A Successful Year! Students' Year-End Exam Results

The students had a very successful 2008-2009 school year!

Total number of students: 273

Students who took the year-end exam: 259

Students who passed: 220

Students who did not pass: 39

Students who missed the test due to work: 14

Amazing thanks to the teachers who make everything possible:

Yeann Doeurn

Thay Chan

Touch Chanthy

Morm Samuth

Por Sophean

Plok Soeurt

Special thanks to Vey Lav, ELMA School principal, for sharing these inspirational results!

Thank You to Katherine Wong and Yosh Haggerty

Dear Dayima and Yosh,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful book donations to the Cambodian students.

Dayima,

The brightly colored primary school picture books are perfect for the younger children. They'll love seeing all of the shapes and alphabet depictions.

Yosh,

The teenage students and teachers will love the gorgeous photo books of North America and mountain ranges. The younger students will love the storybooks.

Love,

Leah

The Ideals of Martin Luther King, Jr.

June 4, 2009

Dear Leah,

I received the new box of books, 10 calculators and school supplies last week from the Angkor Hospital for Children.

How amazed we are. We found other nice picture books, stories and history books in the note.

One book we think is very interesting. It is the book that tells the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. who had fought for equal rights, and fought racism in the United States.

Please say hi to donors. I will send the pictures of kids with their clothes soon.

All very best from Elma kids,

Vey

Donation Wish List & Volunteer Opportunities

Hi! Many of you have asked for specific direction on what types of books, clothing and school supply donations are most needed. Here's the work-in-progress wish list.

Thanks and gratitude for everyone's generosity and compassion.

Leah

Books
Educational, in English.
Children's picture books and board books at the toddler and elementary school level.
Hardcover books are preferable so that they'll last; paperbacks also welcome.
Easy to understand, simple layout, lots of color, illustrations or photos (for example, the Dorling Kindersley's Eyewitness series is the perfect mix of informational text and pictures).
Teenage and adult books about other countries and cultures.
Teenage and adult books about how the world works and what it looks like, for example, atlases, science, photography.
Reference books like dictionaries, especially large print illustrated children's dictionaries.
Teaching manuals.
Grammar and punctuation guides (simple elementary school reading level).

Clothes
New or used in good condition.
All children's and teenager sizes, slim adult sizes.
Lightweight, cotton, colors and lighter hues, quick-drying for the hot and humid climate.

School supplies
Backpacks
Bags to carry schoolbooks
Notepads of binder paper
Pencils
Pens
Erasers
Pencil sharpeners
Dry erase markers for whiteboards

Art supplies
Notepads of blank drawing paper
Crayons
Colored markers
Paints
Brushes
Craft supplies

Games
Educational boardgames
Educational puzzles
Flashcards: alphabet, vocabulary and grammar

Volunteer opportunities
Teach English at the ELMA School near Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Doctors can volunteer at the Angkor Hospital for Children, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Travelers to Angkor Wat can bring books, school supplies and clothes.

Charles Schwab Foundation Donates Calculators

May 17, 2009

Dear Vey, Rithy and ELMA students,

I hope this shipment finds you well and happy! You are always in my thoughts and in the thoughts of so many kind people around the world.

We have an exciting new type of donation—10 calculators from the Charles Schwab Foundation. Special thanks to Roger Wong for facilitating the donation of the calculators, as well as the Schwab Volunteer Week t-shirts.

May Young, Jennifer Orlando and Rick Yee donated the additional school supplies.

Louise Roberts, Anna Honda, Jennifer Orlando, Allison Lau, David Klein and Leah Lau donated books.

Louise Roberts made the quilt, and Leah donated the additional clothes and alphabet flashcards.

Among the 21 books in this shipment, some of the highlights are:
*The National Geographic National Parks of America
*Frans Lanting Eye to Eye (wildlife portraits of animals)
*Wildlife Photographer of the Year (featuring Thomas Mangelsen)
*biographies of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jacques Cousteau
*Children's Atlas of the World
*First Illustrated Dictionary
*Space Travel
*Antarctica: A Call to Action

Thank you for continuing to tell me how much you and the students are enjoying the educational books that show what the rest of the world looks like. It's so gratifying to see you learn, grow and become stronger in life.

Love always,

Leah


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Inscription in *Wildlife Photographer of the Year

May 2009

Dear ELMA students,

This lovely book of animals and natural landscapes features the winning photos from an annual contest.

The winner from that year, Thomas Mangelsen, is a wildlife biologist who has many photography galleries around the United States.

In the late 1990s, I worked in one of his California galleries, learning how to run a gallery, sell photos, install art exhibits and frame photos.

It was a pivotal year in my development as a photographer.

I hope that you enjoy the images in this book which range from aesthetically beautiful to social commentary about animals being abused in human captivity.

May it help inspire you as it has inspired me.

Love always,

Leah


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Inscription in the National Geographic National Parks of America

May 2009

Dear ELMA students,

As part of my love for travel and the nature, I've visited many of the national parks featured in this book. May these beautiful, protected places inspire you to see more of your own country and the world.

Love always,

Leah

ELMA Students With Their New Books

April 16,2009

Photos Sheree sent of ELMA School students in class and reading in the library.

National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World

April 19, 2009

Dear Vey, Rithy & ELMA students,

How are you? I hope this shipment finds you well and happy. Sheree shared so many beautiful photos of you all that brought me so much joy.

My brother, Eric, and I built a blog Web site which features your photos, the ELMA School and your progress. I hope you will have a chance to see it on a computer soon.

In this shipment are books donated by Louise Roberts (who also donated the clothes), Anna Honda, Allison Lau, Eric Lau, Jennifer Orlando, David Klein, Holly Haraguchi and me.

Vey and Sheree have been telling me about what kinds of books you are interested in, especially ones about other countries and the rest of the world.

I was very lucky to find this "National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World," which is filled with gorgeous photos from all seven continents. It is truly a way to have the entire world at your fingertips. Books like this inspire me every day in my life, and I hope that they can do the same in yours.

I also found these other educational books that I hope you enjoy:

"Children's Atlas of the Universe"
"My First Encyclopedia of the Human Body"
Large print thesaurus
Biographies of Neil Armstrong, Anne Frank, George Washington and Matthew Henson.

Love always,

Leah