As we put our sand pails and flip flops away, we're getting ready for a very busy autumn . . . with our move to the Boston Children's Museum, our big celebration party on December 1st, a new semester of students as I launch my 17th year of undergrad teaching at Boston College, and many travels, speaking events, book launch parties, product news, etc.

We hope you enjoy this FableFlash that once again attempts to scoop some of the avalanche of fun news, inspirational stories and useful info/links to help you on YOUR learning mission as the new school year launches.

Follow Your North Star, Paul
Paul Reynolds, M.A., President
FableVision/Boston

FableVision also created several animated films to teach young children about fire safety including Where There's Smoke There's Science and a refreshing update to Sparky the Fire Dog called Sparky Says: Join My Fire Safety Club. All these projects hold special significance to us since Peter Reynolds' daughter woke up in the middle of the night when she was eleven years old and found her room engulfed in flame and smoke. Sarah escaped, but it helped us realize that there are some "stories that matter" that we just had to help tell. Check them out if you get a chance - they may just save a life.

Conference Co-Founder Don Mesibov's daughter Marli hosted several FableVision virtual seminars that connected our team in Boston to the conference teams using the Elluminate Live synchronous learning platform.

Stay tuned for more collaboration between FableVision and the Institute for Learner Centered Education!

Along with being a great gift for overscheduled families/children, So Few of Me is also a perfect gift for educators and a great addition to professional development programs!

Since we're in the process of moving our FableVision Headquarters to the Boston Children's Museum, we're busy working and packing through September. Amidst all the moving, here's where you'll find us:

September 13 - The Most Creative Year Ever presented by Peter H. Reynolds, sponsored by the Chelmsford Public Library in collaboration with the Chelmsford Public Schools. At the Chelmsford Public Library, 6:00 PM. Please call Maureen Foley at 978-256-5521 x 4 for free tickets.
September 16th - Boston Globe Children's Book Festival, Quincy Market, Boston, MA - Join Peter H. Reynolds and author Megan McDonald as they kick off Judy Moody Day in downtown Boston in association with Candlewick Press, The Boston Globe, and Target. For more info: https://www.bostonglobe.com/promotio ns/childrenbookfest/
September 16-19 - EdNet 2006 Annual Conference in Boston. Join top education executives, policymakers and school administrators for this powerful event focused on your success in the education market. These guys are great!
September 27-29 - National Media Market, Both Peter and Paul Reynolds will present the opening keynote at its annual conference on September 27, 2006, in MESA Arizona.
Sept 28 - Oct 1 - Park City Literary Festival, Park City, UT - Peter H. Reynolds will be one of the featured author/illustrators at Park City Literary Festival whose mission is "to celebrate and inspire writing and reading". Peter will be meeting students and staff from several area schools and hosting an afternoon reception for educators and those in the school community. He will also be the master of ceremonies at the Park City Animation Festival, working with students on creating their own book as well as playing an instrumental role in fund raising for this second annual event.

I am the Lower School computer teacher at Pace Academy in Atlanta, GA. Last September, after Hurricane Katrina released her wrath on the Gulf Coast, our school opened its doors to a number of students from New Orleans whose schools were unable to operate. One particular student, a fourth grade girl, moved to Atlanta with her mother and was due to start school the next Monday. We learned the Friday afternoon before that she was starting early, that same day!

I was scheduled to teach her future classmates during the last 45-minute period of that day. When they arrived at the lab, their homeroom teacher told me about their new student and was clearly disappointed that they had not had an opportunity to write notes of welcome to their new classmate. When she asked if I could help her out, I knew I needed to change my lesson plan for that afternoon; I also suspected that Stationery Studio, which I had recently purchased, would be a perfect choice for what I hoped to accomplish.

As the children arrived, I gave them a brief explanation of how Stationery Studio works. I was delighted to see that they were immediately infatuated with the wonderful graphics and format choices. They needed little or no motivation from me! For the remainder of that period, they worked diligently and happily. When the time came for their homeroom teacher to pick them up, I was able to hand her a complete set of beautiful welcome letters the new student could read over the weekend. Fortunately, she was still in the building and received them directly from her new homeroom teacher before she left the school.

I have since used Stationery Studio for other correspondence, invitations, poems and posters. It continues to be a favorite with both students and teachers!

As Peter notes, "It takes a brave heart to lead the life we are meant to live - and that message can never be echoed enough. That's why organizations like this are so important - to help keep amplifying these themes in a distracted and noisy world we live in today."

The Waltham Partnership for Youth purchased a copy of The Dot for each of its 25 board members who will read the book to several elementary classes in all seven of Waltham’s elementary schools at the beginning of the school year. We're cheering them on!

If you'd like to see the newest products, info on virtual author visits, and professional development offerings such as the Creative Journey, you can download the PDF version of the 10th Anniversary Fall 2006 Catalog from our website. It's chock full of Irresistible Solutions that help you reach ALL learners - we made our products for YOU (and your kids!).

Building on the Logo tradition of making programming accessible to new and experienced users alike, the new StarLogo TNG lowers the barrier to programming and helps learners of all ages to create their OWN computer games and simulations – with rich 3D environments and agents. Download now and let the games begin!