We are starting this program by welcoming 12 students twice a week and we will double the program to 24 students over four days beginning in January! Students will follow our regular, one-on-one tutoring model that is based in the science of reading.
Charlene Cua, NHR Associate Director, told us, “This Bishop Woods collaboration will have a significant impact on both the reading skills and the self-confidence of these students and we can’t wait to see them achieve their goals!”
We are still seeking tutors for Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30pm to 4:30pm to help us with the Bishop Woods program! If you or someone you know would like to volunteer at this location, please contact Fernanda at volunteer@test.newhavenreads.org. Full training and support will be provided.
New Haven Reads is grateful for the opportunity to create this partnership with the Bishop Woods team and expand our program in communities where it is needed. We look forward to lots of joyful learning and fun with this program expansion!
While summer is a great time to rest, relax, and have fun, it is also the perfect time to read!
Summer reading is important for young readers to continue learning, grow in their social-emotional development, and discover the joy and power of reading. Sitting down and reading with your child is also a great way to spend time together and share important lessons. To help you get started, we’ve put together our top 5 picture books to read with young readers this summer.
1. I Am Perfectly Designed by Karamo Brown A beautiful book about a father-son relationship, this story shares all of the lessons Karamo taught his son while he was growing up. This is a great opportunity for a parent to share with their child that they are perfectly designed and to help instill a sense of self-love and confidence.
2. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn Another great story about the parent-child relationship, The Kissing Hand is from the perspective of a little raccoon who needs reassurance as he faces his first day at school. His mom finds an unforgettable way to reassure him whenever he feels scared. This simple story has beautiful illustrations.
3. Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman This story is all about the power of imagination and staying true to yourself! Grace wants to play Peter in her school’s production of Peter Pan, but her classmates point out that Peter was a boy and that he wasn’t Black. However, with the support of her family, Grace learns that she can be anything she wants to be. Amazing Grace will help you to teach your child that they can be anything they want to be, no matter what other people say.
4. We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio “Look with kindness and you’ll see wonder.” This book is the perfect tool for families to talk about empathy and kindness with young children. The story is written from the perspective of Auggie, a young boy who was born with a facial deformity. He talks about how other kids see him differently from them, even though he feels like any other kid. He says, “I can’t change the way that I look, but maybe people can change the way they see.” This story taps into every child’s longing to belong, and to be seen for who they truly are.
5. Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go To School! by Christina Geist In this fun, role-reversal story, mom, dad, grandma, and even the dog beg the kids to let them come to school. This story is helpful for parents with kids who are nervous about going to school. It portrays school as a desirable privilege that only kids and teachers get to have, and shows them that they are ready to take on the classroom!
So, there you have it! Our top 5 picture books to read with your kids this summer. We hope these stories help you to inspire your young readers and share with them some valuable life lessons. Happy reading!
Helena has been tutoring at Bristol Street and online for about 4 years. She began her journey at New Haven Reads in the spring of 2018. “I wanted to give back to the community and I was excited to do so through reading, an activity that I love pursuing myself,” says Helena.
Helena’s passion for giving back to the community through reading is what attracted her to New Haven Reads. It has been her experiences with the amazing kids at New Haven Reads that keep her coming back over the years. Helena describes a time that she has discovered a shared interest with a student. “The student I tutor is a bright kid with a passion for animals and science in general.” Helena, a PhD candidate in neuroscience, says she enjoys explaining things in a kid-friendly way and sharing scientific knowledge.
When asked what her favorite book was, as a child and now, she responded by making note of her love for Harry Potter books or anything fantasy. As a child, Helena spent hours reading them secretly at night when she was supposed to be sleeping. Currently, she still enjoys reading fantasy and sci-fi, but has expanded her reading interests into other novels and literature.
Written by: Isaiah Cunningham, NHR Tutor and intern.
New Haven Reads is continuing their awesome opportunity for students in K-5th grade to participate in our virtual field trips along with receiving books to add to their at home library. There are still spots available for teachers and students who have already participated in our virtual field trips.
Our virtual field trips are similar to our in-person field trips. Teachers receive up to five books for each student to take home during these virtual field trips.
Within the 30 minute to an hour period of time our Book Bank Director, Victoria Smith, reads stories to the students via google meet.
“We are excited to be able to present these field trips to students with an opportunity to receive books as well as an experience to have someone else other than their teachers to read to them,” says Victoria Smith.
There are still plenty of open spots for our virtual field trips! Visit our New Haven Reads website, then click on the program calendar, in which you can sign up for a virtual field trip event. You can also click the following link.
Written by: Isaiah Cunningham, NHR Tutor and intern.
New Haven Reads is showing their gratitude and appreciation to the volunteers who have continuously supported New Haven Reads and our goal of developing a community of confident readers and expanding book access.
“We at New Haven Reads are so thankful to have such dedicated and involved tutors and volunteers. We are elated to have this opportunity to thank them for their time and effort”, says Fernanda Franco, Outreach Director at New Haven Reads. New Haven Reads is a non-profit organization that relies heavily on volunteers. Our volunteers are our heart and soul of New Haven Reads and we are honored to have them be a part of our team. Therefore, we are awarding navy blue fleece jackets with the New Haven Reads logo on the left chest area to our volunteers with three or more years of service. “I absolutely love the idea of providing volunteers with fleece jackets. These volunteers provide an invaluable service to the community, and it feels wonderful to see their efforts recognized for it,” says Aimee Curtis-Travaglini, Bristol Site Director.
New Haven Reads is always looking for ways to recognize the contributions of our volunteers. Volunteer support is integral to our success, and we’re proud to give them the recognition they deserve. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with New Haven Reads, please click on the link here.
