The Early Childhood Coalition is hoping the generous Holiday spirit in the Quad Cities will help the group get a new digital eye exam machine this fall

(Moline, IL)  The Early Childhood Coalition (ECC) has been coordinating efforts to offer monthly free Early Learning Screenings for children 4 months to age five at various locations throughout Rock Island County for years.  The group also has spent a decade offering vision, hearing and overall developmental screenings.  Now it wants to make the screenings more effective and quicker.  This can be done with a new digital vision camera called the "Spot", manufactured by Pediavision.

The Secretary of the ECC, Lisa Viaene, says the current camera the group is using, the 'Photo Screener' is becoming obsolete and the film is no longer being produced.  Viaene says the new camera will cost almost eight thousand dollars and she is reaching out to the community for assistance in securing the funds.   Since the group began their monthly screenings in September of 2002 more than 2,200 children have been screened.  Viaene says with the new camera thousands more children will be served.  She says when vision problems are found early children will be more successful throughout their lives.
***The media are invited to hear more information on the new camera on Monday, December 3 at 9:00 at the Early Childhood Coalition/AOK office (4341 18th Avenue Rock Island).
The Early Childhood Coalition is hoping the generous Holiday spirit in the Quad Cities will help the group get a new digital eye exam machine this fall

(Moline, IL)  The Early Childhood Coalition (ECC) has been coordinating efforts to offer monthly free Early Learning Screenings for children 4 months to age five at various locations throughout Rock Island County for years.  The group also has spent a decade offering vision, hearing and overall developmental screenings.  Now it wants to make the screenings more effective and quicker.  This can be done with a new digital vision camera called the "Spot", manufactured by Pediavision.

The Secretary of the ECC, Lisa Viaene, says the current camera the group is using, the 'Photo Screener' is becoming obsolete and the film is no longer being produced.  Viaene says the new camera will cost almost eight thousand dollars and she is reaching out to the community for assistance in securing the funds.   Since the group began their monthly screenings in September of 2002 more than 2,200 children have been screened.  Viaene says with the new camera thousands more children will be served.  She says when vision problems are found early children will be more successful throughout their lives.
The project deals with Anne Frank having a pen pal in Danville Iowa before her family went into hiding.  You can learn more about it at http://www.traces.org/anne.html

Very few people know about it but there is a very small museum telling about the Anne Frank connection in Danville.  They would like to raise money for an expansion.  They have been working on it and raised enough to buy a couple parcels of land to build on to the current museum.

It's cute when Anne says in one of her letters that she cannot find Danville on her map of Iowa but finds Burlington.  She wonders if it is close (and it is).  Therefore, when I learned of the story two years ago, I asked two girls from Burlington to write the story.  They did a fabulous job and I love their illustrations too.  It's being prepared for print right now.

More about the authors here:    http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Young-authors-tell-Anne-Frank--s-connection-to-Iowa-in-a-new-release-entitled-Oceans-Apart.html?soid=1102870834208&aid=7t6sZyCUUaI

There is a FB page as well: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oceans-Apart-The-Connection-between-Anne-Frank-and-her-Small-Town-Pen-Pal/466532820056062

Anne also writes the young lady in Danville about her post card collection.  She even sent her a post card from Amsterdam.  So three things are about to happen (on December 5)

1. The children of Danville are launching a post card collection as they would like post cards from all over the world to be sent to them.  They hope to collect 1.5 million cards to honor the 1.5 million Jewish children who died in the Holocaust.

2. Their historical society is launching their building fund to raise $450,000 using Indiegogo (a crowd funding platform).  This will happen at the same time as the news about the post card project on 12/5.

3. The children's book entitled Oceans Apart (one of my A BOOK by ME series) will be a reward for giving toward the fundraising effort.

With it being so close to Christmas, I think a lot of people will be interested in helping them reach their goal with the post cards and giving toward their educational center.

Christmas 2012 Bikes for Brains

On December 10 at the Martin Luther King Center, we are hoping to give bikes to over 100 needy children selected by Head Start, the Early Childhood Centers, Children's Therapy Center, Youth Hope, Winnie's Place and The Project.

Each donation of $50 grants a young child a bright, shiny bike, training wheels and a helmet!

Give whatever fits your budget. All donations are appreciated!

Please make your check payable to

Bikes for Brains
c/o Queen's Parlour
171-19th Avenue
Moline, IL 61265

For more information, call Sandy at 797-1160.  Thanks!

