preview of next year’s big event in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, where the Host Organization Committee has planned fun for the whole family.
Klinginsmith will ask Rotarians to apply "cowboy logic" and make Rotary clubs "bigger, better, and bolder."
The fundamental principles of cowboy logic are taking pride in your work, talking less and saying more, doing what has to be done, and remembering that some things just aren’t for sale, he explained during the closing plenary session.
"I believe the way for Rotary to remain viable and vibrant in the next century is to help our clubs to be bigger, better, and bolder," Klinginsmith said. "The clubs are the life and breath of Rotary. Therefore, it is clear to me that my job is to help the district governors to help the clubs. We can do it, and we will do it, if all of us follow the simple solution of cowboy logic."
Klinginsmith also listed improvements that he and the RI Board have already authorized, including revisions to the RI Strategic Plan to make it easier to implement and evaluate, a realignment of RI committees to fit the revised plan, the recruitment of 41 Rotary coordinators, and a commitment to finding new ways to attract younger members and enable them to serve as district governors.
Klinginsmith’s Rotary journey started in New Orleans, where he boarded a ship to begin a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, in 1961. After returning home, he and his wife, Judie, married and then honeymooned in the city. He said he is excited about the venue of the 2011 RI Convention because he will have traveled full circle in both his personal and Rotary life.
During the fourth plenary session, members of the 2011 Host Organization Committee shared some of the highlights planned for Rotarians, including a concert featuring a traditional New Orleans brass band, a gospel choir, New Orleans jazz performers, Cajun music, and the Mardi Gras Indians. A French Quarter dining experience and an evening at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas will be other host-ticketed events.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
TALES FROM A DILLY BAG Sponsorship Rounds 1 - 5
Information Update
Rotary District 9600 Literacy Project Tales from a Dilly Bag
Sponsorship Rounds 1- 5 Tales from a Dilly Bag
2010 June
Literacy is a key factor in determining children’s educational outcomes. For Indigenous children, learning to be literate can at times be a great challenge. The District 9600 Literacy Project 2008/09, Tales from a Dilly Bag, has been designed to provide enhanced literacy experiences for young Indigenous Australian children and aims to support the very young as they learn to be literate by providing enjoyable experiences with children’s literature.
Current RI President, John Kenny, has prioritised Literacy for the 2009/2010 Rotary year. Throughout the world there are more than 800 million people who are unable to read or write and this makes their lives more difficult and places their families in a very vulnerable position where hunger, disease, poverty and lack of education will affect their lives every day.
The District 9600 Literacy Project, Tales from a Dilly Bag, aims to assist young Indigenous children as they begin to learn to be literate for it is during the early childhood years that the foundations for literacy are established. By sharing stories with young children, talking about the stories and completing activities relating to the texts, there is an expectation the children will enjoy the experience, gain a love of story sharing, learn more about how language is used in books and build a sound foundation for learning to be literate. At the same time when a class is sponsored in a school, principals are being encouraged to appoint older students in the school as reading mentors who will share the stories with young children. Thus, the District 9600 Literacy Project has aims to:
1. Enhance literacy learning opportunities for young Indigenous Australian children and their classmates by providing resources to enable increased opportunities for storybook sharing at school; and
2. Engage older primary-age Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to assist as reading mentors for young children in sponsored schools.
This project has the double benefit of enhancing literacy learning for young children and at the same time enabling older primary-aged children who will assist as reading mentors, to develop their independent leadership skills. The plan is that all young children, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous in the sponsored classes, will benefit from this project.
How Rotary Clubs can participate in D9600 Literacy Project
The project has been designed so that individual Rotary Clubs can sponsor
one or more Preparatory or Year 1 classes where Indigenous
children are enrolled. Sponsorship enables clubs to purchase a
comprehensive educational kit containing children’s books and
other educational materials. The contents of the kit have been
specifically designed to meet the aims of this project.
one or more Preparatory or Year 1 classes where Indigenous
children are enrolled. Sponsorship enables clubs to purchase a
comprehensive educational kit containing children’s books and
other educational materials. The contents of the kit have been
specifically designed to meet the aims of this project.
Each kit contains between 50 and 60 picture storybooks
(including Indigenous stories) presented in a dilly bag,
together with a box of stationery, craft materials, activity
guides relating to the storybooks, scrapbooks and a
digital camera so photographs may be used as a stimulus
for earlywriting. The sponsorship cost for each kit is $750.00.
(including Indigenous stories) presented in a dilly bag,
together with a box of stationery, craft materials, activity
guides relating to the storybooks, scrapbooks and a
digital camera so photographs may be used as a stimulus
for earlywriting. The sponsorship cost for each kit is $750.00.
Sponsorship Rounds 1 and 2 occurred during the 2008/2009 Rotary year and 13 classes of young
children were sponsored. This means that approximately 325 young children benefitted from
listening to stories being read aloud and having the opportunity to practise and enhance their
spoken language interactions with a reading mentor. These activities assist young children to
develop the foundational language skills and understandings about print that are so necessary for
emergent literacy skills in the early childhood years.
In the 2009/2010 Rotary year, 3 sponsorship rounds were completed. By the end of Round 5 we
have sponsored a total of 33 classes in the Tales from a Dilly Bag project. This means we will have
reached 825 young children and a similar number of older student mentors and provided resources
to enhance language and literacy learning. The kits have mainly been donated to schools in
Queensland but we have also sent one kit to the Northern Territory and two to Papua New Guinea.
