by MICHAEL S. SHIBLER, Ph.D.
Superintendent, Rockford Public Schools 

With the end of the 2009-10 school year rapidly approaching, I would like to make a few observations. 

Senior Class of 2010

Congratulations to the 625 Rockford High School and River Valley Academy seniors who are receiving a guaranteed diploma from the Rockford Public Schools (RPS). I wish you the very best that life has to offer, and I encourage you to use the skills you have acquired at RPS to further your life-long learning.

Losses

RPS students, staff and community have experienced several heart-wrenching losses this year. Beyond the pain that we have all experienced, I continue to be humbled by the overwhelming outreach, love and support demonstrated by our community for the families and friends of the loved ones who have passed. God bless you! 

More Recognition for RPS

As many of you already know, RPS is one of only a few school districts throughout Michigan that has all of its schools recognized by the state board of education as Blue Ribbon Exemplary Schools. Also, all of our schools are accredited by the North Central Association of Schools. Just recently, educators from Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan visited our district and conducted a comprehensive evaluation of our students’ test scores, educational and co-educational programs, preschool through adult education, curricula and staff, and they have recommended that RPS receive the AdvancED accreditation recognition, which is reserved for only a few school districts throughout the Midwest. 

May 2008 Bond Issue Progress

Two years ago, our community voted to renew a one-mill debt retirement levy that was scheduled to be retired. That generous renewal created $45 million for capital improvement projects throughout the school district, including classroom additions to existing buildings, updated district-wide instructional technology, and recreation and athletic fields. To date, all of the projects have been completed on time and within budget.

The only project which will require more work than originally anticipated is the renovation of the infrastructure of the North Rockford Middle School pool. Following a thorough evaluation of the facility, engineers determined more work was required, setting back the completion date to at least January 2011.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during the past two years, as we have efficiently used your tax dollars from the bond issue to upgrade all of our facilities. 

State Financial Crisis

I am sure that it comes as no surprise that the funding of Michigan’s public schools has reached a crisis. Our funding per child is less today than it was two years ago, and if reasonable solutions are not created by our state lawmakers soon, significant cuts to education will continue throughout Michigan.

Rather than hosting one or two district-wide public forums, as most school districts have done this spring, we have held over 35 meetings for staff and community members to inform and ask for feedback. We have also provided current legislative updates as they become available on the district’s webpage at www.rockfordschools.org.

As we progress through late spring, summer and early fall, the status of public school funding will continue to be a “moving target,” with changes occurring as late as October 1. There exist several appropriate solutions for our legislators to consider, including cost containment initiatives, as well as revenue enhancement opportunities. If our elected officials do nothing to repair the structural deficit which currently exists in the School Aid Fund, then Michigan’s schools will be in serious trouble. I urge you to contact your state representative, senator and the governor. Stay tuned!

As always, I encourage you to contact me with any questions or concerns. Have a great summer!

by DAN WARREN
Principal, East Rockford Middle School

Certainly, many baby boomers can remember the days at school when you could convince that certain teacher to spend nearly an entire class period talking about any topic of interest other than the subject matter. Go ahead and admit it—you had at least one or maybe two of these teachers.

My favorite was an eighth-grade history teacher who served on a Navy ship during WWII. He was a good citizen and great guy, but certainly his memory was questionable, as he prefaced his stories with, “Did I ever tell you about this time back in the Navy?”

Of course, being the budding leader that I was back in those days, I made sure all my classmates never admitted we had already heard him tell the story several times. We learned a lot about life on a Navy ship from a very caring and interesting educator, but we probably could not have been successful on a state social studies curriculum assessment similar to what is required of secondary students today.

Some 40 years later, I fondly remember the Navy stories with much more detail than, let’s say, the political causes of the Civil War. Although I have many wonderful memories of my eighth-grade history teacher, I’ve grown to realize that he would have struggled in today’s classroom.

