How To Keep Your Children Reading Over the Holidays

As the holiday season moves into full swing and students are home from school, it is easy to get lost in the  Christmas preparations and forget to keep children on a regular reading schedule.

One of the things kids look forward to in December is the academic downtime, but there is no reason why they can't keep their minds sharp during the holidays.  And, believe it or not, they can have fun while doing it!  Here are some tips for "sneaking" reading and learning into daily activities:

• Have your children read holiday cards when they are received in the mail and let them write a message in outgoing cards.
• Let children read ingredients from holiday recipes while you bake together.  It's a great way for them to learn measurements and temperatures.
• Set aside time to "show off" their new reading skills to visiting relatives.  Children love being the focus of attention and grandparents are excited to see their progress.
• Make special holiday readings a tradition.  Find a special book for Christmas and have each member of the family read from it on a set night before Christmas.
• Find books that focus on an interest your child has.  There are books out there to suit every interest under the sun.
• Help your child navigate these free websites that provide fantastic ideas for homemade crafts and projects: Family Education -  All Free Crafts  -  Kaboose.com  -  FamilyFun.com
• If you are traveling during the holidays, pack a bag with a variety of reading materials.  Let everyone take turns reading aloud using expression and fluency.  Also, pack a bag of writing materials and each time you stop have your child write facts about your location.  When you return home,  you will have a personal log about every place you visited.
• Give the gift of reading to your children this holiday season.  Put books in their stockings and under the Christmas tree.

Please have a safe and enjoyable holiday season!!

Welcome Back!!

I am looking forward to another wonderful year with the best students and most terrific teachers that anyone could hope to work with.  Let me tell you about two great programs that I hope everyone will take advantage of.
North Elementary offers an exciting Take-Home library for all grade levels to participate in.  Each school day, a carefully selected book is sent home with students.  This book is on your child's independent reading level so that they can practice and work on fluency, accuracy, and expression.
Kindergarten students can participate in a similar program called the Parent Read Aloud Program.  Books are sent home in a plastic bag and read to your child.  Each day the previous book is returned, a new book will be sent home.  When adults read aloud with their children, they quickly learn that a book is a wonderful thing.  "The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children."  (Becoming a Nation of Readers, p. 23).
Please take advantage of these programs by reading and signing the parent agreement form which gives your child permission to participate and states that if a book is damaged or lost, a $5 book replacement fee will be assessed.
Thank you for your continued support with the education of your children.