It's getting close.  It's nearly time for the Battle of the Books to begin.  The meets are on Wednesdays at 4pm at the following locations:

March 24th at Magdalen

April 7th here at Resurrection

April 21st at Blessed Sacrament

We can use extra help with our meet.  We need people to be readers, time keepers, and score keepers.  Let me know if you or your middle schooler can help.

Despite the cold weather that has kept us inside for much of the last month (and which seems a perfect time to read if you ask me),  I am sorry to announce that no class has earned the Star Reader Award for the month of January.  All classes had either one or more students who have not taken an AR quiz since the Christmas break, or else the class average percentage was not at or above the recommended 85%. 

You have from now until Spring Break to read, test, and help your class attain the Star Readers trophy for the month of February.      

Looking for ways to encourage your child to become a good (or better) reader?  Try some of the following strategies.

Set the example.  Let your child see you reading books, magazines, newspapers, etc.

Make time to read together and give your child time to read on their own.  Practice will strengthen their confidence and their love for reading. 

Read to and with your child.  Pick books that you enjoyed at their age or books related to one of their interests.  Give them a variety of reading materials from which to choose - both fiction and nonfiction.

Make the stories come alive as you read.  Read with inflection, use different voices, make sounds where appropriate and/or use props.  

Pause to allow your child to fill in repeated phrases or rhyming words, or to have them ponder what will happen next in the story.  Point out clues found in the illustrations or surrounding sentences that may help them figure out unknown words.  Doing so will build language and comprehension skills.

Listen to your child read and praise their efforts (even when it's painstakingly slow).  Fluency comes with practice.

Review the story with your child.  Prompt them to recall the series of events by asking," And then what happened?"  This builds sequencing skills.

Connect the events in stories to real-life situations or people 

Ask questions, listen carefully, and keep the discussion going.

Best of all, enjoy the time spent with your child.  You're building a reader and special memories.    

It is easier than ever to locate titles that are waiting to be read and evaluated for possible inclusion in our school library.  The books are listed in a tab off of my name under either the teachers' pages listing or under the staff menu.  The evaluation form remains located under Lisa Hinson's Docs located to the right.  Pick a title, read it, print out the evaluation form and fill it in, then send it to school.  It's that easy to help out.

I will also gladly accept recommendations of books you've read and feel would be worthwhile additions.  Print out and fill in an evaluation form and send it to school for consideration.

Thank you for any assistance you can give in this ongoing search for good reading materials for our students.