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by Eleanor Zucker
Gearing Up for Summer!
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Summer School Is Essential
Hekab Be Summer School will celebrate 11 years in this year!
Akumal children need your help.
 Why summer school?
Educational research shows that summer is a critical time when children often fall behind in their academic skills, especially when they lack educational resources and support at home. Our experience has been that the kids in our summer program don't just maintain their knowledge, they get ahead! Many children of Akumal have learned to read during the library's summer program.
The HB summer course has become a staple summer activity for many families in Akumal, especially since there are few other similar options for kids during their summer break. Thanks to the intensive efforts of our staff in planning and carrying out the summer program, the children who attend make great academic and social advancements during their vacation. Each year the library integrates special activities into the summer course: last year we focused on nutrition and recreation, in prior years we have focused on the arts. Our 2011 summer course theme planning is still underway, but tune into our blog later this month for an update on this year's focus.
If you contribute just $30 U.S., it will support one child for the entire month of Hekab Be's enrichment summer program! We expect to enroll 60 kids between the ages of 5–12. To donate, click on the donate button. Be sure to indicate that you are donating to sponsor a child for the summer program.
As a special enticement for donors supporting summer scholars at HB, each donor will be entered into a raffle to win a plaster Mayan-style mask made by the library kids! Support more kids to earn more chances to win the mask Two masks will be raffled in mid-July.
HB Staff and Kids Invent Rock Paintings
Inspired by some of the more "primitive" drawings of Pablo Picasso, whom the children at HB began learning about in April with a visiting volunteer (see our blog post), HB kids and staff began to investigate rock paintings and petroglyphs. What did real rock paintings look like? Where did they exist? And what purpose did they serve for the people who made them?
Having learned about rock paintings, the kids and staff decided they wanted to create their own. In a process of trial and error, they experimented with different art techniques and mediums (water color, markers, stencils) to create some authentic-looking rock paintings of their own One child suggested they crumple their paintings to give an old feel to it, making it even more real looking. This is but one example of the ways that Hekab Be provides a place for the children of Akumal to extend their learning and creativity!
HB Online Shop Now Open
Get your HB gear and help us keep our programs running, it’s a win-win! See what's in our store.
Library Angels = Generous Souls!
In April we announced the beginning of our "Library Angels" program. This program has been created to encourage folks to become monthly sponsors of the library. The amount given each month is entirely up to the sponsor and can be automatically deducted from the sponsor's bank account with Bill Pay or through the library's blog Paypal account.
So far we have 11 ANGELS, whose donations will cover one-quarter of our monthly operating expenses! Are there still some more angels out there waiting for wings?
To become an angel, visit our blog and click on the subscribe button to sign up. The monthly donation amount is solely up to the sponsor; there is no minimum nor maximum amount required to participate. For questions directly related to the Library Angels' program, please e-mail: hekabbe@aol.com.
Stay up to date with the latest library happenings by visiting our Main Blog.
If you would like to help by bringing down items for the library to use in our on-going programs, check our Wish List Blog for most needed items.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to Hekab Be, visit our Donation Blog.
Questions About Hekab Be?
E-mail us at akumallibrary@gmail.com or stop by and talk to Carlos.
Library Hours of Operation
Our schedule is the following:
Monday & Friday: 9:30 am-5:30 pm (closed 1-2:30 for lunch)
Tuesday & Thursday: 9:30 am-4:30 pm (closed 1-2:30 for lunch)
Wednesday: 12-1 and 2:30-5:30 (staff read at Akumal school in morning)
Saturday 9-1
Closed Sunday
AA Meetings at the library are Monday-Saturday 8:30-10 p.m. (sometimes meetings are not held on Wednesday)
Join our cause on Facebook: Hekab Be Biblioteca.
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