Dear Sexton Mt. Families:
The summons encouraged me to bring a book. I got to read for nearly two hours before being dismissed. Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller encourages readers to think about making time to read and being prepared for reading emergencies (like jury duty).
Reading is a complex, thinking task that requires practice. Practice includes time to talk or write about what was read and time to reflect. Lifelong readers dedicate time to read, self-select reading material, share books and reading with others, and have reading plans. Proficient readers spend time reading every day. Did you know that most kids make about 9 months worth of reading growth during the school year? Did you know that if a child reads everyday during the summer, they make about 2 months worth of reading growth? If a child doesn’t read during the summer, they backslide about three months. I tried to represent that in the photo. I had both girls start in the same spot but when one took two steps forward to represent reading growth that comes from summer reading and the other took three steps back to represent summer reading loss, the gap between the two grew. In just a few years, it’s possible that one student would be reading above grade level and the other far below.
We can’t expect the reading students do at school to be enough. Between now and June, I need your help in getting our children excited about continuing their reading over the summer. If your child loves reading and has developed skills or habits that others might benefit from knowing, please share them with me! We need to make what thriving readers do transparent and replicable.
If your child is a reluctant reader, let’s get together and figure out why? What gets in the way of your child spending time in books? Does your child have a plan for what they are going to read next? Do they have a series or author they love? Do they have a “to be read” list so when they hear about books of interest, they can make a note? Do they listen to the podcasts made by children in their age group? Do they always have a book with them?
On the evening of June 2 we will have a special reading celebration at the Beaverton City Library. Between now and then, think about how we can get your child excited about reading. If you visit our school library you’ll see evidence of a reading incentive program. Our second graders are nearing the end of reading race fashioned after a sled dog race in Alaska. When our buses were late last week, several kids immediately pulled a book out and started reading. They were prepared! One of our kindergarten students returned from a trip and the photos he shared with me included one of him relaxing with a book. I hope that we go into summer encouraging all kids to read wildly!
Making the reading behaviors explicit (when so much is going on in the brain so it is not easy for others to see) helps our children understand how thriving readers engage with text by asking questions, making predictions and connections, and determining importance. While I was at the jury duty training, the teacher in me chuckled a bit when the video shown taught what jurors should look like and sound like with, “Pay attention by moving your head to look at the person who is talking.” In school, we try to explicitly teach the behaviors needed for different situations.
Being explicit about the student behaviors we hope children will show helps children set goals too! Here is an example of behaviors kids are expected to show in PE. Think about what YOU think about while reading and how you might share those with your child.
Check out these staff blogs!
- Thanks to Noel Tyner for sharing so much information about Autism for Awareness month.
- After School Safety-The paved path around our field and the pavement around the playground are closed to children from 2:50pm until 3:20pm so that buses and day care vans can pick up students.
- Bus Stop Safety- If your child rides the bus, please remind them to stay several feet away from the street and to be mindful of cars. Kids should not play chase or push games at the bus stop.
Wish List-These are things or jobs that make a difference to our kids, teachers or school. Send in items or let Mrs. CB know if you can volunteer.
- Diaper and paper towel donations for the Beaverton Help Center.
- Volunteers to serve on a Future Ready team as we focus on the digital citizenship skills our students will need to have in order to be safe, respectful and responsible.
April 8- PTC Sponsored Assembly
April 28-Science Technology Engineering Art and Math Night (STEAM Night)
April 29-Staff Development Day-No School
May 19- Kindergarten and 1st Grade Music Program at 6:30pm
May 27-No School-Assessment Day
May 30-No School-Holiday
June 10-Field Day (Volunteers will be needed. Please make sure you’ve completed the new online volunteer application and background check.)
June 11-Run with the Eagles 5KJune 17-Last Day of School