Summer Reading for Second Graders 

For anyone just joining us, last year for Accio Books NYDA helped to create the library at the New Beginnings Charter School. We just got through tutoring the third and fourth graders for State Exams, but what about the second graders. We shouldn’t leave them out. They will be taking the State Exams next year. So, let’s provide them with some cool books to kickstart their summer reading! At the Google doc below, you will find a list of second grade appropriate books. Please choose a book or books from the list that you would like to send. 

thehpalliance:

Our very own Andrew Slack is going to be on Fireside Chat tonight at 10:00 p.m. EST! Will you be listening in?

Listen in live here: http://www.hgfiresidechat.com

Double the Chapters, Double the Fun 

It started as a simple idea. The Auror Brigade was looking for a sister chapter. Enter NYDA. Amy and I met on a Community Chapters Skype Call almost a year ago. She mentioned that she was looking for a chapter that the Auror Brigade could work with, and she adopted us soon after. We weren’t sure how this sister chapter thing was going to work, but even if it was just cheering each other on, it was worth it. 

It would up being a lot more than just that. Amy and Mindy became a valuable resource. We supported each other’s chapter events, and I now had another Chapter Organizer that I could ask questions. It was really awesome to have some insight into how another chapter operates. It gave me some ideas for how to improve my own.

We recently decided that it was time for our two chapters to meet. Never mind the fact that the Aurors are in Los Angeles, and we’re in New York. There’s always Skype. Amy, Mindy, and I set the date for the call and got an unbelievable response from both chapters. Clearly Amy and I were not the only ones who wanted our chapters to work together.  We had close to twenty people RSVP.  I can’t remember the last time I had twenty people RSVP for anything. 

The night of the call arrived. Despite a rocky start and massive Skype issues, we were still able to get eleven people in on the call with each chapter sufficiently represented. We started the call with one of Karen Bernstein’s favorite icebreakers, what’s your favorite office supply. (Karen is the former Chapters Director.)  Apparently, post-it-notes are very popular among our members. Surprisingly, office supplies did generate a good discussion, although one participant was very surprised more people didn’t chooselaptops.

Then we got down to business. The main purpose of the call was just to get to know each other, but we did talk about some HPA stuff, too. We learned about the Auror’s beginnings. The future of Not in Harry’s Name came up. We all plan to do Letters from Everyone, and Amy shared how she came up with the idea. (Lots of letters from us means that lots of people get the message. It might even come up in a random discussion at WB.) We learned about environmental groups that we support, Sea Partners and Darwin Animal Doctors. We even got in some book talk, and we mentioned some upcoming plans. Amy even invited us out to Los Angeles for the Western Quidditch Cup. All in all a successful call. And I’ve already been asked about when we’re doing the next one.

This was really a great opportunity to get to know another chapter. Because of the distance, we can’t be at events, but there are other ways to work together. For example, they were interested in learning more about Darwin Animal Doctors and we learned more about Sea Partners. So if either charity does some type of event we could both be involved. We are planning to do more of these Skype calls so we can be involved in what the Aurors are doing, and they can know more about us. Distance does not have to stand in your way when it comes to working with other chapters.

And if we can do it, you can do it, too!

"Because if Harry Potter taught us anything, it’s that nobody deserves to live in a closet."  - Harry Potter Alliance on LBGT organizations (via despite-all-of-my-struggles)