Reading Center News
Dr. Mary Klinger November 1, 2016
November News
Please note that I will be out for a little while for shoulder surgery. I will be out for one to six weeks. I’m hoping for a quick recovery! During this time, Mrs. Sue Weidman, a retired LDSD Reading Specialist will be filling in for me. She has already been here at Nye to meet the students and to review the lesson plans for each reading group. You can still contact me through email (), and I will respond if I am able. If I cannot attend your child’s Parent-Teacher Conference, I will be contacting you to schedule another meeting time as soon as possible.
Parent Advisory Committee
A Parent Advisory Committee met on October 20, 2016 to revise the Parent Involvement Policy for Nye’s Reading Center and the Home-School Agreement. Drafts of these documents are attached to this Newsletter. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or comments on these drafts. These forms will be used next year. NOTE: You do not need to return these forms unless you are suggesting a change.
Class Dojo
Students can earn points on the Class Dojo system. I am just getting this off the ground, and I hope to add a new Class Story each week to make sure you are kept up to date about what we are working on in the Reading Center.
Reading Eggs
Reading Center students in 1st and 2nd grade have access to the outstanding Reading Eggs website again this year. This site allows each student to progress at their own level. Log in information has been taped to students’ reading folders. Please encourage your child to work on this website at home. I have seen several 1st and 2nd grade students make remarkable progress in reading because of this website. PS - This work can count as reading minutes!!
Thinking Ahead
When I am back to teaching a full schedule, I would like to offer the time from 3:30-4:00 every day as a Parent-Teacher time. I will be available after school Monday through Thursday at this time to talk with any parents of Title I students. You will only need to send an email to reserve your time. I look forward to meeting with you soon!
Phonics Dance
Students in Grades 1 through 4 have been chanting the alphabet or the “Hunks and Chunks” to the tune of the Phonics Dance. I strongly believe this will help students who have difficulty remembering the phonics sounds of letters and letter combinations. Be sure to check out the Phonics Dance videos at these websites:
Alphabet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVs-EKfxBw4
Hunks and Chunks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMpD2INLHIc
Loud Lion
Phonics Dance by Ginny Dowd
Coming up in DIBELS
One suggestion from a Reading Center parent was for parents to have a peek ahead at the type of DIBELS assessments that will be coming up in first & second grade the next several months. You will find attached a sheet of Nonsense Word Fluency practice sets and a sheet of Oral Reading Fluency practice passages attached. Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) will be assessed several times in 1st grade. In January, 1st and 2nd grade will be reading oral reading passages (DORF) like the ones attached. It would be a good idea to practice these ahead of time. Teachers will record the number of nonsense words (NWF) or the number of words (DORF) read correctly in one minute as a measure of each student’s reading progress.
Reading Homework
Please encourage your child to complete his or her daily reading homework. Currently, first grade students who color in 9 blocks per week are Cool Cats! 2nd grade students can be Cool Cats when they reach their personal goals. Students in Grades 3-5 are to read for their classroom teacher, and record their reading in the classroom homework book. They can be Cool Cats by completing their Reading Center homework, which you should see coming home once or twice a week.