HomeSmarter Me News
Christmas, 2009
posted
by Amy Sol
Merry Christmas Focus Friends!
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I think about the reason why Jesus was born: Love. Love so great that it is beyond our understanding. Love for an undeserving world that may be saved only through the grace and sacrifice of our Lord.
As we celebrate His birth, let's be grateful to all our volunteers who serve our Focus children out of love. Let's be cheered by the bright smiles and enthusiasm of the Focus children. Let's be honored that the parents entrust their children to our care. And let's remember the true spirit of Christmas.
Love.
I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a joyous New Year! I look forward to seeing all my NGF family on January 9th.
Nov 24, 2009
posted by Amy Sol
The Smarter Me program is on Thanksgiving break and will return to class on Dec 5th. I know it's only been one Saturday off so far, but I miss my Focus children and volunteers. They've become like family. The closeness I feel to everyone involved is indescribable. As I celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, I think about my extended family with a warm smile and full heart.
Here's what I'm thankful for (in no order of importance):
- Our Focus Volunteers. The dedication, enthusiasm, and caring of our volunteers is inspiring. Most of our volunteers are amazing teens with boundless energy and cheer. Smarter Me could not exist without the participation of our youth and our adult volunteers.
- Our Focus Friends. The contribution of money, materials, counsel, and support is something we could not do without. In this often grim world, there are havens of light and friendship that NGF has been fortunate enough to discover.
- Our Focus Children. Their bright and cheerful faces are always a sight to behold on Saturday mornings. We started NGF to help them, but I think we've gotten back far more in return.
- Our Focus Parents. They take the time to bring their children every Saturday morning and entrust them to our care. In their deeds and words I see their love and caring, their hopes and belief in the promise of a good education. I share the same feelings for my children, and I am proud to help ease the challenges of parenting in some small way.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving and see you again on Dec 5th!
Oct 31, 2009
posted by Amy Sol
It's been a hectic but rewarding experience running our new Smarter Me program. We've had encouraging feedback from school teachers and parents, and the children's enthusiasm and growth provides all the motivation we need to continue giving our best. I'm amazed by our volunteers' dedication and humbled by their generosity.
To focus our efforts and provide higher quality service, we've decided to concentrate on reading skills only. We've spread ourselves too thin covering other subjects in the short amount of time we have each week. Reading skills are important to master during K-5. Without a solid reading foundation, children will have difficulty with all the other subjects.
Today Mrs. Jenny Ward had a workshop to teach our volunteers our new reading system. It's systematic, easy to understand, and repeatable. Our volunteers were enthusiastic and made great suggestions to improve the system. We're all excited to start our new system next week.
Oct 3, 2009
posted by Amy Sol
Today we had a treat at the end of our session. Ms. Ward performed a science magic show! The children said it was COOL! Even the high school tutors were impressed. It's always nice to hear from parents that their children look forward to coming to the Smarter Me study sessions. One parent even mentioned that her son wanted to come to Smarter Me full time. The positive feedback is very encouraging and keeps us motivated.
Sept 26, 2009
posted by Amy Sol
This weekend we started evaluating the reading fluency of our Focus children. Through a generous gift by an anonymous donor, we now have evaluation material used by many of the schools within Forsyth county! This will be an invaluable tool in identifying the areas where our Focus children need help the most. It also will provide clear metrics on our children's progress throughout the year. It's been amazing witnessing how God has brought such wonderful people into our lives!
Attempt something so great that it will fail unless God be in it - that was something that Pastor Randy Pope said when he was recounting the history of Perimeter Church. I feel His presence in the hearts and smiles of our friends, staff, volunteers, and Focus children.
Sept 19, 2009
posted by Amy Sol
This was the second Smarter Me session (say that fast five times). Things went smoother as we ironed out kinks in the process. I noticed that the children were bonding with their mentors. One little girl even said that she wanted to come every day! We have such a great atmosphere here. Everyone thinks we're doing something special and making a meaningful contribution to the children's lives. I can't thank the NGF staff enough (Kristy especially, who's been such a blessing), and all the volunteers who give so much of themselves. Take for example Mrs. Ward, who is a retired school teacher. She drives a long way from the Stone Mountain area to downtown Cumming to help our Focus children. Only a good heart and love for her Focus children motivates her to do that. It takes a village to raise a child, but things would be so much better if it were a village full of Mrs. Wards.
Sept 12, 2009
posted by John Sol
Today was the kick-off of the Smarter Me program! We were excited, nervous, anxious, and exhilarated. Very big thank yous to all the volunteers who made this possible. We especially want to thank Jenna Ward, Forsyth County Teacher of the Year '08 - '09, for her leadership, enthusiasm, and hard work. Not only did she bring her mother, she also brought along a great group of dedicated teachers. We also want to thank the FLOOD organization for sending their teen volunteers. It's heart-warming to see our youth giving their time and talents to help others. It thrilled our hearts to see all the children who came today. We look forward to a great school year together!