January 2018

Q: What’s the most important thing you can do to help your child be a successful reader?

A: Read aloud to your child!

According to research, children are most likely to be successful, literate readers when:

They observe their parents reading for fun or information at home and

Parents read aloud regularly to their children.

Parents play a vital role in helping their children develop literacy!

Family Read-Aloud—

What is it?

In January, 2008, MachiasElementary School introduced a new program to our families: Family Read-Aloud. Sponsored by a variety of donors, including our PTG, individuals, and community donors, Machias teachers selected a chapter book appropriate for read-aloud for ages 5-12. About 400 copies of the book were purchased and kept in secret until distribution in January. The program was met with great success and enthusiasm from our families. Many parents and students requested that we continue the program in the future.

January 2018 will be our eleventh annual “Family Read-Aloud Month.” Every Machias family will receive a children’s chapter book as a gift from the Machias PTG on January 3, 2018.Your task as parent(s) isto read the book aloud to your childreninJanuary. This year we continue our wild west reading theme with the book The Prairie Thief by Melissa Wiley, a historical fiction story with a fantasy twist. We hope you enjoy the story.

Using a reading timeline printed on the bookmark distributed with the book, families will read together at home. All Machias families will read the same selection each night throughout the month. Discussion questions are provided for parents to guide children’s comprehension and make connections to their own lives. Watch for a page of discussion questions to come home each week, or find them on the Machias Read-Aloud web page at

Activities at school help captivate our students. These include:

A display case illustrating the story as it progresses

“Question of the Day” announcements with prize winners

Follow-up activities in classrooms

Family Reading Night in the library on January 16 at 6:30-8:00

Remember, YOU are the most important reading teacher your child has.

Thank you for supporting your child’s growth as a reader by reading this book WITH your child.

At Machias, our hope is that Family Read-Aloud Month will help parents set aside time for the good habit of reading with their children

—and we sincerely hope your family has fun reading together!