Mill Stream Grange Supports Education
Category: Words for Thirds
Mill Stream Grange Gets the Word Out!
Ocean View Grange Spreads More than Dictionaries
When Ocean View Master Larry Bailey reported on their successful Dictionary Day, even he may not have realized the full impact. He subsequently received an email from one of the teachers with an invitation to attend a “Community Meeting” at the school hosted by the third grade. One of the items on the agenda was a “quick thank you for your dictionary donations.”
Obviously, he went!
He was happy to report, “I admit I was genuinely impressed by what I saw and felt. The energy and excitement were palpable, the kids were clearly happy to be part of the program, and the teachers handled the huge crowd perfectly. The young speakers/announcers were great, the music was certainly upbeat and well done. I was especially taken with the videos some of the students filmed. They were classics and made me laugh…especially the one number one winner. Creative is an understatement for all of them.”
School District Superintendent Mike replied, in part, “…thanks again to the entire Grange for supporting our 3rd graders and school! The students and teachers once again did a wonderful job running the community meeting. It’s incredible to see the work our students and staff are doing, often in partnership with community organizations like the Grange!”
These partnerships can indeed be incredible. They connect our Granges with our schools and communities in powerful ways with results that make a difference. Check out the Words for Thirds Resource Page. There’s still time to set up a Dictionary Day for a school near you during Grange Month (April), but you’ll need to get started soon. We’re here to help!
Ocean View Grange Words for Thirds!
By Larry Bailey, Master
It gives me a great amount of pleasure to tell you that Terry Bomba and I had a very enjoyable and rewarding trip to third-grade classrooms at St George School to present dictionaries to the students. Both rooms combined, and thus, we had 24 students to present the books to. This presentation of dictionaries is our annual Words for Thirds program. As in the past, the students seemed anxious to find out what we had to offer and really appeared to be very happy to get the books. After briefly explaining what the Grange is and what we do for our community, they asked some good questions.
One of the young girls said, “My grandmother works at the Grange.” I asked who is her grandmother and she said “Brenda Armstrong.” Brenda, while not a Grange member, has been voluntarily tending the trimming of the grass and weeds around the Grange and the beautiful flowers in the front of the Grange Hall for years. She is a gem.
I want to thank the two third-grade teachers, Lauren Wilgus and Sierra Beal, for arranging the gathering along with Mr. Felton, the School Superintendent. We hope to be there every year in the future.
Larry and Terry also received this note and permission to share it from Superintendent Felton:
I want to thank both of you for visiting the school and providing the 3rd graders with dictionaries. You all did a great job sharing the Grange’s mission and work – the kids were engaged and curious throughout your visit. And they were certainly excited about the dictionaries!
Thank you for offering this program and all you do to support our students. As a school district, our mission is to do whatever it takes to ensure that every single student thrives and to contribute to the vitality and resiliency of our town. The only way we can realize this mission is with the support of our community, of organizations like the Grange.
With sincere thanks,
Mike, Superintendent, MSAD 50
For more information about the Words for Thirds Program and how your Grange, community, students, and teachers can reap these benefits, visit the Words for Thirds Resource Page.
Words for Thirds
By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director
Our resource pages are officially available! We’d hoped to have an interview available but experienced some complications and didn’t want to wait!
There are still a few items we’re finishing up, but you’ll find plenty you can use. We have sample labels, helpful documents such as press releases and parent letters, emails you can use with teachers, and an easy way to get your customized Words for Thirds Logo.
There’s still time! Ocean View Grange in Port Clyde is planning to visit their third graders next week! Master Larry Bailey and Chaplain Terry Bomba have the distinct honor of handing out the dictionaries and seeing the kids get “wound up.”
We’re working on more resources and ideas. If you need or want something that we haven’t thought of, let me know. I’d love to help your Grange put some dictionaries and all the words in them in the hands of your local third-graders!
Words for Thirds by any other name
While the Grange calls it “Words for Thirds,” many organizations and businesses are involved in The Dictionary Project. Heather Rank of the Fargo-Moorhead Rotary Club provided a wonderful video demonstrating their efforts. We think it’s great that a kid does the interviews! It gets a little noisy in places, so you may want to turn on closed captioning.
If your Grange is not involved in Words for Thirds, you miss a huge opportunity! There are so many benefits, and it’s fun! Check out our pages of resources to help. Let us know if you’re interested or have any questions. The third-graders in your community are waiting!