Few things are more magical for a child than the shared reading of a book. And if you happen to be an elementary student just learning the complexities of reading, the read aloud experience can be life changing. Reading aloud with children opens new connections with their lives and informs their view of themselves and others. On October 21st, Suffolk Public Schools will launch the All Suffolk Reads program to spark students’ reading interest and ability by getting all elementary families to read and discuss the same children’s book at the same time. The program is run in partnership with the nonprofit organization All District Reads.
All District Reads (ADR) was born out of a belief in the power of the read aloud experience and its potential to bring together families and community members around a common vision for literacy. ADR Founder and Executive Director Gary Anderson has a long-held passion for the read aloud experience. This passion has been the driving force for bringing together the many pieces for creating a culture of family reading across a school community. In the words of read-aloud advocate and author of the bestselling book The Read Aloud Handbook, Jim Trelease, “There’s an education adage that goes, “What we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we make them learn.”
Elementary school teachers are charged with the task of ensuring the youngest readers learn how to read. The coordinator for English Language Arts with Suffolk Public Schools, Lakeesha McCoy believes that learning how to read must be integrated with a love for reading. “Our partnership with All District Reads provides a bridge between these essential aspects of reading” says McCoy.
As the first local school district to participate under the All District Reads model, Suffolk Public Schools will launch the local brand, All Suffolk Reads, on Friday, October 21st. Students and their families will read Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire, by Sundee T. Frazier together over several weeks. “Parents should be on the look-out for the books to come home on the 21st,” adds McCoy, “along with an informational brochure to support the read-aloud experience at home.” Some key features of the All Suffolk Reads initiative include:
- Students and families get to keep the ADR book with the expectation that families will read one chapter of the book together each evening, according to the schedule provided in the family brochure.
- The next school day, there will be trivia contests and other activities related to the book chapter.
- The fall All Suffolk Reads event will be followed by the reading of a different All Suffolk Reads book in the spring.
Suffolk Superintendent Dr. John B. Gordon, III highlights the district’s focus on improving reading outcomes and supporting reading in the home: “We think getting children to read for pleasure is the missing piece of the puzzle. We are so excited to partner with All District Reads.”
All District Reads engages with schools and communities to get books into the hands and homes of each elementary school student across the school community. For the community of Suffolk, the essential pieces began to align when community members like the Rotarians immediately saw the benefits of their support of All Suffolk Reads not only to the elementary school children, but also to families, businesses, and the greater community. Gradually more and more sponsors across the Suffolk community stepped up to provide sponsorship for the All Suffolk Reads initiative.
Recently, community sponsors came together in Suffolk to place a label inside the front covers of nearly 8,000 books to offer thanks and acknowledgement for the dedication and support of all local sponsors. In line with the passion of Anderson and the vision of Superintendent Gordon and ELA Coordinator McCoy, this was a culmination of the collaboration and teamwork required for uniting all the pieces for an effective and long-term impact on the Suffolk community.
All elementary schools will have launch activities planned for Friday, October 21,2022. For any information or questions, please contact Melissa Twisdale at 757-652-6720.
