Promoting Kindness, Empathy, Acceptance and Diversity through Literature Circles

Books have the power to change the way students see the world by opening their eyes to diverse experiences, and when students see the world from a new perspective, it makes them more understanding, aware, and accepting.

The teachers at Indian Springs Elementary have been working to promote these core values through the use of picture books, the students have loved this experience, and the teachers have seen the impact of this work.

The 5th Grade team noticed that their older students were ready to take this experience to the next level with novel studies that continue the mission of promoting kindness, empathy, acceptance, and diversity.

Thanks to an OEF Grant sponsored by Delaware Pediatric Dentistry, they were able to add these materials to their classrooms this year.

The result: “The discussion the books sparked has been amazing. Students are talking about kindness, empathy, and diversity and seeing the importance from new and unique perspectives.”

Confident, Emerging Readers!

At the start of this school year, Carrie Isabelle and Kacey Neville, kindergarten teachers at Glen Oak Elementary, received a large set of books via an OEF Grant. They chose books that kindergartners would be curious about, have repetitive patterns, intriguing pictures and opportunities for them to explore and grow as confident, risk taking readers.

What outcomes have you seen from your grant thus far?

A eager group of confident, emerging readers!

“The kindergarten readers’ confidence has skyrocketed! They are reading and “teaching” with their emergent reader books by videoing themselves reading.”

Grant-Making Groups

Olentangy Schools is an excellent school district, but many Olentangy staff members have ideas to enrich the educational experience in the classroom that fall outside the district’s budget. That’s where Olentangy Education Foundation comes in!  Every year, the Olentangy Education Foundation (OEF) provides grants for creative and innovative projects in Olentangy Schools. These grants are used for materials, resources and programs that fall outside of what school budgets can cover. 

OEF is always looking for donations to grow the amount of support provided to enrich the education experiences in classroom. Some people support efforts by making one-time donations, while others give monthly.

Another way to give is by creating a fund with OEF. Funds have been created by individuals, families, businesses and by groups of individuals.

Creating a Grant-Making Group is a fun, social way of creating a fund. Any group of individuals can organize a grant-making group by creating a fund at the Olentangy Education Foundation and pooling their donations. They then can collectively decide each year which pre-approved grants to support. By combining donations in a fund, the group can make a far greater impact than with smaller, individual donations.

It’s a fun way to support the Olentangy staff who work so hard to enrich the educational experience for the students in their classrooms!

OEF Golf Outing

The annual OEF Golf Outing will be held Monday, October 4 at Wedgewood Golf & Country Club.