FROM THE OFFICE OF
Cameron Shapiro
PRINCIPAL
Seth Paine Elementary School
50 MILLER ROAD LAKE ZURICH, ILLINOIS 60047
PHONE: (847) 438-2163 FAX: (847) 438-2528
May 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The goal of Seth Paine is to assist your child in becoming a lifelong reader and learner!
The summer months provide the perfect opportunity to extend and enrich your child's
reading experiences. Studies have shown that children who continue to read during
the summer perform better in the fall when school resumes. Reading is one of the
most important factors in academic success, a skill that improves with PRACTICE!
In an effort to help reduce the usual summer reading loss we will be providing
incentives for students to read over the summer. The guidelines for our summer
reading incentives are simple. Students are asked to read for at least 250 minutes, fill
in their reading log, and submit the completed log to any one of the reading specialists
listed on the reading log. Please see the attached summer reading log. Students that
complete this goal will receive a prize!
Participation in the Ela Library summer reading program, as well as any other summer
reading programs, will also be counted! If you have younger children, please be aware
that books you read with your child can be counted toward their books.
In addition to the reading resources available at the ELA Library (eapl.org), be sure to
check out your classroom teacher suggested reading sites and the following websites:
www.lexile.com/findabook: Find a book you’d like to read. You can use this site to
build a custom reading list with subjects that interest you most!
www.raz-kids.com- a variety of leveled reading materials and activities that help
strengthen reading skills.
www.starfall.com- a variety of reading activities for primary grade students.
www.abcya.com – free educational computer games for children.
www.rif.org- offers resources for parents and exciting literacy based activities!
www.readingrockets.org Offers strategies, lessons, activities, and ideas designed to
help young children learn to read.
www.colorincolorado.com – a bilingual site for families of English Language learners.
The following tips may be helpful for parents and guardians:
Encourage your child to select the books that interest them.
Whenever possible, children should read 10-20 minutes per day.
Read aloud to your child, even if they are able to read independently.
Set aside a portion of the day as DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time. Take
advantage of summer and read outside!
Encourage your child to read magazines, newspapers, online books, even the
back of a cereal box!
Listening to and following along with audio books and electronic readers are
great for developing a love of reading!
Ask your child questions about the book: Who, What, Where, Why and When.
Research suggests that exposure to nonfiction text can help build background
knowledge, increase vocabulary, build on a child’s interests, and prepares
him/her to handle real life reading!
Engage your child in a conversation about their reading!
Have your child coordinate reading discussions with their friends. This could be
fun on those rainy summer days!
Whether on the beach or hanging inside on a rainy day.....don't forget to curl up with a
good book!! We hope that you will join us in this important effort and assist your child
in becoming a Summer Reading Achiever!
Have a wonderful and safe summer! See you all next Fall!
Sincerely,
Cameron Shapiro,
Principal
Let Your Mind Go On A Summer Adventure
Read!!
Summer 2012