Current classroom teachers, unlike my eighth-grade history teacher years ago, have many more responsibilities sitting on their teaching plate. We can start with the existence of state curriculum standards. In Michigan, just like most states, grade-level content standards exist for all core teaching areas. Teachers spend many hours working collaboratively with their colleagues to map their subject area curriculum, ensuring these content standards are present and taught. Often this is similar to throwing a dart at a moving target, as the state continues to change and modify these standards. Nevertheless, it is imperative that every teacher teach the standards, and we are mandated to give our students state assessments over these very standards. These state mandated assessments are given each year at identified grade levels and at identified times of the year. Since we have multiple buildings in our district that include many teachers teaching the same subject area, it is absolutely necessary that we are consistent with curriculum delivery. Thus, teachers have to pace their instruction to meet both curriculum content coverage and state assessment timelines.

In Rockford, as in many districts, we have high performance expectations for our students. The classroom teacher is expected to prepare students to not only be successful on state curriculum assessments, but also build their learning skills to successfully take on the challenges of the 21st century. Teachers must differentiate their instruction to meet the learning needs of each student. The time when the classroom teacher simply delivered content and a student simply learned it or not has passed. The teaching and learning process is more challenging and more complicated than what existed for my eighth-grade history teacher. Today’s teacher must be skillful at understanding brain research and align his or her teaching practices to maximize the learning capacities of each child.

It’s not uncommon in today’s classroom for a teacher to have many students on individual learning plans, some highly structured for gifted students and others with a modified curriculum to meet the needs of challenged learners. This challenge is combined with the expectations of our teachers to build positive connections with their students, motivate students to be excited about learning, instill positive lifelong character traits, manage student behavior, and build citizenship skills. I am amazed at how successful teachers are at creating and maintaining such healthy learning environments, considering the demands associated with their profession.

Recent trends in education and school accreditation models have the classroom teacher actively involved in data-driven decision-making regarding student achievement and curriculum design. Teachers must have a strong understanding of formative assessment construction and knowledge regarding existing or potential summative assessments to employ. Now more than ever, assessments are used to improve student learning and enhance classroom instruction.

In Rockford, teachers work in subject area or grade level teams to review and navigate through the results of multiple assessments to determine what actions need to be taken to ensure all students are successful. Teachers train in technology that helps them sort and analyze assessment data concerning individual students, groups of identified students, or all students in a school building. Most importantly, teachers use this data, in collaboration with colleagues, to make important decisions to immediately take action toward assisting a single student or groups of students. Student assessment has moved beyond just what’s posted in the teacher’s grade book. It demands that teachers now become more actively involved with taking a holistic approach toward determining individual student achievement.

In closing, I hope classroom teachers also find the time to share their life experiences with their students. Teaching and learning will always be enhanced through a good life story told by the teacher every now and then.

by MIKE WESTGATE
Assistant Principal
East Rockford Middle School

“Children have a very, very uninhibited point of view,” said Linda LaFontsee, who, along with the LaFontsee Galleries staff, will provide and frame all artwork for the $286 million 14-story Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital slated to open in 2011. With this mission in mind, LaFontsee Galleries is partnering with local schools in a project entitled Children Make Art For Children. “The goal is that when kids walk into this hospital, they feel this is for them, and children can tell the difference,” added LaFontsee.

East Rockford Middle School (ERMS) art teacher Sara Mullen established a connection with LaFontsee Galleries while studying with Linda LaFontsee at Kendall College of Art and Design. Excited about the opportunity to contribute and involve Rockford students in donating art for the project, Mullen met with gallery organizers to discuss the possibilities. They were very enthusiastic about Mullen’s ideas and more than willing to include our ERMS students’ artwork in the hospital. In addition, our sixth-grade art teacher Tami Appleby and Mullen collaborated to include over 600 students from both ERMS and North Rockford Middle School (NRMS).

With 14 floors to fill with original art, the gallery and students have been busy. The gallery started gathering art last year at the Celebration on the Grand and is even supporting our schools with materials. Art II and Advanced Art students made fruit and vegetable paintings that will be on display in the Health and Education Lobby. Other students are working on underwater Lake Michigan landscapes that will be converted into linoleum tiles and Grand Rapids city landscapes with paint and tissue paper. Sixth-grade students are making 6×6-inch squares with a numbers-and-letters theme that will be worked into a larger mosaic mural.

This experience has provided our Rockford middle school students a wonderful opportunity to see the value of their art and the importance of community service as they help to create an interesting and healing environment. The hospital plans to hold two “open houses” in December for the local student artists to view the displayed art. For more information visit LaFontsee Galleries at 820 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, or online at www.lafontsee.us.

