Everybody Counts Week - February 14-18, 2011
The Lord said... "Do not consider his appearance or his height. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at his heart." I Samuel 16:7
This year's Everybody Counts week will take place on February 14-18, 2011. Committee members include Beth Bardolph, Kristy Bootsma, Michelle DeJong, and Jeannette Hammond. There will be a parent information night on Thursday, February 10 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. in the grade school library. All volunteers are encouraged to come to hear about the program and receive their volunteer folders. If you are a volunteer and are unable to come to the parent information night, please contact Kristy Bootsma at dkbootsma@comcast.net to arrange a way to get your volunteer folder.
"Everybody Counts" is a week-long program designed to teach children about various handicaps and how children with these disabilities cope with them. The goal is understanding, to help everyone know the person behind the disability and to create a climate in which we all feel at ease with one another's differences. One type of disability is presented each year to students at age comprehension level. The students have a chance to examine aids and appliances associated with the disability. Parent volunteers come in the classrooms and talk to the students about the particular disability and show a video. The students are broken into small groups that rotate into different "information" stations. Parents who have been involved in the past reported that they themselves felt they had learned a lot and gained further insight and understanding about those who live with a disability. The main point of the program is to teach the student that people are all different and God made each one of us special and unique.
The topics covered at the various grade levels are:
| Grade | Topic |
| Kindergarten | Introduction to Everybody Counts |
| 1st Grade | Visual Impairment |
| 2nd Grade | Hearing Impairment |
| 3rd Grade | Developmentally Disabled |
| 4th Grade | Motor & Ortho Impairment |
| 5th Grade | Learning Disabilities |
| 6th Grade | Chromosomal Disorders |