What Teachers Say
Jefferson Elementary...
Jefferson Elementary School is in Glendive, MT. Glendive is a rural community with a population of about 5,000. Kindergarten through 2nd grade is housed at Jefferson School. We have 5 first grade classrooms with about 20 students in each room. Jefferson School is also a Title 1 school, this means that 33% of our school population is on free and reduced lunch and milk.
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This year is the first year we have implemented the Learning With Lucky program. We have a very supportive community and with help from HKT Big Sky Motors and other donors, we were able to bring the program into our school with no cost to the district. Lindsay Toepke came into the school before we started the program to introduce it to our students and get them excited about the reading program. Our students were so excited to finally get their hands on the puppies! Each classroom has implemented the program with the same set of goals/celebrations. You can walk into any of our classrooms during the day and see a kiddo snuggling up with their pup and reading. The puppies have been a great motivational tool that encourages even more reading during the school day. Each time the students read with an adult, they are checking their progress with the reward system in place. We follow the system set up in the Learning With Lucky Book Log. As elementary teachers, we are always looking for ways to encourage our students to read. With this program, the students are continually wanting to use their spare time to read to their pup!
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Learning With Lucky has been nothing but a positive addition to our classrooms! We hope to continue using the program for years to come! Thank you for allowing us to be part of such an amazing program!
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~ Amy R. (First Grade Teacher at Jefferson Elementary)
Carolyn Whalen
Northside School, Sandpoint, Idaho
This program is crucial to both me and my students. I cannot envision teaching first grade without it. It has been VERY motivating to keep reading and earning the next prize for the puppies.
Denise Martin
Heyburn Elementary, St. Maries, Idaho
"Puppy reading" is an absolute must in my classroom ... something that every student looks forward to doing each and every day (this must was initiated by the students and not the teacher). Test scores have increased because of the determination of wanting to read with Lucky.
Ann Rotz
Garwood Elementary, Rathdrum, Idaho
I see my laziest of students diving into book after book. I also see my brightest student helping out others who need help! This is my 18th year of teaching. I really see my WHOLE class love reading books!
