Faye Flanagan
Co-Director
504.620.2485
flanagan@leh.org
Miranda Restovic
Co-Director
504.620.2486
Dianne Brady
Senior Consultant
318.728.0026
bountifulw@aol.com
Olivia Pass, PhD
Associate Director
225.635.0092
pass@leh.org
Shantrell Adams
Assistant Director
504.620.2625
adams@leh.org
Christopher Robert
Program Assistant
504.620.2639
Michael Sartisky, PhD
President
504.620.2480
sartisky@leh.org
National Partners:
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| C2E Mixer and Notebook Release |
 The Connect2Educate Event: A Community Resources & Public School Mixer took place on Saturday, March 7th (11a.m.-6p.m.) at the University of New Orleans Lindy Boggs International Conference Center. The event provided a unique opportunity for schools and resource providers to make personal contact, share information, and determine interest in pursuing future connections among themselves. This event was designed to offer one-on-one networking opportunities among public school representatives (teachers, leadership, staff) in New Orleans and the many quality programs and resources available to assist in educating and supporting the youth of New Orleans.
The invitation to register and attend this free event was exclusive to public schools in New Orleans. Over 100 community resource providers who offer supplementary educational and enrichment services such as arts education, computer skills/technology training, health/nutrition instruction, homework assistance, mentoring, sports/recreation activities shared their information with public school representatives during one-on-one sessions throughout the day. The event culminated with a NOLA-style reception complete with music and food.
Also, the much-anticipated Connect2Educate Notebook: A Public School's Guide to Community Resources debuted and was distributed at the Public School Mixer. This publication provides a comprehensive snapshot of most locally available, high quality community resource programs for public schools.
The Connect2Educate (C2E) Collaborative is an innovative partnership of diverse organizations that have come together to help overcome the inequitable public school utilization of community programs as well as the inefficiencies that exist in connecting community resource providers and public school decision-makers.
The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and PRIME TIME Family Reading Time® are proud to be among the founding members and sponsors of the two Connect2Educate initiatives described above. For additional information on Connect2Educate or the initiatives described here, contact Miranda Restovic. |
| PRIME TIME: Important Upcoming Dates |
 Application Deadline for Louisiana Sites
PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME® is currently accepting grant applications for Fall 2009 and beyond. The application deadline for the Fall 2009 session in Louisiana is April 15, 2009. Public libraries, schools, community centers, and other public institutions are encouraged to apply. PRIME TIME grants are awarded twice per calendar year, to fill fall and spring sessions. For more information about PRIME TIME, please visit our webpage http://www.leh.org/html/primetime.html. Or, for details on how to bring PRIME TIME to your community, please contact Miranda Restovic, Co-Director.
What The Grant Provides:
1. Training for 3 team members in New Orleans
2. Selected syllabus of books for 25 families (loan)
3. Stipends for team members
4. Transportation for participating families
5. Promotional materials
6. On-going technical support
Eligible applications will be provisionally approved for the PRIME TIME award pending potential rescissions in Louisiana's state budget. Approved organizations will be kept up to date on the status of their PRIME TIME grant. Click here for grant applications.
July 2009 Training Workshop Dates Announced
Mark your calendars! The dates have been set for the next PRIME TIME training opportunity in Louisiana. The PRIME TIME Training Workshop will be held July 18 - 19, 2009 at the Louisiana Humanities Center at Turners' Hall in New Orleans. For additional details on the event, please contact Shantrell Adams at (504) 620-2625. |
| TIAS Recruitment: Putting PRIME TIME in New Orleans Schools |
 From June 8 - July 2, 2009, the University of New Orleans will host an LEH-funded PRIME TIME Teacher Institute for Advanced Study (TIAS) at the Louisiana Humanities Center at Turners' Hall in New Orleans. Kindergarten through 8th grade teachers from the Recovery School District (RSD) and other Orleans Parish Public Schools are invited to apply to participate in this unique professional development opportunity. The Institute will provide instruction in the PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME® methodology and will be directed by Dr. Nancy Dixon, Instructor of English at the University of New Orleans and experienced PRIME TIME scholar. Participating teachers will explore elements of PRIME TIME methodology and learn how to use books as prompts for encouraging students to talk and write about the humanities. Teachers will learn to use award-winning children's literature with universal humanities themes to initiate open dialogue focused on real-life issues with their students as well as to create lesson plans that they will use in their classes during the upcoming school year. Participants will be given the tools to learn the skills necessary to enhance their ability to teach reading and critical thinking skills as well as character education in the classroom.
Participating teachers will receive a $750 stipend and are eligible to receive 3 hours of graduate credit from the University of New Orleans, as well as 45 CLUs. UNO has waived tuition for participants. Teachers interested in this opportunity should click here for the PRIME TIME TIAS application and guidelines.
