Principal's Reading Picks

Reading for pleasure is a great way to improve your grades! Why? When you read, you are sending messages to the brain that stretch the brain's thinking power. What do I really mean by this statement?  It means that when you push your brain to think, you are growing dendrites that actually increase your learning power. Wow!  For example, when you read, you are reading words that make sentences.  Sentences make paragraphs, and paragraphs create stories.  This information is obtained from the right side of your brain.  The making sense part comes from the left side of your brain.  Like practicing the piano, your brain needs to exercise both the right and left sides.  Reading is an excellent tool for exercising your brain.

The message is clear!  Parents encourage your child to read everyday.  Elementary children need parents to read with them and to listen to them read.  Afterwards, take a few minutes to discuss what you have read.  Discuss the following: who is the story about, what is the story about, where does the story take place, what is the problem in the story, and how does the story end? 

Parents, if you can do this exercise with your child daily or as much as possible, you can increase your child's learning power in science , social studies, and math.  We have many reading programs for our children at Sue Cleveland Elementary.  The "Reading Counts" program is where children select books, read the books, and take a comprehension test.  The students track their progress and points for all students are posted in the library.  If you want to know how your child is doing, visit the library.  Parents may come  and read books with their children and monitor them while they take the reading test online.  Parents may do this before or after school.  Great prizes are awarded at the end of each nine weeks.  Another program is the "Book It" program sponsored by Pizza Hut.  Students set monthly reading goals.  If they meet their goal, they receive bookmarks and gift certificates from the local Pizza Hut. The librarian also awards top readers with books, their name on the school plaque, and an end of the year ice cream party.

Let's not forget Reading Intervention Time. During a designated time , students receive reading instruction at their skill level.  Awesome!  This programs starts each morning at 8:10 A.M for five days of the week. Ask your child's teacher about his scheduled reading time.

This year, the principal and a group of 15 volunteers from Michelin are working with forty first graders on Fridays.  The first graders are practicing reading for fluency and improving their reading comprehension.  The goal is to read 100 books before the end of the school year.  On Fridays, we are inviting parents and community members to come and listen to first graders read aloud.  We start at 8:1o AM.  Please come and help our first graders become better readers!

Check out the Principal's Picks for the school year 2011-12. This is another way that Sue Cleveland Elementary encourages students to read.  This year SCE is featuring books by Ezra Jack Keats and Margaret & H.A. Rey. 

    October:  Curious George Visits the Zoo

    November: Curious George Visits the Library

    December: Curious George: A Winter Nap

    January: Curious George's Dinosaur Discovery

    February: A Letter to Amy

    March:  Curious George Goes Camping

    April: Curious George: Roller Coaster

   May: Curious George Plants a Seed

Each month the principal features a book of the month.  Get this!  She gives the book away!  All the student has to do is put their name in the treasure box .  The treasure box is located in the front atrium to the right of the elevator.