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SUMMER 2015
Partnering families and teachers for children's success.
Talking to DESE
Founder and Executive Director Karen Kalish updates Dr. Margie Vandeven and her leadership team at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on HOME WORKS!
Did You Know?
If children read or are read to for 20 minutes each day from birth, they are exposed to about 1.8 million words every year. That is 137 new words per minute! Additionally, for every year you read with your child, average lifetime earnings increase by $50,000.*

Read to your child and/or encourage your child to read everyday. Let them see you read daily.

* US Department of Education
Participating Schools
2015-2016
Columbia Public Schools
Parkade Elementary

De Soto Public School
District No. 73
De Soto Early Childhood
Vineland Elementary

Ferguson Florissant District
Duchesne Elementary
Griffith Elementary
Walnut Grove Elementary

Hazelwood School District
East Middle
Grannemann Elementary
Southeast Middle
Twillman Elementary

Northwest R-I School District
Murphy Elementary

Orchard Farm R-V School
District
Discovery Elementary

Parkway School District
Craig Elementary

St. Louis Public Schools
Adams Elementary
Dewey International Studies 
Humboldt Academy
Oak Hill Elementary
Vashon High
Woerner Elementary

University City School District
Julia Goldstein Early Childhood
Pershing Elementary

Warren County R-III
Rebecca Boone Elementary

Charter
Preclarus Mastery Academy
Three generations of teachers came together at the recent Teacher Appreciation Tea Party!



Ms. Betty Tobler (right) taught Ms. Harolyn Harris (left) who taught Mr. Elston McCowan (center). Each is now involved in HOME WORKS! Ms. Harris and Ms. Tobler are program directors and Mr. Elston is the family and community specialist and HOME WORKS! site coordinator at Vashon High School, St. Louis Public School, making home visits.

HOME WORKS! is participating in AmazonSmile! Every time you shop on Amazon please select "HOME WORKS! - THVP"  as your charity of choice, and the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to HOME WORKS!

Use this link to support us through AmazonSmile when you shop online: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/45-4572322.
Wrapping up an Incredible 2014-2015 School Year

This school year, thanks to the hard work and support of so many people, 340 teachers in 27 schools in eight districts completed 3,630 home visits. We estimate that over 5,000 people -students, their families, and teachers - benefited from teacher home visits this year! Over the course of the year, we heard countless stories from various administrators, teachers, parents, and students about the difference home visits made... relationships were strengthened between the school and home, and attendance, homework completion, classroom behavior, and grades improved.

 

  

Meet Joann Rich
We are thrilled to introduce our new chief operating officer, Joann Rich. Joann comes to us after 15 years at Washington University and six years with Commerce Trust after starting her career at Boatmen's Trust Company. She earned an MBA from Washington University and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a minor in Economics from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

"Education is the key to success and every child is entitled to a high-quality education. HOME WORKS! helps teachers give parents the tools to be a key part of their children's educations. HOME WORKS! is making a difference with each child who gets a home visit and is making a fundamental change in the way schools educate our children. It's very rewarding to be a part of this."  -Joann Rich

Training Teachers for Home Visits
Teachers from three different schools attended HOME WORKS! training during the first week of June to prepare for making home visits during the summer and this coming 2015-16 school year. Program Director and Trainer, Harolyn Harris, facilitated the training at Twillman Elementary School in Hazelwood, Missouri. The training teaches teachers and other school personnel how to make effective home visits.

Teacher Appreciation


On June 5th, HOME WORKS! hosted a Teacher Appreciation Tea Party to express gratitude to the faculty and staff who made home visits. Many teachers went home with books and school supplies provided by Ready To Learn, a local nonprofit in St. Louis focused on literacy. Thank you teachers and thank you Elise Tierney, executive director of Ready to Learn!
 
Caitlin Zera, HOME WORKS! grants manager, with Parkway Alumni Association at Give STL Day on May 5th, a national day of local giving.

HOME WORKS! on  St. Louis on the Air  on St. Louis Public Radio. From left: Don Marsh; Kimberly Merrill, teacher at Hazelwood Southeast Middle School; Catherine Moore, teacher at St. Louis Public Wilkinson Early Childhood; Karen Kalish, founder and executive Director of HOME WORKS!; and Cameron Coleman, principal at St. Louis Public Adams Elementary School

HOME WORKS! The Teacher Home Visit Program
314-727-2727