March 7, 2019

Dear CLiF Year of the Book Selection Committee,

The Barton Academy and Graded School (BAGS) administration and staff are beyond excited about the possibility
of being sponsored for the Year of the Book. We fully understand that sponsorship comes with several
responsibilities including but not limited to selecting a coordinator, forming an advisory committee, ongoing
communication with CLiF, CLiF sponsors and our local community, providing valuable quality program feedback
and extensive event planning. We accept and recognize that these responsibilities will lay the foundation for
continued literacy growth in our community for years to come. We are both ready and committed to complete these
initiatives with the support, direction and assistance of CLiF.

We recognize that CLiF’s mission is to provide services to students in grades PK-6 and the Year of the Book has the
greatest impact when delivered to no more than 250 students. Currently, at BAGS the kindergarten to grade 6
enrollment is approximately 125 students. Current preschool student enrollment at the Orleans Central Early
Childhood Program (OCECP) located in Barton is under 60. I have been in communication with Julie Lavine the
director of OCECP and she would enthusiastically accept and collaborate with us to provide Year of the Book
services to the preschool community. Our numbers are well below the suggested maximum of 250 students and
would plan to proceed with providing the Year of the Book services to our PK-6 students.

During this school year, we have worked to collaborate and integrate literacy services between the preschool, BAGS
and the Barton Public Library. Preschool students have visited BAGS for story time and activities and tentatively I
will be visiting them this Spring. Joanne Pariseau, the children’s librarian at Barton Public Library, is visiting the
preschool and has started hosting story time for several BAGS primary grade classes. Joanne and I plan to
collaborate to advertise, promote and increase awareness of the summer reading program at Barton Public Library.

As a school and literacy community, we are starting to connect and interweave services to both increase services and
foster an overall love of reading. The financial support and resources made available from CLiF’s Year of the Book
sponsorship would provide an unbelievable boost to our community to further enhance what we’ve already started
and provide our at-risk students with much needed books and opportunities.

Thank you for considering Barton Academy & Graded School for sponsorship. We hope to have the pleasure to
meet you in person at the Community Literacy Conference on March 27, 2019.

Please contact me if I may provide more detailed information.

Sincerely,

Meghann T. Roberts Kim Wheelock

Librarian Principal