A Mother’s Day Dedication

by DOUG HOOGERLAND, Principal
Crestwood Elementary School

There are some pretty demanding careers out there these days, and some of them pay big bucks. They require years of education and special licenses. When we think of some of the most specialized or top-paying jobs, we might consider a CEO of a large company, a neurosurgeon, or a Supreme Court judge. Some of us wouldn’t trade what we do for the difficulty of what they do. But when I think about the most challenging, demanding, and often thankless job out there, it is the unpaid job of a mom caregiver to a child.

Yes, a mom does choose that unpaid role, whether as a biological mom, an adoptive mom, a step-mom, a foster mom, or a care-giving relative. But that certainly doesn’t make it an easy role, and it is often one for which there is little in the way of a direct “thank you.” It is a job that will daily throw obstacles and new experiences at you with the implicit expectation that you moms will know what to do and you will do it. You are responsible for your own training in this area; no one will check up to see if you’ve renewed your “mom” certificate. But, still, you do your best with what you know and what you have.

Moms amaze me every day with what they are innately capable of. I do consider myself a pretty good dad, but it has been pointed out to me (nicely) that I am NOT a good mom. And it’s true. I can roughhouse, tease, joke, go on bike rides, play games and I will usually remember to do whatever I write down in my planner to do. But moms? They remember all of that in addition to things like remembering to feed the kids (before they are beyond starving!), putting on sunscreen (before they burn!), brushing teeth (before noon), clean sheets (regularly!), bed time (before they are too cranky to go to bed!), homework, and all of the other little unpredictables that happen each day. In most cases, who do kids want when they are sick? Who do they go to for a bandage even when there is no blood? Who is able to unconditionally love their child no matter what poor choices their child has made that day? Who advocates to their child’s teacher or principal when they feel their child is being treated unfairly? Who takes them to the doctor, knows their height, weight, favorite color (from day to day)? Moms do.

Moms know the sound of their child’s voice out of hundreds and out of a sound sleep. Moms are the ones with the patience and wisdom to know when to hold and listen to their child without saying a word or trying to fix it for them. Moms make sure children have their school supplies and their lunches.

Moms do what they do with good intentions, with the hope that their child will have all possible advantages. Moms aren’t perfect, and we can all look back as adults on mother figures in our lives who have made mistakes. But I believe that moms do the best they can. Moms are people who, when they feel they have nothing left to give, give to their child anyway.

If you are a mom, a step-mom, a foster mom, adoptive mom, a grammy, or an auntie, thank you. You are the ultimate multitasker. You are the learn-on-the-job expert. You are a powerful and necessary person in the life of your child and in the formation of our next generations. Your payment is not that of a CEO or a surgeon. It is the warm joy of watching your child learn to think for himself. It is the excitement of seeing your child do something for her first time. It is putting your children to bed at night, knowing they are safe and sound and that YOU are responsible for that. Thank you. If no one else thanks you on Mother’s Day, or every day, I want you to do something to thank yourself. You deserve it. Happy Mother’s Day!

First impressions… with anxiety or confidence!

by LISSA WEIDENFELLER, Principal
North Rockford Middle School

Did you know that it only takes 30 seconds to make a first impression? Once a bad first impression is formed, it takes approximately 20 additional encounters to change that opinion. With so much on the line, being anxious about meeting someone for the first time is normal, especially when it is someone that you feel is important or that you want to impress. An example could be a job or college interviewer, instructor, teacher or coach. To overcome these anxieties, you must understand the basics of first impressions. According to the Flippen Group, authors of Capturing Kids’ Hearts, the following cues are what people notice when you are meeting others for the first time. They include:

•            facial expressions—Smile it is free!

•            handshake—firm, but not too strong. Do not twist your wrist. Twisting your wrist is a sign of domination.

•            tone of voice—Speak clearly and loud enough for the person to hear you. A positive attitude is communicated through your voice.

•            dress and grooming—The situation will determine how you need to dress. Regardless of the situation, your attire should look complete.

•            eye contact—Make it!

•            posture—Do not slouch or pull away. Lean in when handshaking.

•            level of relaxation—Feel confident. Remember the past successes in your life that will make you feel proud.

•            energy—Are you excited and feel honored to meet this person? If so, let your energy show it.