In celebration of Read Across America day on Wednesday, March 2nd, The Study at Yale invited guests to join in supporting a local youth literacy partner. Study Hotels is hoping to take their brand’s love of reading and transform it into a real difference maker for Read Across America Day and New Haven Reads.
Since 1998, March 2nd is annually recognized and celebrated as Read Across America Day, inaugurated by the National Education Association to highlight the importance of reading. Throughout the month of March, The Study at Yale invites guests to join them in supporting New Haven Reads by making a donation.
Students from New Haven Reads designed bookmarks that will be distributed to all guests throughout the month.
We are so excited to celebrate Read Across America and partner with The Study at Yale!
Name: Hope McCormack Hometown: Branford, CT College and Major: Western Connecticut State University, Elementary Education Tutoring Site: Dixwell, Bristol Clubs: Math II, Arts and Crafts Club Favorite Childhood Books: The Giving Tree, By: Shel Silverstein
I knew that I wanted to work with kids over the summer, so I started looking for jobs that involve working with kids. I had heard about New Haven Reads from a friend of mine, and thought this would be the perfect job for me. I applied for the job, and handed in my resume and letter. I awaited the response and when I finally I got the call that I got the job, I was was so excited! I knew that this would give me more experience in my field, and make up for lost time due to Covid
I am currently working with New Haven Reads this summer at the Bristol and Dixwell locations. I am a tutor and I run Math II and Arts and Crafts Club. I am learning how to format lesson plans, and adhere to my students individual needs. I have noticed that some students need more challenging problems in my Math II club than other kids. I adapt my lesson plans to accommodate the students individual needs. Breakout rooms have been very helpful for accommodating my students. I am able to work with one group of kids in one room, and another group of kids in another room. Being able to work with groups individually is very helpful for adhering to everyone’s needs. In my math club I have been doing multiplication and division practice with the kids. I decided to incorporate some other activities involving fractions, arrays, measurements, and money into our activities in order to engage my students. When teaching the students in my math club, the best feeling is when I explain something, and I see the “aha moments.” The students really enjoy using Prodigy. They also very much enjoy playing math Kahoot games as well! In my arts and crafts club we create fun and engaging activities for the kids to participate in. So far we have done slime, bowl knitting, paper plate faces, painting, and drawing. The best moments in arts and crafts club are seeing the students engaged and having fun with the activities we plan for them. One highlight from arts and crafts was when the kids were excited to paint the sea shells I collected for them! My tutoring experience with New Haven Reads has been amazing. Knowing that you are making an impact, and helping the kids improve in their skills is the best feeling!
For the short time I have worked at New Haven Reads, I noticed how friendly, supportive, and caring the staff is! Whenever I need help with my clubs or with tutoring, I am not afraid to ask because I feel that I am in a safe, supportive, and loving environment! I am sure that this is how the kids feel when they come in for clubs and tutoring as well! The kids have a loving, supportive environment to come into where they don’t have to be afraid to make mistakes or ask for help. Everyone is here to help!
I am so grateful that I was able to work with New Haven Reads this summer! Thank you to the First Niagara Foundation in partnership with KeyBank for giving me the opportunity to make a difference in these children’s lives, and for giving me an opportunity to practice my future field!
Thank you to the Arts Council of Greater New Haven and Julia Rosado for the article about how NHR was able to pivot to distance learning in March 2020 and welcome back students in-person this summer!
Hello, my name is Abigail and I am the new Willow Street Assistant Site Director! It has been a busy time here at the Willow Street location. Setting up for the summer session after this building had been empty since March 2020 was a huge undertaking but Carol and I are finally reaching the end of that long to-do list. Our first week back was consumed with creating learning packets for the students, sorting books, scheduling tutoring sessions, and finally, organizing the space to facilitate learning and comply with COVID-safety protocols.
The building was painted, light bulbs were replaced, and everything was cleaned- this was much needed after the space was vacant for a whole year and a half!
Shown is one of the new air purifiers set to filter away germs and allergens.
This summer, we are offering both in-house and online tutoring for students. Some families have chosen to stay remote for tutoring and we look forward to seeing these students’ faces online, wherever they are logging in from. NHR has instituted a new program called myON to help students find digital books tailored to their interests with much more ease. We have also simplified the number of activities to complete during the hour-long session in order to reduce any technical difficulties previously experienced by students. This way they can focus on the best part of NHR – reading with their tutors!
New books carefully selected by Carol for students to choose from when arriving during the first days of summer session.
As for the families who have chosen in-person tutoring, we are thrilled to finally see the kids! It will be so nice to get a little closer to the warm, fun, and dynamic tutoring atmosphere. The building will be filled with the buzz of students reading, laughing with their tutors, and playing choice-time games. All this will be happening through masks as people remain 6 feet apart from one another and air filters hum in the background. Additionally, thorough cleaning will happen in between sessions.
We are excited to start our summer session and to see students at New Haven Reads once again – both in-person and online!
On Friday, May 21st and Saturday. May 22nd New Haven Reads hosted our 2021 Summer Teacher Open House at our community book bank. We had 15 teachers attend throughout the day Friday and 21 on Saturday. The teachers were able to RSVP ahead of time and select a time slot that worked best for them. We had an amazing turn out and distributed 1,063 books! Our Book Bank Director Victoria said she was “so happy we had a really good turn out. I hope we have more teachers come in in the future.” Thank you to all the teachers that attended and ordered books. We will see you at the next open house!
If you missed our Open House and would like to order books for your classroom click here.
