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Chelsea pointed to four sentences on her computer screen. "Am I done, Mrs. Weeg?" Writing was not her favorite activity. She and five other fourth-grade classmates were in the early stages of writing a story in the global classroom. For the past four years, 12 students at Delmar Elementary School have taken part in this online mentoring program, funded by Title V monies. Called "Authors in Residence," the program matches students with authors Lois Szymanski and Sarah Weeks. The authors mentor the young scribes by e-mail for six months as they create original stories in the global classroom. This article touches upon the following highlights of the program: Starting a New Program: Curiosity and Excitement Build; Bonding with an Online Mentor; Writing with a Partner; Meeting Mrs. Szymanski in Person; Thinking about Writing Today; Using Technology in a Fun Way; Concluding Thoughts from Their Mentor: Lois Szymanski; and Concluding Reflections from the Computer Teacher: Patti Weeg. [Article written with: Patti Weeg and Lois Szymanski.]

The range of Geometric Tortoises is restricted to a small region in the southwestern Cape where a few populations still survive in isolated habitat fragments. Apart from habitat destruction and degradation, the species' most severe threat is high mortality due to wildfires, which over recent decades increased in frequency. In January 2012, a wildfire destroyed the largest remaining habitat fragment, and killed most Geometric Tortoises on the nature reserve. Tortoises saved by a subsequent search-and-rescue operation were then used to initiate an in-situ head-start program. The aim of the program is to facilitate survival of hatchlings and juveniles, and ultimately boost the wild population by introducing the head-started sub-adults into the reserve. Captive adult tortoises are housed in two one-hectare camps within natural habitat, surrounded with electrified fences to protect the tortoises against terrestrial predators. The cryptic colour of the tortoises makes them difficult to find; consequently, each adult tortoise was fitted with a radio-transmitter to facilitate regular monitoring, reproductive evaluation of females, and annual health assessments. Female tortoises are examined once per month by ultrasound to identify females with calcified eggs. Those females are placed into one of two nesting camps inside one of the fenced camps, and kept there until the subsequent ultrasound examination showed that the eggs have been laid. At the start of the hatching season, the nesting camps are covered with avian netting to protect the hatchlings from aerial predation, and search daily for new hatchlings. When found, hatchlings are transferred to a large predator-proof nursery, which houses raised boxes, filled with soil and planted with natural vegetation. Up to six hatchlings are housed in a box, where they have ample hiding spaces and receive food and water daily. After two years the juveniles are transferred to predator-proof juvenile tunnels, where they have access to natural vegetation and receive supplementary food and water. The hatchlings and juveniles receive a mixture of natural food plants, collected daily from a variety of species on the reserve, and edible plants grown from commercial seeds. This program had many challenges, which we overcame, and thus offer guidelines for similar head-starting project on threatened tortoises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to establish the support needs of people with heart failure and their caregivers and develop an intervention to improve their health-related quality of life., Methods: We used intervention mapping to guide the development of our intervention. We identified "targets for change" by synthesising research evidence and international guidelines and consulting with patients, caregivers and health service providers. We then used behaviour change theory, expert opinion and a taxonomy of behaviour change techniques, to identify barriers to and facilitators of change and to match intervention strategies to each target. A patient and public involvement group helped to identify patient and caregiver needs, refine the intervention objectives and strategies and deliver training to the intervention facilitators. A feasibility study (ISRCTN25032672) involving 23 patients, 12 caregivers and seven trained facilitators at four sites assessed the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and quality of delivery and generated ideas to help refine the intervention., Results: The Rehabilitation Enablement in Chronic Heart Failure (REACH-HF) intervention is a comprehensive self-care support programme comprising the "Heart Failure Manual", a choice of two exercise programmes for patients, a "Family and Friends Resource" for caregivers, a "Progress Tracker" tool and a facilitator training course. The main targets for change are engaging in exercise training, monitoring for symptom deterioration, managing stress and anxiety, managing medications and understanding heart failure. Secondary targets include managing low mood and smoking cessation. The intervention is facilitated by trained healthcare professionals with specialist cardiac experience over 12 weeks, via home and telephone contacts. The feasibility study found high levels of satisfaction and engagement with the intervention from facilitators, patients and caregivers. Intervention fidelity analysis and stakeholder feedback suggested that there was room for improvement in several areas, especially in terms of addressing caregivers' needs. The REACH-HF materials were revised accordingly., Conclusions: We have developed a comprehensive, evidence-informed, theoretically driven self-care and rehabilitation intervention that is grounded in the needs of patients and caregivers. A randomised controlled trial is underway to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the REACH-HF intervention in people with heart failure and their caregivers.