Parent+Communication

After our successful Literacy Night in December, I decided it was time for another newsletter entry. Below is the January 7, 2011 newsletter that will be shared with parents about building a home library. My hope is to keep reading in the forefront of the parents and students minds so that we all continue to grow as readers.

Dear Parents, I hope everyone had a lovely holiday. No matter what you celebrate I hope you had the opportunity to spend time with your family and enjoying each other’s company. Since our family literacy night I have heard requests to share some of the information with parents in my newsletter. One topic we discussed at length that evening was creating a home library. Every family should have a home library; it demonstrates to children of all ages that books matter enough to have an honored place in the home. A home library can help you encourage your child to choose reading and to discover the joys and pleasure of reading from an early age. A home library can also build a strong foundation for reading, which has lifelong benefits for your child both in and out of school. A home library requires two things: space and reading materials. The following pointers can help you create a home library that you and your child will enjoy. Creating the space: · Find a space for the library-it can be in the child’s bedroom, in a small corner of your living room, or in another small area. · Create a book storage area. Books can be stored on bookshelves, on brick and board shelves, in baskets or on plastic crates or stacking cubes. · Create a place for your child to sit and read-child sized bean bags or chairs and a good lamp can create a cozy space for reading. Stocking the Collection: · Help your child select books or other reading material for the collection. · Virtually any kind of reading material can become part of the home library: newspapers, magazines, songbooks, catalogs, pamphlets, and almanacs are just a few of the kinds of print materials that children can enjoy. · Give books or magazines subscriptions as birthday or holiday gifts. · Understand that the quality of the collection is more important than the quantity. Include books that children love and will read over and over. Provide books at a variety of reading levels. · Involve your child in creating their own books that can be added to the collection. Create decorative bookplates for their books. He or she can write “From the library of ___”. Or they can decorate the inside cover of the book with his or her name. Displaying the collection: · Display books with covers facing out. Group books together by your child’s favorite topics. Put books for younger children on the lowest shelves. · Display favorite objects next to books if there is room. For example, you may place seashells collected at the beach next to a book on oceans. · Assist your child in alphabetizing books by author or arranging books by genres. This helps organize the collection and provides practice in important skills. Happy Reading!

Below is the Oct 1st Newsletter article I am sharing this week with our GWES community. I thought you would like to be aware of this. Enjoy!

Dear Parents,

This week I want to tell you about our new GWES “Independent Reading” initiative. Research has found that children who spend time reading at home and school surpass the educational success of their peers who do not -- //even those who are hard- working, capable students//. The research has also found that students who read more read better, have a more expansive vocabulary and achieve higher levels of reading and writing development. We are very excited about our new reading initiative that will help students to develop and foster a love of reading and become stronger readers! This year, every teacher at GWES is devoting at least 15 minutes of every day to Independent Reading. During this time, students are reading books of their own choosing. Teachers will be monitoring their selections and reading development. The students will be required to maintain a reading log, always having a “just right” book for class and home. A “just right” book is one that your child:

* is interested in reading * reads fairly smoothly and understands almost all of the words (using the “5 Finger Rule” to preview the book by counting the number of unknown words on a page: 0 - 2 fingers up = good reading level; 3  fingers up = challenging, 4 – 5 fingers up= too hard) * comprehends and can tell you what the story is about or what he/ she is learning

In addition, we are asking that GWES students also read at least 15 minutes every night at home. Talk to your child about what they are reading, keeping the conversation relaxed and informal, and make sure they write in their book logs. Be a reading model for your child! If possible, try to set aside a time for the whole family to do independent reading together. Family read alouds are also a wonderful way to share quality time with your child, no matter what their age. Students read more if they have their own home libraries: create a shelf for children’s books, give books as gifts, and allow your child to create a special space for reading. We appreciate your help with the GWES reading initiative this year. We look forward to watching our students grow as readers!