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January 21, 2016: The week of January 17-23 is “Hunt for Happiness Week”..Time to celebrate!
SPREAD THE WORD
Only 29% of 6th-12th grade students feel their schools provide caring, encouraging environments.
WORD OF THE WEEK
REFULGENT (adj.): Shining brightly, radiant, gleaming.
WORDS HAVE POWER
“When I look back at that freedom of childhood, which is in a way infinite, and at all the joy and the intense happiness, now lost, I sometimes think that childhood is where the real meaning of life is located, and that we, adults, are its servants – that that’s our purpose.” Karl Ove Knaasguard
“True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” Khalil Gibran
ACTIVITY UPDATE
We can hardly believe 2015 was Word Rebel’s first full year in operation. We’ve grown from 5 to 50 partners serving 3,500+ children. We’ve partnered with 9 literacy organizations to send 3 e-books to parents every single week. Finally, as a registered FirstBook recipient group, we have access to reduce-priced books vital to our mission. As of last week, we officially donated hard-cover books and literacy resources to every single child we serve. That’s $56,000 worth of books! We are so grateful to all of our supporters who made this possible.
CELEBRATE MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
January 14, 2016: Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Celebrate the power of his words to fight inequality.
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If the average level of education increased by one year in the U.S., murder and assault would be reduced by 30%, car theft by 20%, arson by 13% and robbery by 6%.
WORD OF THE WEEK
AHIMSA (noun): Nonviolence.
WORDS HAVE POWER
“Be First And Be Lonely.” Ginni Rometty
“Sit down and ask yourself, ‘What is the most important thing to me?’ What makes me the most upset – is it healthcare? Is it so many people being hungry in our culture? Is it sexual abuse? Mix that with doing something you love, something you could keep doing forever and ever. For me it was ending violence against women, and I mixed it with music. And I’ve had a 25-year career. So that’s my advice: Find something you really care about and mix that with something you love doing.” Kathleen Hanna
“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” Ella Fitzgerald
HAPPY 2016!
January 7, 2016: From everyone at Word Rebel, Happy New Year!
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The current difference in the education levels of white and black men accounts for 23% of the higher incarceration rates for black men.
WORD OF THE WEEK
RENEGE (verb): To refuse to do something that you promised or agreed to do; to go back on one’s word.
WORDS HAVE POWER
“A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.” Mark Twain
“All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea.” Napoleon Hill
“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.” Linus Pauling
HAPPY NEW YEAR
The modern New Year celebration stems from the ancient feast of the Roman god Janus, god of doorways and beginnings. January’s namesake had two faces. One face looked into the past, and the other looked into the future. Just as we do today. Why did the custom travel to the America? The first days of January were noticeably longer again after the shortest day of the year on the December solstice. This return of more daylight had a profound effect on agricultural cultures. One more reason January was a celebration of new beginnings.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
December 24, 2015: From everyone at Word Rebel, we wish you a joy-filled holiday season.
SPREAD THE WORD
85% of children in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate.
WORD OF THE WEEK
RIDENT (adjective): Laughing, smiling, cheerful.
WORDS HAVE POWER
“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” Anon
“Nothing seems really to matter, that’s the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don’t, whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you’re always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you’ve done it there’s always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you’d much better not.” Kenneth Grahame
ACTIVITY UPDATE
Words have power. Use them to learn! Did you know that in 17th century Puritan New England, public displays of “Holiday Spirit” were illegal and cost a 5 shilling fine? Did you know the author of the Headless Horseman may have sparked the positive revival of Christmas in 1819 when he created the iconic image of Santa Claus that we still cherish today? Don’t take your education for granted! Opportunities for learning are everywhere.
FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOLIDAY SPENDING
December 17, 2015: Shop on Amazon Smile and a portion of your purchase supports Word Rebel.
SPREAD THE WORD
Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up either in prison or on welfare.
WORD OF THE WEEK
UMBRAGEOUS (adjective): Inclined to take offense easily.
WORDS HAVE POWER
“The only way to deal with something deadly serious is to treat it a little lightly.” Madeleine L’Engle
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Albert Einstein
ACTIVITY UPDATE
On December 10th, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law. This bill legally recognizes the need to educate children from birth. Help us do just that! Use amazon.smile.com for all holiday and online shopping! When you do a portion of your purchase will be used to buy books for kids! Spread the word. Give more children a quality education and an equal opportunity to succeed.
HAPPY HUMAN RIGHTS DAY!
December 10, 2015: Celebrating the human rights made possible by the written and spoken word.
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171 million people in low-income countries would be lifted out of poverty if they left school with basic reading skills.
WORD OF THE WEEK
HEURISTIC (adjective): Enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves.
WORDS HAVE POWER
“Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.” Nelson Mandela
“To make myself powerful, I only need one thing, that is education…The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.” Malala Yousafzai
“A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of men and women.” Gloria Stein
GIVING THE GIFT OF READING
December 3, 2015: Thank you for giving 10 children books for the holidays.
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During summer break, 80% of children from low-income communities lose reading skills because they lack access to books, libraries or bookstores. By fifth grade, this summer “slump” adds up to three years of reading loss.
WORD OF THE WEEK
ACCISMUS: When you pretend to be not interested in something or someone, when you really are interested
WORDS HAVE POWER
“We know from science that nothing in the universe exists as an isolated or independent entity.” Margaret Wheatley
“Our separation of each other is an optical illusion of consciousness.” Albert Einstein
“You are something the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is something the whole ocean is doing.” Alan W. Watts
“Say I Am You. I am dust particles in sunlight. I am the round sun. I am morning mist, and the breathing of evening…Both candle and the moth crazy around it. Rose, and the nightingale lost in the fragrance. I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy, the evolutionary intelligence, the lift and the falling away. What is, and what isn’t…You the one in all, say who I am. Say I am You.” Rumi
NEXT TUESDAY = GIVING TUESDAY
November 25, 2015: For 2015 only, $1 donates 1 Disney Collection (20 stories).
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Children who were read to 3x times a week were twice as likely than children read to less than 3x a week to score in the top 25% of in reading comprehension.
WORD OF THE WEEK
EIDETIC (adjective): Used to describe mental images that have unusual vividness and detail, as if actually visible.
WORDS HAVE POWER
“It is intoxicating when somebody is so unapologetically who they are.” Don Cheadle
“If you know who you are, then don’t let the hurtful words of others affect you! You aren’t defined by the insecurities of others.” Meghanann Hargis
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” George R.R. Martin
We are excited that our picture books will be in the hands of the kids we serve just in time for Picture Book Month – November! We have loved choosing which picture books children receive. Our goal is to choose books that will remain cherished for a lifetime, to be read again and again and again. While I have my own story-time memories and favorite books (like 
Fight The Word Gap 