VERNON HILLS, IL, September 7, 2005 — When Susan Soler’s kindergarten
and first-grade students go back to school at New York City’s John
Melser Charrette School, they will learn that their classroom
is about to undergo a “Magnificent Classroom Makeover” from
ETA/Cuisenaire. Soler is the grand prize winner of the
company’s 2nd annual Magnificent Classroom Makeover
Contest, which provides educational materials from ETA/Cuisenaire
and products from other contributors as well as professional
development from literacy expert and author Miriam Trehearne
valued at more than $10,000. Soler plans to use the print
and hands-on literacy learning materials to make her students “enter
their classroom each morning and wish they never had to
leave,” helping them to become “joyful readers.”
Soler’s classroom will be transformed by a team
from ETA/Cuisenaire that will deliver and set up The Learning
Place® for Literacy, which includes hundreds of ETA/Cuisenaire
books, reading manipulatives, and teacher support for kindergarten
and first graders. In a school that is celebrating its
centennial this year, the company will create a new, exciting
environment for learning with classroom furniture, computer
software, a listening center, interactive learning tools,
and additional educational products contributions from
participating companies.
Soler and her colleagues from throughout Community District
#9 will learn how to use the new materials to help their
students build literacy skills with a full day of professional
development from Trehearne, author of the four-volume “Comprehensive
Literacy Resource” series from ETA/Cuisenaire. The
books, which cover preschool through sixth grade, are packed
with hundreds of pages of research-based information linked
to practical assessment and teaching ideas designed to
help bridge the literacy achievement gap.
“When we read Susan’s compelling
essay about her love for books and commitment to early literacy
education and then saw the video that demonstrated her classroom’s
need for a makeover to support her passion for teaching,
we knew she was this year’s Magnificent Classroom
Makeover winner,” said Dennis Goldman,
president, ETA/Cuisenaire. “We are excited to see
the ways that this makeover will enhance her students’ education.”
The first runner-up in this year’s contest is Lynn
Ruppard, second grade teacher from Oak View Elementary
School in High Point, N.C. Her classroom will receive a
$1,000 ETA/Cuisenaire gift certificate and a copy of the “Comprehensive
Literacy Resource for Grades 1-2 Teachers
,” by Trehearne. She will also receive a half-day
of professional development led by an ETA/Cuisenaire literacy
expert. The second runner-up, Sandra Schmidt, Abraham Lincoln
Elementary School, Wenatchee, Wash., will receive a $500
gift certificate from ETA/Cuisenaire and a copy of Trehearne’s
book.
For more information about the 2nd annual “Magnificent
Classroom Makeover,” visit www.etacuisenaire.com/makeover.
About ETA/Cuisenaire
ETA/Cuisenaire is recognized as the premier publisher
and pioneer of interactive literacy and manipulative-based
education, with reading, math and science programs that
engage students, support educators, promote partnerships
with parents, and empower children to master skills and
galvanize their love of learning. For more information,
visit www.etacuisenaire.com or
call 1-800-445-5985.
For more information, press only:
Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications, 773-325-9935, lwolfe@lwolfe.com
Erika Gimbel, L. Wolfe Communications, 773-777-8218, egimbel@lwolfe.com
©2005 ETA/Cuisenaire. All rights reserved. Cuisenaire® and
Learning Place® are registered trademarks of ETA/Cuisenaire.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein
may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