Sponsored by
Bike 'N Hike
The Pilot Club of Moline
Queen's Parlour
The Rock Island County Regional Office of Education

Announcing the Launch of the 2012 Bikes for Brains Campaign

A proud dad watches his son ride a new blue bike complete with training wheels. The four year old has a smile as big as the moon. He can't believe the shiny new bike and Spiderman helmet is his. How could that happen? Mom and dad are struggling each month to pay the bills; they can barely afford to put food on the table, how they can afford a new bike? The answer: Bikes for Brains.

Thanks to the joint effort of Bike 'N Hike, Queen's Parlour, The Pilot Club of Moline, and the Rock Island County Regional Office of Education (ROE) more than one thousand children have received their first bike because of this project. Sheila Burns, with the ROE, says this special program is successful because of a loyal group of folks who donate every year. As soon as the fundraising goal is announced each year donations start coming in. A bike with training wheels costs about $50, but as the commercial for a popular credit card says, the memories made on the bike are "priceless".

Chris Swanson, a local dad who knows how priceless a bike is, says his son loves to ride his bike and he calls the Bikes for Brains program awesome. "My son got his bike two years ago and still rides it. I love that he gets outside and moves around rather than sits inside all the time. I know there are many families that cannot afford a bike right now and this program makes it possible". Swanson says it may be time to get his son a new, bigger bike, but instead he asks where he can make a donation to help another boy get the thrill of his young lifetime. "I want to donate this year to help another kid get a bike because I know what it feels like to receive the free bike and helmet".

Donors can contribute any amount toward a bike. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to Queen's Parlour located at 171-19th Avenue in Moline.

Monday, Dec 10th is the day the bikes are given away to families in need. 66 bikes will go to children in the ROE's 33 Early Childhood Classrooms and the bulk of the remaining to Rock Island Head Start families. Some of those families are recent immigrants and refugees from war torn nations. Children in those families tend to be slightly older and need bigger and more expensive bikes. The group will also be gifting qualified children identified by the Children's Therapy Center, Youth Hope, Winnie's Place, and The Project. The giveaway is from 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM at the Martin Luther King Center located @ 630-9thStreet in Rock Island. Anderson's Bookfair Company in Aurora, Illinois will also provide several gently used books for each of the children. And the Pilot Club of Moline will provide helmets and safety lessons via a puppet show throughout the bike giveaway day.

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On the eve of Halloween....John Deere Middle School Students are learning Zombie Survival Skills


(Moline, IL)  Just in time for Halloween.....  John Deere Middle School has created a "Zombie Survival Club". Zombie Survival Club is made available through a partnership between Lights ON for Learning 21st Century Community Learning Centers and the Moline Public Library.

The program was created by Jan Laroche, the teen services librarian who has an interest in Zombie movies and recognized the trends in teen literature about zombies.  She says the club will focus on STEM lessons (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in a fun setting.   "Zombie Survival Club is intended to be a lighthearted, activity based program that develops educational skills through a fun after school curriculum."


Some of the lessons being taught to zombie so they can survive include :
•       Come up with list of essential needs for zombie survival-- water, food, first aid, tools, safe locations, transportation, power/electricity.  Create list for an emergency kit.
•       Discuss types of zombies and spread of infection.
•       Discuss safe drinking water and food supplies. Include how much water is needed, how to find it, and how to make it.
•       Use CDC guidelines to figure out how much water would be needed for a short-term stay.
•       Use math skills to figure out different sizes of bottles and groups of people.
•       Use survival books to discuss how to find safe water in different locations, and discuss purification methods.
•       Discuss food supplies. Include what food to keep on hand in your kit, where to find additional food in both urban and rural settings, and how to grow food.
•       Use calorie guidelines and nutrition information to figure out how long a supply would last. Discuss where food stores might be found and use survival books to identify edible wild plants. Plan a garden for future food supplies. (If necessary, discuss hunting and trapping skills.)
•       Discuss safe locations. Include being prepared to fortify for the short term, ideal locations for immediate retreat, and long-term plans for relocation. Also include discussion about transportation.
•       Discuss power/electricity issues. Include ways to survive without electricity and ways to generate power.
•       Have students research how long electricity would continue after an apocalypse. Make a potato battery and look at plans for a bicycle generator.
•       Discuss power/electricity issues. Include ways to survive without electricity and ways to generate power.
•       Discuss long-term survival plans. Include ways to communicate with other survivors, finding information, and the pros and cons of joining with others.


The John Deere Zombie Survival Club meets every two weeks for one hour (4:15-5:15).

