(Photo: The Spanking New Bishop Maginn Choir)
For me, the new Bishop Maginn High School Regents Review Wish List is perhaps the most meaningful effort, yet we have undertaken on behalf of the school. We are seeking to purchase 120 new review books for students at roughly $15 apiece so that students in all grades can study for the most critical academic test of their lives.
This will cost nearly $2,000 and I suspect it may take longer than the usual Wist Lists to sell out. But the individual books are not as expensive as most textbooks.
We can’t buy them used because used books are often marked up with the results filled in, and this edition is brand new. I thought the total would be less, but once we realized we had to buy the new versions, the cost went up. Costs never seem to go down.
The school asked us for help because many of the school’s families can’t afford to buy them, and the school doesn’t have the funds to buy enough of these giant books (800 pages), critical so that the teachers and students can prepare for examples that will affect their whole lives.
Many students don’t get to review the tests adequately.
I think it’s essential to get the books sooner rather than later since there’s an awful lot of material to learn, and many of these students are not entirely fluent in English.
The school was reluctant to ask for these books – they hate to ask for anything – but I urged them to do it. Two thousand dollars is a lot of money, but at $14.99 a book, if some of us buy two or three, we can do it without too much grief.
There are a lot of people reading the blog out there.
This is a big deal for the students. They must pass the New York State Regents Exam – offered several times a year to all grades – to graduate, and if they don’t graduate, college and good jobs are out of the question.
More than 40 percent of the school’s students are refugees. The ratio of teachers to students is 1:15. More than 90 percent of Bishop Maginn students get accepted to college.
I asked Sue Silverstein to write a short paragraph explaining the importance of these review books. She obliged, of course.
“The review books for the New York State Regents Exams are an invaluable asset to our students. The books provide a review of all the materials that will be covered on the examinations as well as test-taking advice and techniques for success.
Buying new books is a hardship for so many families. Being able to provide this tool for success at no cost will be a blessing for our students.
Teachers will be able to work with the students in the coming months as they prepare for their June examinations and give them much needed support and guidance.
Students in New York State must pass a series of Regents Examinations to complete the requirements for graduation from high school.
Having these books will be a tremendous help as they work hard to achieve future success!”
Sue said she was worried I might be stressed about getting all those books sold; they are not used to being supported in this way at Bishop Maginn.
I told her that she need not worry about me, this is a task and a challenge that I love, and I believe we will get there.
This is a reason for me and others to wake up in the morning and feel good and proud.
This is not selfless for me, it is selfish. It makes me feel good at a time when many people don’t.
The Army Of Good is strong and deep.
The only thing I fear about this work is not doing it. So here it is,
another chance for many of us to commit small acts of kindness that will make a huge difference in the lives of children who have suffered enough.
I can tell you they are eager to work and contribute to their families and our country.
I’m contributing $400 of my own money to this cause. A dozen books were sold as soon as it went up, and before I mentioned it on the blog. So I’m hopeful. I hope we can do this in the next week or so. I can’t think of a better cause.
You can see the Wish List
here. Remember, we need to buy the new copies of “Let’s Review” Regents. They cost $14.14 to $14.99. “Let’s Review Algebra costs $9.00.
If you are not online or don’t use Amazon, you can send a contribution to me via Paypal,
[email protected], or by check, Jon Katz, Bishop Maginn Review Books, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.
The
Wish List is a quick and efficient program. Amazon makes it easy. If Amazon asks for the school address, or you need it to buy the books, it’s Bishop Maginn High School, 75 Park Avenue, Albany, N.Y., 12202. The school phone is 518 463-2247.
Jon, Amazon isn’t offering me a shipping address for Bishop Magnin. Please advise so I can order some review guides
Its on the blog each post…Bishop Maginn High School, 75 Park Avenue, Albany, N.Y., 12292