Snuggle Up and Read This Winter Break!

Can your child's learning "freeze" over winter break? Not if you keep them reading! Taking the time to read good books with your children helps to improve their language and literacy skills, opens their minds to a wider world around them, and keeps their brains developing. Plus, what a nice way to settle down, snuggle up, and enjoy family time together! Here are a few books I like to enjoy with the kiddos in my life during the winter:

Great Resource!

Hi Families!

I'm always looking for great (FREE) tips and ideas that families can do to make reading fun and engaging for their kids. I found a great resource that can be used with children at any age. I encourage you to take a look at the tips for your child's age, but also look at those listed for those a little older or younger than your children, as kids enjoy trying out lots of different things to make reading fun at home. Hopefully some of these activities will make daily reading a little more fun and not feel like a chore for you and your young readers!

Check it out!
Fun Reading Activities for Kids of All Ages

Annual Parent Meeting

2018-2019 Title I/LAP Parent Informational Meeting

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. What is Title I & LAP?
A. Title I & LAP are federal and state funds provided to schools in order to support students who are below grade-level in reading. Our school provides this support to students in Kindergarten through 4th grade.

Q. What does my child do during reading tutoring?
A. Our staff works with students in small groups to focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. We work on skills at your child’s instructional level, and our goal is to provide them with the tools they need to close the achievement gap in reading.

Q. Is my child missing core instruction to attend Title I & LAP?
A. The tutoring schedule has been designed so that during the time your child is with their reading tutor, the classroom teacher is meeting with other small groups of students. We strongly feel that reading well is vital for a student to be successful in school and to have a bright future.

Q. What can I do to help my child with reading?
A. Help foster a love of reading in your child. Read books; visit the library; ask her about her reading; help him set up a time each day to read; play reading games. Continue checking back to our blog and reading the newsletters sent out by our Title I/LAP team for more ideas.

Testing Time is Here!

Spring is in the air. The sun is shining, birds are singing and flowers are blooming! This is also the time of year when our students show what they have learned and are able to do on a variety of assessments. Below I've listed some brief information on the tests your child may be taking this spring. Please help your child do their personal best by ensuring they are well rested, have healthy meals, and have some time to wind down and have fun at home to reduce anxiety.  Here are some tips for test-taking:

Spring Testing information:

Kindergarten: Kindergarteners are assessed on letter names, letter sounds and their ability to read short nonsense words. We use both timed- and untimed assessments to determine how they perform on these reading tasks in relation to students across the nation.

1st grade: First graders are assessed on their ability read short nonsense words, as well as a first-grade leveled reading passage. These assessments are timed and allows us to see how they perform in relation to other first graders in the nation.

2nd grade: Second graders are assessed using the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment for reading and math. This assessment is given on the computer and students are not timed. A variety of reading and math tasks are given and the test adjusts to how the student is performing, in order to give an accurate measure of their ability as compared to other second graders in the country. The are also given the MAZE assessment for reading comprehension and the Reading CBM assessment to measure fluency rate, accuracy, and phrasing. The information obtained from the Reading CBM is also used for the state fluency assessment that is required for all second graders.

3rd grade-5th grade: Our third, fourth and fifth grade students are assessed using the Reading CBM for oral reading fluency, MAZE assessment for reading comprehension and the Smarter Balanced Assessment for state testing.

Your child's teacher can provide you with more information and answer questions about specific assessments. 

Spring Reading Connections

Reading at home is so important, and keeping our young readers engaged and motivated to read through fun experiences is vital to helping them improve their skills. Please view the Reading Connection newsletters that were sent home with your child this spring to find fun, engaging ways to enjoy reading with your child.

For our beginning readers in Kindergarten through 2nd grade:
February Reading Connection Beginning Edition
March Reading Connection Beginning Edition
April Reading Connection Beginning Edition
May Reading Connection Beginning Edition

For our intermediate readers in 3rd through 5th grade:
Februrary Reading Connection Intermediate Edition
March Reading Connection Intermediate Edition
April Reading Connection Intermediate Edition
May Reading Connection Intermediate Edition