Here's Your Chance to Ask Ray Bradbury A Question!

Here is a once in a lifetime opportunity for students and educators to have their own questions answered by the great Ray Bradbury!

Questions can be submitted via e-mail (BuffaloFilmFestival@gmail.com) or US Post ( Buffalo Film Festival, Bradbury Contest, POB 503-RB, Buffalo, NY 14223-0503). Entries must be postmarked (or e-mail marked) no later than midnight, Wednesday, June 24, 2009.

RULES:
The e-mail or letter should include ALL of the following information. If any information is missing, the entry will immediately be disqualified.

1) The question should be clear and simple and no more than three sentences long. Long, rambling statements will not be considered.

2) Entries should, ideally, be typed, but clear, legible handwriting will be accepted. If we can't read it, however, it will not be considered.

3) Please Include your:
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY, STATE, COUNTRY, ZIP
Phone Number
email address
Year of Birth
Occupation

No personal information will be shared with anyone else or made public (except your name and occupation if you are a winner). The information is requested only so that we can be in touch with you.

4) e-mails should have the following exact information in the SUBJECT LINE: "Bradbury Contest Question"

If it is missing, the entry will NOT be considered.

MORE INFORMATION

Buffalo Rising Article
Ray Bradbury Webpage
Ray Bradbury Wiki


Just for Fun <-- I could not resist as I just happened to see this on the "Yahoo! Frontpage" as I was typing this entry. I'm sure Mr. Bradbury would be intrigued!

Summer 2009 Reading Lists Announced

LINK

PowerPoint Presentation from May 2009 Dropout Prevention Summit

PowerPoint Presentation from May 2009 Dropout Prevention Summit

The Right to Literacy Convention is Coming to Buffalo!

The National Community Literacy Leadership Conference will be held from Wednesday, June 10th to Saturday, June 13th at the Hyatt Hotel in Downtown Buffalo.

The mission of the Annual Conference is to provide challenging, provocative, and enriching educational and networking experiences. Conference activities seek to reflect the diversity of the field and to meet the educational needs and interests of a wide range of literacy coalitions. Participants are encouraged to be active learners and offer new and stimulating ideas, models, and approaches to community literacy and to managing literacy coalitions.

Read to Succeed Buffalo, a coalition of over fifty local organizations dedicated to improving literacy in the City of Buffalo, will be the host for this very significant event. It works with the community to develop and implement solutions that address the literacy needs of people across the entire age span including general literacy, as well as financial, computer, health, and workforce literacy.

On Saturday, June 13th (from 8AM to 2PM), the Conference will culminate with the "Right to Literacy Convention". Many educators, community leaders, and involved citizens are expected to assemble at the Hyatt Hotel to:
* Affirm that low literacy is an injustice that threatens our democracy;
* Introduce specific resolutions from various communities;
* Create a call to action to build a nationwide collaboration for literacy; and
* Sign a Declaration of a Right to Literacy.

Regional delegates will represent their constituent groups at the Convention, in the tradition of the famous 1848 Women’s Rights Seneca Falls Convention. Read to Succeed hopes to reach out to anyone and everyone for this event and encourages all to attend. The June 13th event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. For more information please call 843-8895.

Right to Literacy Flyer
Conference Brochure
Buffalo Rising Article
Buffalo News Article
Literacy Data

UB Educators and Area Students Team Up to Help Students in Tanzania

A growing coalition of University at Buffalo educators and community members has set its sights on helping to build a school for girls in a remote Tanzanian village, a community enhancement that for these young girls will give them opportunity beyond the harsh limits of their reality.

The effort includes enough human elements to stir the civic consciousness of everyone from teenagers to veteran academics. It also road-tests an institutional model for collaboration UB educators believe has great potential to link the university's resources with those most in need.

The strategic model was created through UB's partnership with the Buffalo Public Schools. Those who have nurtured this model for collaboration see the development of a school as an opportunity to test it in Africa, and see if it works as well there as it has in the university's own backyard.

The ongoing effort includes engaging local high school students in fundraising, educational and cultural activities to benefit the girls in Tanzania, who wait with hundreds of others in their region for educational opportunities beyond their primary schooling.

For example, Sweet Home High School Honors students have started a bracelet sale to raise money for the school. The bracelets imprinted with the phrase "If you educate a girl, you educate a nation."