This is indeed a wonderful achievement for a new literacy project that only commenced in
December 2008. Rotary clubs are to be congratulated for their willingness to become involved in
this D9600 literacy project. Some clubs have been enthused by this project and have sponsored up
to 4 classes.
Schools are offering feedback about the way they are using the Dilly Bag kits and these stories have
been included in the D9600 Literacy newsletters. One of the most exciting and unexpected
outcomes being reported by schools is the way the kit has provided an incentive for some reluctant
older readers. Being a mentor for a young child and being able to read a story with fluency and
expression is something that has engaged older students. Teachers have noted that some children
who have learning difficulties or a disability also have been able to join in as Reading Mentors and
they are carrying out the role very effectively. When I have had the opportunity to visit schools as
they use the Dilly Bag kit, I have noted the polite and responsible way older students communicate
with the younger ones. I also have noted how encouraging they are as they support the younger
ones to think about the meanings in the story and talk about the characters and events.
Sponsoring a Class in 2010/2011 Rotary Year
All clubs are invited to consider participating in sponsoring a class by completing the Sponsorship
Registration Form (located on the District website) and returning it with your payment to Mr Don
Richards, District 9600 treasurer. There will be 3 Sponsorship Rounds during the 2010/2011 Rotary
year. Closing dates for these rounds are:
ROUND 6: Closing date: 13th August, 2010;
ROUND 7: Closing date: 22ND October, 2010 and
ROUND 8: Closing date: 11th March, 2011.
Clubs may nominate specific schools where Indigenous children are enrolled or, alternatively, gain
further advice about schools from me - Janelle Young, Chair, D9600 Literacy Taskforce.
Delivery of Kits
It can take up to six weeks after the closing dates to complete all the orders, label all the books and
boxes and pack the kits. Once they are ready, I will contact the club liaison person to arrange for the
kit to be collected. Individual clubs are asked to make arrangements for the kit to be delivered to the
sponsored class. We have found that kits can be transported by road throughout Queensland for a
reasonable price, so if clubs would like to consider this option, I can provide more information.
Your club’s support for the Rotary District 9600 Literacy Project 2010/2011, Tales from a Dilly Bag,
is encouraged. By sponsoring one or more classes your Club will provide a kit of purpose-designed
educational materials that will enhance language and literacy learning opportunities for young
Indigenous children and others during the early childhood phase of their development. Your
sponsorship also will contribute to the activities prescribed by RI for those seeking to achieve a
District Literacy Award for the 2010/2011 Rotary year. Information about these awards is located on
the D9600 website and can be found under International, Literacy.
Recognition of Tales from a Dilly Bag
In January 2010 I became aware of the Queensland State Government’s
Q2 Partners program and submitted an application to have Tales from
a Dilly Bag recognised as a Q2 Partner. The application was supported
by Walter Buchanan DG (2009/2010). This program “recognises
businesses, community, industry, non-government organisations
and local councils who deliver projects and programs that directly
contribute to the achievement of the Q2 targets. The program is
open to all Queensland businesses, communities, non-government
organisations and local councils delivering programs and projects
that are contributing to the achievement of the Q2 targets.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate how the delivery of their
program or project is directly contributing to the achievement of
at least one of the 10 targets, and the organisation's values must
reflect the five Q2 ambitions.”
Tales from a Dilly Bag has been accepted as a Q2 Partner
as it fits within the Smart Education category and seeks to
contribute to Target 1: All children will have access to quality
early childhoodeducation so they are ready for school. The
D9600 Literacy project, Tales from a Dilly Bag, will be
listed on the Q2 Partners website in the near future.
Yours in Rotary
Dr Janelle Young
Chair, Rotary District 9600 Literacy Taskforce
Rotary Club of Samford ValleyEmail: jyoung14@gmail.com
___________________________________________________________
Sponsorship Registration Form
Tales from a Dilly Bag
District 9600 Literacy Project
ROUND 6
Closing Date: 13th August, 2010.
Rotary Club of .......................................................... agrees
Sponsoring Rotary Club contact person: .................................................
Nominating your school/centre (please list below)
School/Centre name/s: .....................................................................................
If you are not sure of a school/centre for your sponsorship, contact
Please note: If clubs wish to sponsor a school/centre located
Please complete this Sponsorship Registration Form and send it with your cheque to:
Mr Don Richards
Cheques to be made out to: Rotary International District 9600
Please forward a copy of your completed sponsorship form to
Kits for ROUND 6 will be ready for clubs to deliver to schools/centres
Dr Janelle Young
Rotary Club of .......................................................... agrees
to sponsor a class/classes of young children by purchasing
......................... kit/s of materials at a cost of $750.00 per kit.
......................... kit/s of materials at a cost of $750.00 per kit.
Total cost: ..........................
Details for the contact person: Tel: ............................
Email: ..........................................
If you are not sure of a school/centre for your sponsorship, contact
Janelle Young for assistance.
outside of D9600, then the club is responsible for paying
for the transport of the kit (approximately 30kg in weight).
Rotary District 9600 Treasurer
PO Box 693
Strathpine Q 4500
Janelle Young by scanningand emailing the form or posting a
copy to the address below.
in late September 2010.
Chair, Rotary District 9600 Literacy Taskforce
Rotary Club of Samford Valley
Address: 48 Domrow Road, Camp Mountain, Qld 4520
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)