Practice these skills and do not be afraid to recognize and initiate contact with someone else. They will at least know that you care! When you meet someone for the first time and start to engage, it is the first step to building a potential relationship. Remember, your tone and body language must say, “I am enthusiastic about meeting you,” or “I am excited about being here, and I want the position.”

With these basic skills, I hope the next time you have an interview or meet someone for the first time, your anxiety will be reduced and your confidence will help you make a good first impression.

by MAGGIE THELEN
Principal, Cannonsburg Elementary School
Director of Gifted and Talented
Director of Instructional Technology

No Child Left Behind, EdYes, MEAP tests, ACT tests, SAT tests, PLAN tests, Response to Intervention, EXPLORE tests, IDEA 2004… educators live in a world of standards and assessments. We need to look at how and what we teach and then measure success based on how well our students perform. Isn’t there more to teaching and learning? Don’t we want all students to come to school to learn and grow each day? Many policies and procedures are in place, which safeguard the progress of students—the majority of our students—but still lack the accountability for meeting the needs of the highly able student. If we equated the education of our youth with that of a sports team, we would quickly realize the disparity in quality of education that could exist. The following article was originally printed on the Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page. Read the comparison between the game of football and that of educating all students.

No Child Left Behind: The Football Version
Author Unknown, additions by Carolyn K., director, Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page

1. All teams must make the state playoffs, and all will win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable.

2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time and in the same conditions. No exceptions will be made for interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL.

3. When players arrive at any game with remedial skills in football for any reason, their coaches will be penalized for their performance, regardless of how long the players have been on the team.

4. If remedial players do not achieve proficiency by the next statistically recorded game, their coaches and athletic directors will be put on probation. After several games of probation, coaches and athletic directors may be released. Coach and athletic director probation and release will not be conditional on the size of gains in the remedial players football skills; players must reach proficiency.

5. Talented players will be asked to work out on their own without instruction. Coaches will use all their instructional time with the athletes who aren’t interested in football, have limited athletic ability or whose parents don’t like football.

6. All coaches will be proficient in all aspects of football, or they will be released.

7. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th and 11th games.

8. This will create a New Age of sports, where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimal goals.

If no football player gets ahead, then no football player will be left behind.

In classrooms today, teachers are diligently working on differentiating the curriculum to meet the needs of all learners. It is through personal and professional development, the assistance of teachers whose entire job is to work with the highly able student and coaching teachers on strategies for these students and from working with other teachers who are versed and dedicated to making a difference with advanced students that all teachers can be prepared to teach all students at the level is which they are prepared to learn. Rockford Public Schools has a small yet dedicated staff in the Gifted and Talented Department, whose mission is to coach teachers, work with students, identify students who need special programming, assist parents in advocating for their child and develop programming options for the highly able. The Board of Education and the administration in Rockford believe in meeting the needs of all students and recognize that all students do not learn at the same depth and pace as their peers. Rockford supports both special education and gifted education so that all students can and will be successful. I am lucky to work in a district that holds the education of all students in such high regard.

by SHARON WELLS, Principal
Parkside Elementary School

Do you have kids who compare having to read to getting shots at the doctor’s office? Sometimes we have to “band aid” this attitude with some creativity, providing motivation for our kids to read.

As parents we are responsible for assisting our kids with tasks they don’t necessarily find desirable, such as regularly brushing their teeth, dressing properly for the weather, healthy eating, and many other things they may not always choose to do without our guidance. Motivating kids to read should be right at the top of that list.

Research shouts from the rooftops that early literacy is critical to developing lifelong readers. There are a variety of ways to bring reading to life for your children on a daily basis and especially when you see a lack of interest from them when it comes to reading.

Consider trying some of these opportunities:

•            Remember that reading doesn’t have to be a chapter book! It can be anything you have available in your house—newspapers, magazines, journals, joke books, cook books, coffee table books, etc.

•            Model, model, model! If your kids see you reading, they are being influenced to read.

•            Focus book choices around the interests of your children. If they love riding dirt bikes, find a dirt bike magazine or visit the outdoor sports section of your library. Your kids love animals? Find interesting animal tales or encourage them to read articles online about their favorite pets.

•            Make finding the reading material half the fun! Take a family field trip to your public library. Buy a book to put under the Christmas tree. Have them earn books to buy from our local bookstores. Buy a magazine subscription for a birthday gift.