Bracelets are $3 and all proceeds will go to benefit the Tanzania school. If you are interested in ordering bracelets, please email Katie Biggie at mailto:kjbiggie@buffalo.edu. (See also LINK). The Sweet Home students are also holding a Tanzania Awareness Week May 26-29 with a main event night on May 28 to highlight African culture.

In addition, other school projects include the "Education Is a Right" campaign at Buffalo's Grover Cleveland High School and Nichols High School, in which students will write letters to the young women in Tanzania to learn more about their lives, culture and educational opportunities -- and also have the opportunity to reflect on what education means to them. Children in the Elmwood Village area will also raise funds and awareness through a KidsFest on June 14.

This year's preparation includes sending a team of six representatives from UB and Western New York to Tanzania in July.

WEBPAGE
ARTICLE LINK

Quebecor World Helps "Books for Kids"

Kevin J. Clarke, president of Quebecor World, helps ready donations to local program for poor children.

Buffalo News Article

A Message from Margaret Sullivan

Quebecor World Webpage

Buffalo Building Trades Council Pre-Apprentice Application

The Buffalo Building Trades Council Pre-apprentice Education and Training Trust Fund is offering Buffalo Public School 12th grade students who are interested in a career in a construction related field the opportunity to apply for $1,500 scholarships. The scholarship application, which includes complete details, is available by clicking on the below link. Applications must be submitted no later than May 15, 2009.

http://buffaloschools.org/files/news/Scan0013.pdf

http://www.buffalotrades.com/recruitment.shtml

http://www.buffalotrades.com/img/BBTone-piece.pdf

BPS/ Lawyers for Learning Partnership

WGRZ-TV recently ran a story about the mentoring partnership between the Buffalo Public Schools and the Lawyers for Learning organization.

Please click the link below to read the WGRZ.com web story about the partnership.
VIDEO LINK

WGRZ Story

Lawyers for Learning

Dr. Antonia Pantoja Community School of Academic Excellence - BPS #18

Canisius College Partner School Removed From State Review List

The Canisius College School of Education and Human Services is actively engaged in the community with its partnerships with Buffalo City and Catholic Schools. The programs include staff and parent training and direct service as student teachers. Among the college’s partnership schools is Hamlin Park School #74, which was recently removed from New York State’s list of underperforming schools.


The decision, which was made by the New York State Board of Regents, was based on improved English and math scores, and is the result of a program that features a longer school year and school day, smaller class sizes and greater use of math, reading and technology coaches.

Throughout New York State, 25 schools were removed from the list and five were added. Forty-three schools remain on the list.

Hamlin Park School #74 is an elementary school (grades K-5) located on Donaldson Road in Buffalo.

Canisius College is one of 28 Jesuit colleges in the nation and the premier private college in Western New York. Canisius prepares leaders - intelligent, caring, faithful individuals able to pursue and promote excellence in their professions, their communities and their service to humanity.

http://www.canisius.edu/servicelearning/students.asp

http://www.buffaloschools.org/HamlinParkSchool74.cfm

PRAXAIR/ECC/HUTCH TECH PARTNERSHIP

Thanks to a generous donation of $35,000 by Praxair, seven Buffalo Public School students will be able to continue to participate in an important Career and Technical Education program that will allow them to receive an internship at Praxair, a two-year-degree at Erie Community College, and potential employment at Praxair.

http://buffaloschools.org/files/news/Praxair.pdf

http://buffaloschools.org/news.cfm?story=1612

UB - Buffalo Public Schools Partnership Expands its Summer Offerings for Area Middle and High School Students

Presenter: Various
Presenter Affiliation: UB and Community Professionals
Location: S. Campus and Enterprise Charter School
Campus: South Campus and Off Campus
Date: 08/3/09
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Cost: Fee Based - Refer to webiste
Contact: Call Teresa Barrett at 829-6144 (ub-pk16@buffalo.edu)
Web site: http://www.buffalo.edu/pk16/ Calendar

http://www.buffalo.edu/calendar/calendar?action=describe&which=1236958118

http://www.buffalo.edu/pk16/CollaborateWithUs/ub-buffalo_public_schools_partnership.php

Youth Leadership Applications For The 2009-2010 Year Are Available

Leadership Buffalo has announced that it is accepting Youth Leadership Applications for the 2009-2010 year. Current high school freshman and sophomores in Erie County are eligible to apply. Leadership Buffalo has made some exciting changes to the program, including the addition of a Summer Challenge Camp facilitated by Erie 1 BOCES, which takes place in July for 4 days and 3 nights.


