Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/912628
A Sporting Chance N E E D F U N D S for your school's sports program? Public high and middle schools should apply for a 2018 Thomas R. Brown Athletics Grant from California Casualty. Awardees can score up to $3,000. Last year, 10 California schools received grants to purchase such items as new helmets for softball and baseball teams, and new uni- forms for soccer and track teams. The grant is named for Califor- nia Casualty Chairman Emeritus Tom Brown, who understands that "valuable sports lessons teach pride and confidence and lead to success in the classroom and community." See calcasathleticsgrant.com to apply. Deadline is Jan. 15, 2018, for consideration for the 2017- 18 academic year. Winners are announced in April. Letters About Literature T H E 2 5 T H A N N U A L writing competition Letters About Literature, sponsored by the Library of Congress and coordinated statewide by the California School Library Association, lets students in grades 4-12 write reflectively and compete for a prize at the same time. To enter, students choose a book, story or poem that made an impact on them, then write a letter to the author — living or dead — explaining how it shaped their perspective on the world or themselves. Entries must be postmarked by Jan. 12, 2018. Letter writers are judged in three groups according to grade level, and the top letters in the state advance to the national level. Details and a free Teaching Guide are available at read.gov/letters. Holiday Shopping J O I N T H E T H O U S A N D S of CTA members who have saved over $3 million using the Access to Savings program. A few of the deals: • Up to 20 percent off clothing and toys at Carter 's, OshKosh B'gosh, Target.com, Kohls.com and more. • Up to 30 percent off Harry & David gift baskets. • Up to 30 percent off Dell and Lenovo electronics, free shipping on Skullcandy.com's earbuds and headphones, and 10 percent off plus free shipping on OtterBox phone cases. • Up to 50 percent off Office Depot's computers, accessories and more. • Up to 25 percent off AMC Theatres tickets, up to 30 percent off Cin- emark Theatres tickets, and up to 30 percent off Regal Entertainment Group tickets. • Staying home? Rent a Redbox DVD or Blu- ray Disc and get one free for the first night. Log in to the member savings program through CTAMemberBenefits.org/Access. ! Send a Message to the Author of Your Favorite Book Take a moment to think about one of your favorite books. What is it about that book that makes it special to you? How has that book changed your view of the world or yourself? Turn your thoughts into words to send to the author of the book. Dear____________________________________, (Name of author) My name is ___________________________________ and I live in _________________________, ________. (your name) (city) (state) I loved your book ___________________________________________________________________________________________ (title of book) because it made me ________________________________________________________________________________________ (reflect on how the book made you react) __________________________________________________________________________________________ (reflect on how the book made you react) ___________________________________________________________________________________________. (reflect on how the book made you react) Thank you for _____________________________________________________________________________________. Sincerely, ________________________________ Or draw [on reverse] Decorate What Would You Say? CTA's Advocacy Agenda CTA's Advocacy Agenda — 10 initiatives that lead to the public education all students deserve — has a new look. See advocacyagenda.cta.org for the colorful infographic that you can easily share with parents and on social media. The agenda, based on education research, was cre- ated with the input and expertise of thousands of educators across the state. For CTA Members Only 11 D E C E M B E R 2 017 / J A N U A R Y 2 018