9 minute read
Your Summer Reading List
YOUR SUMMER READING STORY BY MARISELA GARZA
Are you dreaming of 80-degree weather and the days you’ll spend relaxing in your lawn chair? Me too. With spring already warming things up, it won’t be long before we’re kicking back to enjoy a gorgeous Michigan summer.
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I hope you’ll join me in making reading an important part of your family’s summer. It’s always a great way to spend time together. Plus, with our school systems in flux, it’s more important than ever to keep the kiddos reading.
Reading together has many benefits for children, even those who can read independently. It’s easy to think, “OK, they’re good, we don’t need to read with them anymore.” But research shows that reading aloud not only improves comprehension, it increases confidence, even in older children. It also promotes vocabulary and opens channels of discussion.
So, while it’s great to encourage independent reading, consider adopting some of these read-together ideas at home: • Read a classic title, taking turns and making sure to talk together about the story. Classics like Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White or Where the Red
Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls are great choices. • Start a family book club. The rules can be as simple or complex as you wish, but the basic idea is to assign family members to read and discuss different titles. For ideas visit readbrightly.com and enter “family book club” in the search box. • Play library at home. Encourage children to present a storytime or give a book talk recommending their favorite titles. • Read about a topic and then talk about it together. Find resources at the Michigan Electronic Library (mel.org/welcome). Opposing Viewpoints in Context is excellent for helping kids develop critical thinking skills and generating conversations. The eBook K-8 Collection is also outstanding.
Go outside to read and talk together. Visit a park, trail or your backyard to set up shop for reading in a relaxed environment. Check out your library or favorite online bookstore for books that offer reading tips. I recommend My Weird Reading Tips by Dan Gutman, a favorite author among elementary school kids.
Finally, be sure to sign up your family for Capital Area District Libraries’ 2020 Summer Reading Challenge. While we will not be offering the usual summer entertainment events, we are encouraging everyone to read for fun and to win prizes. This free challenge is already underway at cadl.org/summer.
Marisela Garza is a youth services specialist at Capital Area District Libraries and a co-host of the Reader’s Roundtable podcast.
Put your business at the Centre of it all
Sally Babbitt provides probate and estate planning services to help families navigate the legal issues of death and incapacity — including wills, trusts, estate and trust administration, guardians, conservators, and probate litigation.
Babbitt serves as the treasurer for the Resolution Services Center of Central Michigan, is a member of the Eaton County Bar and Ingham County Bar associations, and the probate and estate planning section of the State Bar of Michigan. Babbitt also is co-chair for the probate and estate planning section of the Ingham County Bar Association. She speaks and publishes on estate and probate topics in addition to appearing monthly on Fox 47’s “Morning Blend.”
sallybabbittlaw.com (517) 507-3306 6005 W. St. Joseph Highway, Suite 302 Lansing, MI 48917
SUSAN MAPLES, M.D.
Dr. Susan Maples is a 30-year clinician who leads a total health and dental care practice in Holt, Michigan. She is one of the Top 25 Women in U.S. Dentistry and also one of the Top 8 Innovators in Dentistry, according to Dental Products Report. Maples is co-author of “Blabber Mouth, 77 Secrets Only Your Mouth Can Tell You To Live a Healthier, Happier, Sexier Life” and is the co-investigator for an award-winning study on the detection of diabetes in the dental office.
DrSusanMaples.com (517) 649-0353 2102 N. Aurelius Road, Suite 1 Holt, MI 48842
MICHELLE CARPENTER
MCarpenter@dartbank.com dartbank.com (517) 699-3379 1020 Chalevoix Drive Grand Ledge, MI 48837 Michelle Carpenter considers her passion for others, experience in the banking industry and the ability to become a trusted advisor to many a true gift. She has spent 26 years as a community banker for Dart Bank, and currently serves as the vice president of business services and investor relations. Carpenter partners with local businesses, assisting them with the right business solutions for their unique situations, to help them proposer and grow. She also manages the shareholder affairs for the bank. Outside of the bank, Carpenter very active in several local organizations and enjoys giving back. Carpenter is currently the treasurer and the membership coordinator for Holt Business Alliance.
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Thais Rousseau is the collection development director for Capital Area District Libraries, a 13-branch system serving Ingham County and part of Eaton County. She holds a master’s degree in library and information science from Wayne State University and has 14 years of experience in public libraries. In her current role at CADL, she has expanded streaming video, developed an initiative to increase diverse materials and added a child-focused Library of Things, Jr. Rousseau has been instrumental in helping thousands of students access the library through CADL’s Student Success Initiative.
cadl.org (517) 367-6300 401 S. Capitol Ave. Lansing, MI 48933
KEVIN LONDON, M.D.
