Southdown School Celebrates Reading Challenge
Encouraging students to continue reading over the summer months is a goal of teachers in every school in the country. The librarians in the Huntington School District expend lots of energy and effort to promote the fun and importance of continuing a regular program of reading throughout July and August.
Like its sister buildings, Southdown Primary School faculty members use every available means to get students and their parents to sign on to the summer reading challenge there. Librarians take the lead in promoting the warm weather initiative.
When school resumes in September, students are asked to submit logs containing information about their summer reading activities, the books they read and the time they spend doing it. A celebration for the participants follows and serves as a special reward and formal recognition of a job well done.
“Studies have shown that children who do not continue reading over long vacations lose much of what they have learned,” said Ellen Blanchard, Southdown’s librarian. “As librarians we encourage all of our students to read for fun over the summer vacation. We also encourage the children to join the Huntington Public Library's summer reading program. The best thing about joining both reading programs is one book can count twice (be recorded on both reading logs). The public library provides us with lists of children who participated in their program and most of our students read for both programs.”
“I am always so impressed with the enthusiasm of our students for reading,” Principal Michelle Marino said. “The children carefully recorded their summer readings on the reading log and eagerly turned them in to Mrs. Blanchard. And it wasn't for a prize or any kind of special recognition. It was for the sheer joy of reading and the pride that comes from time well spent!”
This past summer Southdown saw 120 of its students participate in the reading challenge. The group set a new school record by reading through 1,654 books. “That number of readers is a third of our school population and all grades were evenly represented,” Mrs. Blanchard said. “I love seeing the titles that were read and many times those lists provide me with titles of books Southdown does not own and now I will try to order those books for our school collection. Getting recommendations from the children about books they loved reading over the summer is the best advertising for other children when they are looking for something new and wonderful to read.”
A party for the summer readers was held at Southdown on a recent sunny afternoon. The outdoor celebration included the presentation of personalized certificates and a small prizes; a brightly colored stretchy alien figure.
“Each class received a round of applause from everyone and had their class photograph taken by our official PTA photographer,” Mrs. Blanchard said. “We know many children are reading over the summer months but this celebration is to acknowledge those children who recorded their reading and turned in their reading logs.”
At September’s meet-the-teacher night, parents took delight in finding their child's name on a star outside the library-media center where all summer challenge readers were displayed for viewing.
“The children aren't reading to receive some big prize or gift when they return in September,” Mrs. Blanchard said. “Southdown's students are reading over the summer months because they love reading, being able to learn and becoming better readers and perhaps just to get lost in a great book by using their imagination.”
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