Host: University of New Orleans
Date: June 8 - July 2, 2009
Location: Louisiana Humanities Center at Turners' Hall
938 Lafayette Street, Suite 300
New Orleans, LA 70113
Contact: Dr. Nancy Dixon
Phone: 504-202-0121
Email: ndixon@uno.edu |
| Testimony from a 2008 PRIME TIME TIAS Participant: |
 Art Teacher Karla San Martin Writes about the "Art" of PRIME TIME
The PRIME TIME methodology of combining literature with humanities themes and open-ended discussion can be applied to many subject areas. Through PRIME TIME Teacher Institutes for Advanced Study (TIAS), teachers are learning to employ this methodology in the classroom with great success. Whether the subject is reading, English, math, or art, TIAS participants are achieving breakthroughs with their students by promoting critical thinking and careful exploration of ideas.
Read about the positive impact of the PRIME TIME methodology on the classroom experiences of a New Orleans art teacher and recent TIAS participant in the essay below.
"After attending the PRIME TIME Teacher Institute for Advanced Study, which was offered by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the University of New Orleans last summer, I felt excited but also anxious to apply it to my classes. I was concerned that although it was amazing information, when it came down to it, and I was in the thick of teaching mode, all of it would go out the window and I would be left in lesson-plan limbo. Much to my surprise, it has been the key element that has molded fundamental art theories and practicality together to make a comprehensive art lesson that can benefit the artist as well as the person in each student...."
Click here for the full essay. |
| PRIME TIME Success in Poughkeepsie, NY |
 As Youth Services Librarian for the Poughkeepsie Public Library District, Beth Zambito was fully aware of the many challenges libraries face when attempting to reach out to underserved populations. New to conducting outreach to schools, Beth jumped right in by establishing a relationship with a local school and attending a PRIME TIME training workshop. As the library district's PRIME TIME program at the Morse Young Child Magnet School approached its end, Beth Zambito began to see and hear wonderful things from the families who flocked to the weekly sessions.
Read all about how the underserved families recruited for the program responded to the PRIME TIME model at one Poughkeepsie library.
"I was pleased to be selected as the Program Coordinator of the pilot PRIME TIME Family Reading Time® program for the Poughkeepsie Public Library District, where I am employed at the main city branch as a Youth Services Librarian. This amazing family literacy program afforded an opportunity for outreach to local schools in the area of Poughkeepsie, New York, that had previously been untapped by our library district. The program proved to be as labor-intensive as the Louisiana Endowment for Humanities manuals and training promise; however, the rewards that the participating children, families and even your staff and you receive make the effort more than worthwhile...."
Click here for the full essay. |
| PRIME TIME Training Workshop in Kentucky |
 For the fifth consecutive year, the Kentucky Humanities Council hosted its PRIME TIME Training Workshop on March 6-7 at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.
Approximately 30 people attended the workshop, which was conducted by experienced Kentucky PRIME TIME storytellers, scholars, and program coordinators. The Associate Director of the Kentucky Humanities Council, Kathleen Pool, was the primary organizer of the training, and Olivia Pass, Associate Director of PRIME TIME at the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, came to Kentucky to assist these extraordinary PRIME TIME veterans. "I was so impressed by how well-conceived and conducted Kentucky's Training Workshop was. They have taken the PRIME TIME program and delivered it to perfection in Kentucky!"
"This was the first year that we invited previously trained scholars and storytellers to return to training for a refresher course," said Kathleen Pool, "and we had nine people take us up on our offer. These nine added a new dimension to the training sessions bringing with them their previous PRIME TIME experiences. All were glad to have some retraining before doing their jobs at the library sites this year."
From the planning meeting over dinner on Thursday, March 5 to the wrap-up session at the end of the program on March 7, the 9 trainers worked hard to share the PRIME TIME methodology with the new recruits, who will staff 17 Kentucky sites during 2009.
Click here to learn more about PRIME TIME in Kentucky. |
| March Conference Presentations |
 Annual Conference-March 1-3, 2009, Orlando, Florida
The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) held its 18th National Conference on Family Literacy in Orlando, Florida; March 1 - 3, 2009. PRIME TIME staffers were invited to lead a session entitled "PRIME TIME: A Model Outreach Program" to explain how the PRIME TIME model has achieved great success with outreach and impact among hard-to-reach populations in communities across the country. The session was facilitated by PRIME TIME Assistant Director, Shantrell Adams, along with PRIME TIME Associate Director Olivia Pass, and Florida Humanities Council Consultant and PRIME TIME scholar, Carol Mahler on Sunday March 1, 2009. Individuals from across the country attended the session during which details on the PRIME TIME model and methodology were shared, along with information on how to bring the program to any community. Thanks to NCFL for hosting such a wonderful event and all those who attended the session.
 Louisiana Library Association Conference-March 12-14, 2009, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The Louisiana Library Association (LLA) hosted its annual conference on March 12-14, 2009. PRIME TIME's session "Reach! Expand! & Inspire! with PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME®" was a hit with the conference audience. The session, which took place on Friday, March 13 shared information on how this award-winning family literacy program can help libraries reach new patrons, expand services and circulation, and inspire families to read and use the library. PRIME TIME Co-Director, Miranda Restovic provided details on program components and was supported by an experienced scholar and storyteller (Dr. Jill Brody of LSU and Bernadine Salinas of Ascension Parish Schools) who modeled bilingual storytelling and discussion for the audience. Thanks to all session attendees as well as the Louisiana Library Association for inviting PRIME TIME back once more for fun and sharing. | |
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