HOH PTO and Barnes & Nobles Holiday Book Drive to benefit the Newburgh Basics!

On Saturday, November 18^th from 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Barnes & Nobles partnered with Horizons on the Hudson’s Parent Teacher Organization at the Barnes & Noble store in Newburgh for a book drive to benefit the Newburgh Basics. The day began with story time guest reader, Dr. Roberto Padilla, Superintendent of School for the Newburgh Enlarged City School District. Dr. Padilla shared festive activities with the children and parents that complimented the story time.  Families were provided with an overview of the Newburgh Basics and the resources the Basics provides to families of children from birth to three years old. The Newburgh Basics is five simple, fun, research-based strategies that families can do “on the go”, around the home, at the playground and community sites, and in the car. The Basics strategies can be used just about anytime and anywhere. Families using the Basics strategies are preparing their children for school and giving them a great start in life. There were five activity centers in the store that provided parents an opportunity to learn more and practice the Basics. The five strategies are:

• Maximize Love, Minimize Stress
• Talk, Sing, Point
• Count, Group and Compare
• Explore through Movement and Play
• Read and Discuss Stories.

In addition to Dr. Padilla, other guest readers included noted award-winning children’s authors, Dean Hacohen,  writer of Tuck Me In and Who’s Hungry? and Kevin Lewis, who penned the well-known children’s story Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo.

The book drive will continue until January 2, 2018. The books donated to the Newburgh Basics initiative will be used to fill community bookcases housed in doctor’s offices, laundromats, beauty salons, barbershops and other community sites and businesses that have wait times that provide an opportunity for families to share stories. In attendance were members of the Newburgh Basics Steering Committee, volunteers from Horizons on the Hudson, and student volunteers from Newburgh Free Academy and the Mount Saint Mary’s College Education Department. Students from Horizons on the Hudson also entertained families and children in attendance through song and music. For more information about the Newburgh Basics, visit: www.newburghbasics.org.

ATTENTION: Are your scholars or colleagues doing something great? Please contact the district Communications Team at communications@necsd.net. We’d love to visit your class or event and/or post your pictures and recap to highlight the amazing accomplishments throughout our district!