•            Read aloud to your child. Find a regular time each day to read an adventurous story to your child that will hold their interest. They will soon be begging you for “just a little more!”

•            Tie reading to technology. Discover literacy rich websites. Read up on your favorite authors online. Encourage your children to participate in literacy blogs with other kids their age on trusted sites.

•            Let reading serve a purpose. Look up recipes that you can cook together. Investigate travel sites for an upcoming vacation. Read the book before you see the movie!

Finally, the Rockford community is invited to hear Mary Bigler—a respected and entertaining speaker on motivating children to read—at the Rockford Freshman Center on Thursday, April 29. Free dinner and daycare will be offered, and you will leave inspired and enthused to promote literacy at home. Please look for detailed information to be coming home with your children soon. Together Rockford can raise a strong community of readers!

Are schools political or practical?

by RANDY SELLHORN, Trustee, Board of Education

I have been a school board trustee for many years now. I have come to expect certain things at certain times of the year as we move through the activities of a school year. Kindergarten roundup, graduation, budget development, purchasing buses to replace worn vehicles, spring break, all of these events happen at a similar time each school year. Let me share with you what I expect from an election year.

This being an election year and the start of spring drills for political football season is underway. Political football season comes every two years, when politicians select their “platform” to promote their election campaigns. I am certain at the top of the list of platform topics will be Michigan’s failing public schools and the cost of public school funding. They feel that bashing public schools is a winning play almost as certain to score votes as the wrap-around draw (a favorite play of Rockford football fans) is to score a touchdown. I would be foolish to claim that there are not public schools that deserve the reputation the politicians will describe, and equally foolish if I told you the current budget circumstances can be easily resolved.

The politicians will claim that public schools fail to graduate the majority of the students that start school in the ninth grade; that the schools will not accept accountability for student performance, that they are economically inefficient, that they are attempting to overtax the residents, and schools are unwilling to change to correct these shortcomings. I want to demonstrate to you that they are not talking about Rockford Public Schools when they make their accusations. I am here to proclaim that Rockford Public Schools is an example of what is right about public school education. We have high expectations for our students and ourselves. We get extraordinary results from both.

We graduate almost every student that starts the ninth grade in Rockford. Only 2.2% drop out; some of those are transfers to another school to complete their education. In addition, every graduate of Rockford High School since the class of 1995 is required to pass a reading and mathematics proficiency test to receive a diploma. We guarantee in writing that every graduate has the skills necessary to be employed by most businesses. It is only recently that the legislature has required all schools in Michigan to set type of  requirement. We test all our students starting in the first grade annually. We use a group of standardized tests and state mandated tests to assess student performance. The results of these tests are used to make changes to curriculum and teaching practices. We are fully accountable for our students’ academic performance, and when it does not meet our expectations we fix it.

The Michigan legislature contracted with Standard and Poors, the New York financial assessment organization, to evaluate school districts on a number of standardized measurements. We ranked consistently at the top of each of the financial categories evaluated. Rockford’s results for this report are much too lengthy to enumerate in this space. You can view the entire report at www.state.mi.us. The summary for Standard and Poors reads in part, “Relative to other K-12 school districts in Michigan, Rockford Public Schools achieves well above-average student results at a lower cost per student compared to statewide levels.” We have accomplished an Education Yes achievement score of A for all our schools consistently.

The politicians claim that schools are attempting to overtax the residents. A politician is campaigning that your vote for him will protect “his” tax cuts and Proposal A. The simple fact of the matter is that schools never have been able to increase the taxes of the residents without voter approval—never, ever, ever. When was the last time you had the opportunity to vote on changing the Michigan state income tax rate?

We are working the seventh Rockford Action Model for Success, RAMS VII. Each RAMS is a three-year strategic plan for change in our school district. We plan for and initiate change every year using the RAMS school improvement goals and objectives as our guide. Sometimes our financial resources limit us, but we have consistently improved educational opportunities for students and the community each year. We don’t work on a political agenda; we work from a long-term plan for school improvement.

