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July 2015
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Dear Friends,
Summer is in full swing and I have a special request for all our amazing volunteers and supporters -- please keep helping our students during the summer months. Summer may bring thoughts of vacation, leisure, and fun activities. For our homeless students, however, the summer break is not their friend. Students forget a lot of what they have learned throughout the school year, particularly homeless children. On average the learning loss is about three months of reading and math skills. Our students have enough obstacles in their lives - we don't want them to lose everything you've helped them with during the school year.
Studies also show that being out of school is a dangerous time for unsupervised children and teens. They are more likely to use alcohol and drugs, engage in high-risk behaviors, receive poor grades and drop out of school than those who have the benefit of constructive activities supervised by responsible adults.
I know that many of you work with and support our students year round. Thank you - that will help them retain the knowledge they have learned during the school year and reduce that summer learning loss.
We know that summer learning is critical to ongoing academic success. We want our students to have a variety of experiences that challenge them, develop their talents, keep them engaged, and expand their horizons during these summer months. Our students don't have a vacation -- don't let their learning take a vacation either.
With deep appreciation for everything you do,
Catherine Meek
Executive Director
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Events - Tributes & Records
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Center: Councilmember Paul Koretz, Catherine Meek, President of the Board Josh Fein, Councilmember Jose Huizar
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Last Friday, the LA City Council honored Agnes and School on Wheels. It was a great day, and we had the honor of watching tributes to the Tuskegee Airmen while we were there. Thanks to all our team and board members who were there and all our friends and families too. If you would like to watch the short video of the tribute you can view it here.
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| Guinness World Record Attempt for the Largest Gathering of Einsteins
- Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters |
The Einstein event took place at the California Science Center on Saturday, June 27th. We created quite a stir and were joined by ABC7 News who witnessed the event as well as our official time keepers and counters. A huge thank you to LAPD Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph; Ron Rohovit, Director of Education of the California Science Center; Emily Hunt, VUSD Science Teacher; and of course Benny Wasserman, Einstein lookalike and all around great guy! We would also like to thank DJ Charles Nunley IV for entertaining the crowd and all the volunteers that made the event go smoothly. We have some great photos on our Facebook Page and please enjoy our record breaking video:
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Donors of the Month
Property Management Associates, Instantly, Southwest, Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, Lynn Gardner & Paul Multari Charitable Fund, Principal Communications Group, and Clothes the Deal 
A huge thank you to all the sponsors for our Einstein event. We couldn't have done it without you! Thank you to the California Science Center for letting us use your beautiful grounds and also for sponsoring our raffle and best costume prizes! We thought you would appreciate this quote from the man of the hour...
"A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving." - Albert Einstein
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In Memoriam
Marion Gump passed away recently. In lieu of flowers, her sons asked her friends and family members to make donations in her name to School on Wheels. They did this because Marion was an elementary school teacher who continued to tutor students long after she retired. As a matter of fact, she was still tutoring twice a week at the age of 95 right up to the week before she died. Thank you so much for choosing School on Wheels for these generous donations. Marion will continue to inspire us to help our students succeed in their number one job as a child: going to school and learning.
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Star Tutor
Farrah Haddad, Online Tutor
 " Since I started tutoring earlier in the year, I've learned that these children are incredibly bright and have many exceptional qualities; it has been a touching experience to interact with them and witness their resilience. My favorite moment so far was with my student Jonathan when he rattled off the "4" times table just two hours after doubting that he could learn it. Jonathan's attitude slowly changed from one of despair and disappointment in his abilities, to one of confidence as he started to repeat under his breath, "Yeah, I'm smart. I can do this!" during our tutoring sessions."
Thank you, Farrah, for all your hard work, persistence and being such an important and consistent part of our students' lives. Fun fact: Farrah is our first tutor from Virginia!
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Star Student
"There is no single word I could use to describe Joseph that would adequately portray his character. He is thoughtful, always ready to share with his younger brother and other students. He is committed, always completing his homework before our sessions. He is brilliant; one time he corrected me on an exercise and I loved it! But beyond this, Joseph is an incredibly talented student bursting with joy, and I am so lucky to be his tutor. Among students, Joseph is respectful and soft-spoken; he is a natural leader.
Joseph loves to draw so we try to incorporate it into every learning activity. In preparation for this summer, we are completing an "ABC Book" in which Joseph chooses a noun for each letter of the alphabet and then draws that object. Joseph is a passionate learner. I can't wait to continue working with him as he enters the first grade."
- Mahsaw Motlagh, Tutor
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Tutor Resources
Summer Program
During the course of the summer, students and tutors will focus on a minimum of two topic areas to address academic gaps. The Summer Program will provide pre-assessments in order to identify these gaps, and will also provide lesson plans for K-7 grade levels, subjects, and topic areas. Read more about the program here.Upcoming Workshops
Online Workshop: Get Creative with the Arts!
July 23, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Utilizing the arts in tutoring can create a more lighthearted environment that may reach unengaged students and provide them with ways to shine while they learn. The arts activities presented will reinforce language arts and math topics, integrating these subjects in fun and creative ways.
Online Workshop: Making Math fun with Anita Weir
August 19, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
In this workshop, Anita Weir will discuss ways to help identify your student's 'math break,' while also providing tips and techniques to make math fun for both you and your student. Increasing the 'fun factor' during tutoring sessions will keep your student engaged and help eliminate learning gaps.
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Join iGive and Have $5 Automatically Donated
 iGive is an easy and free way to raise money for a cause you care about. Simply sign up and download the button for free, choose School on Wheels as your charity, and start shopping online. iGive will donate a portion of your purchases to School on Wheels - at no extra cost to you! Plus, sign up now and iGive will donate a $5 bonus to School on Wheels!
Click here to sign up.
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