If you know of a high school freshman or sophomore with leadership potential, please make this application available to them. The application and program overview are below and are also available on the Leadership Buffalo website (http://www.leadershipbuffalo.org/).

If you have any questions about the program, please contact Sara Emhof at semhof@leadershipbuffalo.org.

OVERVIEW:
http://www.leadershipbuffalo.org/documents/fission_blast/09_04_24/SE.doc

APPLICATION:
http://www.leadershipbuffalo.org/documents/fission_blast/09_04_24/SE2.doc

Applications are due May 19th, 2009.

DROPOUT PREVENTION LEADERSHIP SUMMIT – MAY 6, 2009

The Committee for Dropout Prevention in conjunction with The Academic Talent Search Program at Canisius College, and the City of Buffalo will host its First Annual High School Dropout Prevention Summit on May 6, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Canisius College 2001 Main Street Buffalo, NY 14208. Andrew Moore of the National League of Cities will be the Keynote Speaker.

Nationwide, nearly 1 in 3 high school students drop out before graduating. In total, approximately 1.2 million students drop out of school-about 7,000 every school day, or one every 26 seconds!

The primary goal of The City of Buffalo Dropout Prevention Leadership Summit is to spotlight the problem as a community concern and to bring public awareness to the challenges we face in ensuring that “at-risk” students stay in school and graduate.

The first objective is to foster consensus among stakeholders and the public concerning the urgency of the problem and the need for a collaborative effort to alleviate it.

The second objective is to induce business leaders, community leaders, faith-based institutions, educators (P-12 and higher education), healthcare providers, policy makers, nonprofit organizations and youth to commit to a city-wide dropout prevention call to action.

The City of Buffalo Dropout Prevention Leadership Summit will serve to raise public awareness of the day-to-day challenges faced by students “at risk” to obtain a high school diploma and in so doing create a sense of urgency to reduce Buffalo's drop-out rate.

Sponsors include the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, Kaleida Health, the Western New York Law Center, Buffalo Public School System, True Bethel Baptist Church, Erie 1 BOCES, Buffalo Teachers Federation and Senator Antoine Thompson. The summit is “free” to participants. Attendees may register for summit workshops on the City of Buffalo Dropout Prevention Leadership Summit’s website; www.bflodropoutprevention.org.

Organizations and individuals are welcome to sponsor this worthwhile project. For more information please call (716) 855.0203 or visit: http://bflodropoutprevention.org/default.aspx and http://bflodropoutprevention.org/schedule.aspx.

DROPOUT DATA

Contact(s):
Joy McDuffie (Chair)

(716) 855-0203 ext 103

Elizabeth Caffee (Coordinator)

(716) 888-3281

Legal Internship Program for Inner City Youth Under Development

The Buffalo Law Journal has recently published an article about a legal internship program being developed by State Supreme Court Justice Hon. Paula Feroleto and her husband, John, a trial attorney, for inner city youth. This sounds like a great initiative.

ARTICLE LINK

6th Annual Kids' Choice Book Awards!

It is time for the BAE's 6th annual Kids' Choice Book Awards! We are asking you to please help us get the word out to our local school librarians. The Kids' Choice Book Awards allows students from grades 3rd-8th to become "book critics." All they have to do is go to our website and vote on their 3 favorite books for the year.


Once we have all of the ballots in we will create posters and flyers for schools to display the top books. This helps to encourage students to get into reading, and also the books on the list were chosen by their peers.



Click here to be directed to the voter ballot:
http://buffaloalliance.org/programs/kids_choice/index.php


If your student is unable to vote online, please have them fill out a ballot and mail it to:

Buffalo Alliance for Education
275 Oak Street, Suite 220
Buffalo, NY 14203

The Deadline for voting is June 1, 2009.

All students have to do is vote online and we will automatically receive their ballot.
Thank you for your time and effort!!

Montessori School Partnership

Our present goal is to develop a business partnership for Buffalo's Bennett Park Montessori School. We are planning a meeting with the school principal later this month.

If your company is interested in getting involved in this partnership please contact Pat Jensen at (716) 845-6500.

http://www.buffaloschools.org/BennettPark.cfm
http://www.buffaloschools.org/MontessoriSchool78.cfm
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/621665.html
http://www.buffaloschools.org/CommunityRelations.cfm?subpage=40361