[nndl] Fw: Ridgetop Elem Teacher Surprised with "A Day Made Better" Events Tues 10/6

Joaquin Gloria III
Principal, Ridgetop Elementary School
A Recognized School !
Austin ISD
512-414-2001  Office
512-459-9187  Fax

Forwarded by Joaquin Gloria/AISD on 10/06/2009 01:52 PM ----- October 5, 2009

MEDIA ADVISORY
Six Austin School District Teachers to be Surprised with  
“A Day Made Better” Events on Tuesday, October 6

Six Austin School District teachers at six elementary schools throughout the city have been selected by their principals to receive “A Day Made Better” honor from Office Max.  On October 6, at 10 a.m., local teachers will wait in anticipation for a visit from local Office Max staff, as the office supplies retailer kicks off a campaign to eliminate teacher-funded classrooms.
The third annual “A Day Made Better” nationwide event will include surprise in-class ceremonies where teacher recipients will receive a donation of more than
$1,000 worth of classroom supplies.  Nationwide, Office Max donations to teachers total
$1 million.  
Teachers at the following elementary schools are scheduled to receive the visits:  Cook, Govalle, Palm, Pleasant Hill, Ridgetop and Wooldridge.
The surprise presentation schedule is below:
9:40 a.m.: A team of six to 10 Office Max representatives arrive at campus.
9:55 a.m.: Office Max representatives and school principal go to teacher’s classroom for surprise visit.

10 a.m.: Principal enters classroom, and notifies teacher that he/she has been selected as “A Day Made Better” recipient.  Office Max representatives present teacher with $1,000 worth of school supplies.
10:20 a.m.:  Event concludes.
Teachers selected to participate in “A Day Made Better” include:  Jennifer Perez at Cook; Mary Phillips at Govalle; Diana Bosque at Palm; Aaron Ravare at Pleasant Hill; Cynthia Ayala at Ridgetop; and Margaret Bachicha at Wooldridge.  
Selected teachers are nominated by their principals through non-profit organization Adopt-A-Classroom for his/her passion, innovative approach to teaching, and dedication of the profession.  A large majority of selected schools are
Title 1 schools, defined as an “in-need school” with 40 percent or more of its student body on the Federal Free or Reduced Lunch Program.
Office Max Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advertising Bob Thacker said the campaign calls attention to teacher-funded classrooms.  He said the company is leading the fight to end teacher-funded classrooms.
According to a national survey conducted by the National Education Association, teachers spend nearly $1,200 out-of-pocket each year on essential classroom supplies – nearly $4 billion cumulatively.
“Outside of the home, the teacher is the primary influence on a child’s life, yet teachers are ill-equipped to succeed in the classroom,” said James Rosenberg, founder of Adopt-A-Classroom, which has raised more than $10 million for teachers across the
country. “‘A Day Made Better’ helps teachers fund their classrooms, so they can do a good job that will ultimately benefit the entire community.”
For more information about “A Day Made Better,” visit www.adaymadebetter.com. To learn more about adopting a local teacher, visit www.adoptaclassroom.org.  ###

Carmen Luevanos
Communication Specialist
Austin Independent School District
1111 West 6th St.
Austin, Tx 78703
ph:  512-414-0023
cell:  512-296-3356
email:   [at]