Chicago Elementary Schools Netraiser Challenge

Chicagoland elementary school classrooms are going to be saving lives from malaria this school year, and we invite you to be a part of it!  Lt. Governor Pat Quinn and the Nothing But Nets™ campaign are hosting the Chicago Elementary School Netraiser Challenge – a competition in which students will team up with their classmates to raise awareness and funds for malaria prevention!

Here's how it works:

• Elementary school K-5 classrooms.
• The Netraiser Challenge ends on Friday, December 19th.
• Participating classrooms will form online fundraising teams, known as Netraiser Teams.  Every student can join the class team, and they all can participate in designing the class Netraiser Team name, description and logo. 
• Teachers will be designated as Netraiser Team captains.
• Students will work with classmates and teachers to brainstorm awareness raising and fundraising ideas.  Students are encouraged to get creative!
• Throughout the competition, Nothing But Nets™ and the Lt. Governor will promote various classroom efforts by posting blogs and photos on their websites. 
• The winning class will be determined and announced during the week of January 5th, 2009, based on Netraiser Team fundraising totals.  (Donations must be made online through Netraiser Teams to count in the challenge.)

We've got some cool prizes lined up for the winning class! Check it out:

• A low-cost laptop for each student and teacher in the winning class! (See more information below)
• A classroom pizza party
• An assembly for their entire school with Nothing But Nets™ spokespeople, such as MLS and NBA stars!

So, want to join the fun and participate? 
If you are a teacher, e-mail LTGOV.SchoolChallenge@Illinois.gov with your name, school name, school address, county and classroom grade to sign up. 

If you are a student, share information about this challenge and encourage your class to get involved! To officially enter, your teacher needs to e-mail LTGOV.SchoolChallenge@Illinois.gov with the information listed above.

Once you have signed up, here are the next steps:
1.  Form a Netraiser Team for your classroom under the Chicago Elementary Schools affiliation! Click here for instructions.

2.  Check out our optional materials and resources to use with your class:

Downloadable materials such as posters, flyers, photos and videos

Malaria curriculum units that you can use when teaching your class about malaria and the Netraiser Challenge:
Kindergarten Unit
First grade Unit
Second grade Unit
Third grade Unit

3.  Send us stories about your classroom

    • We’d love to feature your classroom’s Netraiser Challenge efforts on our Web site homepage.  Let us know how your students are spreading awareness about malaria!  Send a couple of paragraphs to stories@nothingbutnets.net describing what your class is doing, along with a couple of photos.  We’ll be posting blogs about individual classroom stories throughout the challenge.

4.  Have fun!

If you have questions about the Netraiser Challenge, please e-mail LTGOV.SchoolChallenge@Illinois.gov.
If you have questions about the Nothing But Nets™ campaign, please e-mail info@nothingbutnets.net.

About Acer Laptops: This year, Chicagoland students have an opportunity to see which classroom can send the most bed nets to Africa, with the winning classroom receiving Acer® Aspire one netbooks for each student and teacher.  The 8.9 inch, low-cost, easy-to-use Acer Aspire one netbook is a mini-laptop, which weighs as little as 2.2 pounds and comes equipped with Microsoft XP Home®, wireless connectivity and a built-in webcam, making it ideal for students.

Stay tuned for more updates throughout the Challenge!