***The media is invited to participate in this week's club meeting to interview students and teachers****

Who:  John Deere Middle "Lights ON" Students
What:  Zombie Survival Skills class
When:  Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Where:  John Deere Middle School Moline
Why:  It's ghouly fun...and the students learn science, technology, engineering and math skills
(Moline, IL)  Moline High School is presenting its fall play called Noises Off the first weekend in November.  According to Director, Christopher Thomas, NOISES OFF is Michael Frayn's depiction of the on stage and off stage personalities that it takes to put together a play.  This comedy-within-a-comedy captures a British touring theatre troupe's production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, an opening performance, and a performance toward the end of the run.  The characters try to put on a good show, but their unique personalities, out-of-control egos, memory loss and passionate affairs turn every performance into a high-risk adventure.  Progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal, the performances only get worse when friction arises between personalities.

Thomas says rehearsing and performing NOISES OFF is like putting his students through comedy boot camp. "This play is truly a challenge for any theatre group--high school and professional alike--due to its demand for so many pieces to come together all at the right time.  The set has to be extremely sturdy, yet rotate 180 degrees.  Actors have to perform in believable British accents and there are an insane amount of props in the show.  Our students are challenged to showcase all of their comedic talents with their physicality, wit, voice, and timing".
Glenview Middle School Students celebrate the National LIGHTS ON day with dance and music

(East Moline, IL)  More than 100 students will celebrate October 18th as National Lights ON Day--a day designed to draw attention to vital afterschool programs--by watching two kinds of dance?Rap and Philippine.

The school's mini assembly is scheduled for Thursday, October 18th at 3:45 pm in the school's north gym.  On hand will be the very popular local rap group, RusHour, (made up of former Glenview students) and The Philippine Dance Troupe Company of the Quad Cities.   The media is invited to attend the assembly and interview the performers, Lights ON student and staff.

Who:  Glenview Lights on Students
What:  Cultural dance and music display
When:  Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Where:  Glenview Middle School East Moline
3100 7th Street East Moline, IL 61244
North Gym
Why:  Celebrate National Lights ON day in the community


East Moline will join more than 7,500 communities and 1 million Americans celebrating Lights On Afterschool, a nationwide event organized by the Afterschool Alliance to rally support for afterschool programs.

Afterschool programs keep kids safe, help working families and inspire learning. In the U.S. today, 15.1 million children go home alone after school.


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More than 100 students will celebrate October 18th as National Lights ON Day--a day designed to draw attention to vital afterschool programs--by watching two kinds of dance?Rap and Philippine.

The school's mini assembly is scheduled for Thursday, October 18th at 3:45 pm in the school's north gym.  On hand will be the very popular local rap group, RusHour, (made up of former Glenview students) and The Philippine Dance Troupe Company of the Quad Cities.   The media is invited to attend the assembly and interview the performers, Lights ON student and staff.

Who:  Glenview Lights on Students
What:  Cultural dance and music display
When:  Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Where:  Glenview Middle School East Moline
3100 7th Street East Moline, IL 61244
North Gym
Why:  Celebrate National Lights ON day in the community

East Moline will join more than 7,500 communities and 1 million Americans celebrating Lights On Afterschool, a nationwide event organized by the Afterschool Alliance to rally support for afterschool programs.

Afterschool programs keep kids safe, help working families and inspire learning. In the U.S. today, 15.1 million children go home alone after school.


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Time is running out for members who wish to establish optional credit for up to two years of service as a teacher or administrator employed by a private school recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education. The opportunity to verify private school teaching ends on August 1, 2012. Contact TRS at members@trs.illinois.gov or call (800) 877-7896 to request the required form. TRS must receive your written request to verify this service on or before August 1, 2012. Making a request does not obligate you to purchase the credit.

A member may establish optional credit for up to two years of service as a teacher or administrator employed by a private school recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education, provided that the teacher:
•                    was certified under the law governing the certification of teachers at the time the service was rendered,
•                    applies in writing on or after August 1, 2009 and on or before August 1, 2012,
•                    supplies satisfactory evidence of the employment,
•                    completes at least 10 years of contributing TRS service, and
•                    pays the contribution required.

The member may apply for credit and pay the required contribution before completing the 10 years of contributing service required, but the credit may not be used until he/she has accrued the 10 years of service.

A link to a list of recognized private schools is found on the TRS Web site at: http://trs.illinois.gov/subsections/members/privateschool.pdf.

TRS Member Services Department
217-753-0973

Rock Island County Recognized Private Schools Past and Present:
Alleman High School - RI                Our Lady of Grace Academy - EM
East Moline Christian - EM              St Anne's School - EM
Immanuel Lutheran - RI          St Mary's School - EM
Jordan Catholic - RI            St Paul's Lutheran - RI
Morning Star Academy            Seton Catholic School - Mol
Temple Christian Academy - Mol  Villa Montessori - Mol





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