Kevin London completed his undergraduate degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and attended medical school at the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Before joining the Alliance team in 2013, London was a staff physician at St. Vincent Mercy in Toledo, Ohio. He was also an OB-GYN house physician at Huron Valley Sinai Hospital and served as the medical director at American Laser Skin Care. London believes in a partnership approach to women’s health care, working with his patients on the premise that integrative treatment decisions lead to optimal health. He is currently accepting new patients.
1560 Turf Lane East Lansing, MI 48823 Main Campus alliance-obgyn.com
LIZ RENO-HAYES
South Campus (517) 484-3000 1100 S. Cedar St. Mason, MI 48854
Liz has a genuine smile that connects with everyone she meets. That alone makes her approachable and easy to connect with: a small but important part of what makes a great account executive representing Capital Area Women’s LifeStyle Magazine, Greater Lansing Business Monthly and ing Magazine. Liz graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Business and a focus on sales and business marketing. With more than 10 years of sales and client management experience, she loves to help her clients grow their business.
m3group.biz (517) 203-3333 221 W. Saginaw St. Lansing, MI 48933
LCC Overcomes Obstacles, Assists Students During Crisis
By Andy Brent
Social distancing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way Americans meet, work and learn. The long-term effects of extended quarantine raise questions about the safety of future gatherings, a fact that has left businesses and schools scrambling for solutions.
Colleges and universities face seemingly insurmountable challenges, unable to know or reasonably predict when normal, face-to-face classes might resume. This uncertainty caught many schools flat-footed, with some still trying to find ways to operate this summer and fall.
Lansing Community College (LCC) is ahead of the curve. Before the stay-at-home order was issued, LCC was distributing equipment and troubleshooting software in preparation for the possibility of long-term virtual learning. LCC’s commitment to innovation in this time of crisis has borne fruit; since March 24, LCC’s transition to online learning has kept most classes operational and students on track toward certification, graduation and/or program completion.
“LCC has transitioned to 100% online, and it’s working,” said LCC President Brent Knight. “For summer, we will be all online. The educational and life plans of many people in the community have been disrupted, and we stand ready to meet the needs of all students this summer, and in the fall.”
Summer registration at LCC opens April 20, and all online summer classes begin the week of June 1. Fall registration opens for all areas May 18.
LCC’s faculty are experts at online learning. They have worked with technology staff to create a seamless transition to all online classes. Always highly regarded, LCC’s curriculum remains highly transferrable, and leads to certificates and degrees for good paying jobs in great careers.
With student support second to none in mid-Michigan, LCC’s committed Academic Success Coaches and advising staff connect students with necessary resources. Students are can also count on the LCC library, which has adjusted to continue loaning laptops to students during quarantine through the on-campus Public Safety Office.
Addressing the technological needs of students and faculty has been one of the biggest obstacles LCC has overcome. To date, LCC has loaned more than 700 laptops to students during the COVID-19 crisis, and qualifying faculty have been equipped with Jetpack mobile hotspots. These measures, among others, will keep LCC operating with an eye toward the future “Many students planned to attend colleges and universities this summer and fall,” Knight said. “Many students planned to work. Now, as we all stay home and stay safe, students can rely on LCC to bridge whatever gap this virus has caused with convenient, all online registration and instruction, and education of the highest quality.”
LCC’s Community Education Youth Programs and Adult Enrichment have also answered the call to meet community needs during the COVID-19 crisis. Youth and adult program instructors have recorded and posted class sessions to the LCC Community Education Facebook page as part of the “Stay at home, stay safe, stay smart!” initiative, providing a muchneeded opportunity to engage and learn.
The Early College (TEC) at LCC is also finding distinction in the midst of crisis. Elijah Fink, an LCC and TEC student, has created and donated N95 masks using a 3D printer Fink built himself as a school project. Fink’s ingenuity and commitment to finding positive solutions in crisis is only part the LCC community’s robust COVID -19 response. LCC has donated more than 60,000 gloves and 8,000 facemasks to first responders and health care workers to help address the overwhelming need for personal protective equipment (PPE).
“We are confident in our capacity to deliver excellent solutions for all students this summer,” Knight said. “In the fall, we do not yet know if we will be able to return to the classroom as normal, if we will still be all online, or if there will be some combination of the two. LCC’s faculty and staff have developed plans to surmount each challenge so far, and we will continue to adapt, overcome and deliver the most agile instruction available in Greater Lansing, or anywhere.”
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