You may have sensed my tolerance for the politics of schools has diminished over time. I can’t accept the political rhetoric when the representation maligns the accomplishments of our students and dedicated employees. I can only conclude that the politics of schools may be as much at fault for the results as the failing schools themselves. I am confident that I speak for the school board, the administrators, the faculty, and support staff when I say we have high expectations for students and ourselves. We assume and accept responsibility for the schools’ results. We will achieve higher results than expected by whatever standard is used for measurement.

As you watch politics of schools unfold on TV or read the platforms in the paper this fall, watch for politics of schools and be reminded that we don’t play politics with our children. Know that there are people at your school district who take responsibility for our students very seriously. We are guided by a practical set of principles—we play by the Rockford way, and that is: ALL children are important in Rockford Public Schools and they come first before everyone else. What is best for our students’ education is the first decision to make. We expect our personal best in everything we do, students, faculty, support personnel, administrators and board of education. We are accountable for the results and we expect high achievement. We will, regardless of resources, pursue continuous improvement annually.

A quality education is what every parent expects for their children. According to parent survey results in Rockford, our parents believe that their children are receiving a quality education. When asked, “What letter grade would you assign to the education that is provided by Rockford Public Schools?” nearly 95 percent of parents responded with either an A or a B. The national average for the combined responses of A and B is 50 percent, according to the most recent Gallup Poll.

Beyond survey results, there are other indicators that are valuable in determining the quality of a school system. For example, what do experts from “outside of the district” have to say about the school district? Rockford Public Schools (RPS) brings in many experts to assist in obtaining feedback on the effectiveness of our district. Over the past 15 years, the Michigan Department of Education and/or the U.S. Department of Education have recognized every Rockford school building as being a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

Another process that assists schools in their continuous improvement effort is the accreditation process. Accreditation assures the community that the schools adhere to high quality standards based on the latest research and successful professional practice.

Every RPS school has been North Central Accredited for many years. However, this year we are pursuing AdvancED District Accreditation. District accreditation is a powerful systems approach to improving student achievement and organizational effectiveness. No longer do individual school buildings work in isolation on their school improvement plans. Schools must work together on developing district-wide systems for improvement, while still being able to work on building-specific targeted goals.

An important step toward being one of the first districts in West Michigan to be recognized with AdvancED District Accreditation status, is the hosting of a visitation team of education experts. From March 21 to 24, RPS will host a visitation team that consists of members from Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. They are committed to identifying our strengths, and mandated to identify areas needing growth. The goal of this process will be to make this exemplary school district even better! I look forward to providing the community with a summary of the visitation team’s assessment of RPS.

During the holiday season, I always am in the mood to give. I give to local charities, donate to my church, even answer the telemarketers’ calls and donate to an organization from time to time. But after watching the movie “The Blindside” recently, I started to wonder, “Why not make a bigger effort to give year ‘round?”

Believe me, I am just like you! I don’t have extra money or time, but I do have other things that are valuable to others in need. I have a smile, a kind heart and words to share. I have nice stationary to jot a friend a note of appreciation. I have time to pick up the phone and catch up with an old friend. Despite all the things I don’t have, I still have a lot to give.

“The Blindside” really touched me and, if you haven’t seen the movie, I highly recommend it. It speaks about companionate hearts, a giving spirit, and perhaps most of all, making a difference in the life of another. We all have this ability to give, but sometimes our lives get so busy that time goes by and our intentions get lost.

Giving is certainly something I hope to instill in my children as well. Once a year I have the kids go through their closets and drawers so that we can donate clothing. A few other ideas are:

•            sporting equipment—Encourage children to pass last season’s athletic gear to Sports Gift (sportsgift.org), which will distribute it to kids in need.

•            school supplies—If your child has extra books, markers, or other items, you can find teachers who need them at iloveschools.com, a nonprofit that connects donors with teachers in U.S. classrooms.

•            DVDs—Send movies that haven’t been watched in a while to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan through AMVETS Task Force DVDE (amvets.org/taskforcedvd). Children’s titles go to families of soldiers.

•            cell phones—When your kids or you upgrade, check out recyclewirelessphones.com to locate programs that recycle or refurbish old phones, then donate proceeds to various charities.

There are many local and national organizations that are looking for volunteers, goods and money. Reach out to them—make it a family event so that everyone gets the experience of helping others. The best part about giving is the feeling it leaves you with. Do what you can, when you can. Making the difference in the lives of others is a rewarding experience for everyone involved.