Dear Dobbs Ferry Community Member,
The end of the school year is swiftly approaching and while nobody is eager to have homework, over the vacation, we are hoping to get 100% participation in our first-ever Community Summer Read!
This summer the Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District would like to invite all K-12 students, parents, faculty, staff and administrators to join in a Community Read of the book, Three Cups of Tea. Our goal is to promote a shared literary experience and create a common dialogue between school and home around the themes that one person can make a difference, and that education can be the vehicle for peace and hope.
We chose the book, Three Cups of Tea for three very important reasons. First, the book is available in three different versions and is accessible to everyone regardless of your age or reading level. All three editions are #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list.
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Adult Version
Three Cups of Tea: One Mans Mission to Promote Peace&..One School At A Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin |
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Young Adult Version
Three Cups of Tea; One Mans Journey to Change the World, One child At A Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin |
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Childrens Version
Listen to the Wind; The story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & Susan L. Roth |
Each version of this inspirational story depicts Greg Mortensons mission to promote peace by building schools in isolated, impoverished areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. As described by Tom Brokaw, Three Cups of Tea is one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time. Greg Mortensons dangerous and difficult quest to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only a thrilling read, its proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world.
The second reason for choosing this book is because it supports our Strategic Plan and our Global Culture goal to promote intercultural understanding so that our students value and are able to interact with people from different social, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Three Cups of Tea will provide all of our readers with a universal understanding of different customs, viewpoints and vocabulary enabling them to experience and connect to people with backgrounds dissimilar to their own. The book supports the message of Rachels Challenge, which maintains that one person can start a chain reaction and positively impact the lives of others through kindness and compassion.
Lastly, the third reason for selecting this book is because it incorporates subject areas and themes across the curriculum including, but not limited to, geography, social studies, language arts, and community service. It is our hope that all members of the Dobbs Ferry Schools community will read one of these books over the summer, and return to school in September with a renewed spirit that we all have the ability to make a difference.
This initiative is being co-sponsored by the School District, the Dobbs Ferry Schools Foundation and the Dobbs Ferry PTSA. A guest speaker will also be leading a school-wide assembly related to our selected reading in the fall. I sincerely hope you will join us for our first-ever Community Summer Read program.
Thank you for your support and have a great vacation!
Best Regards,
Debra Kaplan
Superintendent of Schools