New Haven Reads students have been really excited for our Winter Book Giveaway! We have been giving away hundreds of books to our NHR students over the past few weeks. All of our students were able to take home two books and were very thankful.
Tutors helped students select books.
Saturday students enjoyed picking out books to take home.
Susan Burlingame has been tutoring at the Dixwell site for about one year. She started in early 2020, right after the COVID-19 pandemic hit and New Haven Reads had transitioned to a distance learning format. Susan began tutoring because she wanted to help increase students’ reading skills while also sharing some of her favorite books. When asked what keeps her coming back, she responded with, “All of the wonderful, dedicated staff at New Haven Reads and of course the students! It’s so wonderful connecting with them each week.” Susan described a fun experience she had with her first student she tutored. During choice time, they would draw pictures together. They would take turns choosing a subject matter, then draw pictures to show each other once they were done.
A book that “completely carried [her] away” when she was younger was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. One of her current favorites is The Color of Water by James McBride.
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!
Read the article from the Arts Paper here.
Name: Sebastian Ward
Hometown: New Haven, CT
College and Major: Yale University, Undecided
Tutor Site: Bristol Street
Clubs: Chess, Arts and Crafts (Helper), Nature and Science (Helper)
Favorite Childhood Book: The Percy Jackson Series
Working with students at New Haven Reads feels so surreal to me. It feels like I was just a student here; being shy around a new tutor or feeling a little embarrassed each time I struggled with a new page of Explode the Code. No longer the student and now being the teacher I used to look up to whenever I needed help feels strange, but in a good way. It is now my responsibility to give help to the students when they need it, foster a safe and encouraging learning environment, and most importantly, connect with the students I work with to make sure they learn and grow. Fulfilling these duties is always a heartwarming experience each time I am in a session- whether as a tutor, club leader, or even club helper.
This summer I have had so many good experiences with different students that I had trouble picking one to talk about. I had great conversations with students while making slime as a helper for the Arts and Crafts club. I also had so much fun playing a chess game on kahoot and getting a summary of the 9th and 10th Diary of a Wimpy Kid books so I could follow along while my student read the 11th one during reading time was an experience I definitely needed (I doubt I’ll ever reach an age where I am uninterested by the adventures of the Heffley family!). However, the most poignant experience I’ve had this summer was during an online tutoring session. Coming home after a day at camp where you run around and play to having to do a tutoring session for reading can seem not-too-appealing at first (I’ve been there). That was what was going on with my student, so I thought that starting the session with a fun activity would be beneficial. We opened with a word scramble, where we both competed to create as many words as we could within 1 minute with seven random letters. The student really enjoyed it, continued working diligently throughout the session, and even requested that we did it during choice time.
My summer at New Haven Reads so far has been an encouraging and fun learning environment for my students. My site staff and fellow interns have been extremely kind, genuine, and supportive to me throughout my time here. I have believed in the mission of New Haven Reads since I was a student there, and my time as an intern has only strengthened my resolve to assist in seeing it through.
A special thank you to First Niagara Foundation in partnership with KeyBank for giving me this amazing opportunity.
We are ecstatic to have our Community Book Bank at 45 Bristol St. open five days a week! We recently spoke to our Book Bank Director Victoria about what procedures and safety measures were put into opening the doors to visitors and more volunteers.
New ventilation unit that was installed prior to opening.
We are SO excited to welcome you all back safely. We hope to see you at the book bank soon!
Jan has been volunteering at the Dixwell site in early 2020. She began working with students just prior to the pandemic. It was a new experience for her and the students, but she has continued to tutor throughout distance learning. One reason she wanted to volunteer at NHR is the importance of literacy. “Literacy is essential to navigate comfortably through in every aspect of life for native speakers of English and non-native English speakers.” About a year ago she began teaching ESOL to adult students in addition to working with children in NHR. What keeps her coming back is the students, who she describes as a joy to work with. Since the pandemic she feels there is an importance to make up for that lost time from school. “It is a wonderful experience to help them discover their strengths and celebrate their wins.”
Sarah has been volunteering at the Dixwell site for since September 2020. Sarah started volunteering because she wanted to give back to her new community after moving here in 2019. She loves being involved and has always had a passion for helping others learn, having previously worked as a substitute teacher. “NHR appealed to me more than other tutoring programs as it was clear that tutors were able to form a meaningful relationship with students, one that resembles more of a mentorship than simply a tutoring session. I could tell immediately that the other volunteers were proud of their work and were making a difference and I wanted to also be a part of that,” she explains.
Sarah enjoys seeing the immense growth in her student and their excitement to read and learn. “I know I am helping to make a difference in the youth of my community and I think that helping to further education is one of the best volunteer pursuits one can take on.”
Lynda Paul has been volunteering at Bristol Street for over four months. In December of 2020 she was adamant about finding volunteer work to make a difference in others’ lives. She has had a lifelong passion for reading and language. “For me, reading has been a personal love since my earliest memories.” She would read at any moment during the day. Reading is a social passion for her because it offers so much. “I believe that literacy is a skill that gives its learner literally endless possibilities in the world.” What keeps her coming back is her student and seeing the growth. She enjoys learning from the staff as well. Not only is her student learning, but she is learning as well.
The New Haven Reads Creative Writing Club has been busy! The students from all four sites, including Saturday at Bristol St., in grades 3 and up have put together an amazing newsletter. They worked for three sessions to create the “New Haven Reads Chronicle.” The talented writers included stories about current events, breaking news, and even super heroes!
Check out the full New Haven Chronicle here.
Monday: 1pm-7pm
Tuesday: 1pm-7pm
Wednesday: 1pm-7pm
Thursday: 12pm-6pm
Friday: 12pm-6pm
Saturday: 10am-2pm
Please call to confirm that these hours are accurate. Hours are subject to change when we are on break. All break hours are posted in the scrolling header here on our website, as well as our social media.
45 Bristol Street
New Haven CT 06511
203.752.1923
EIN 760807330
Freddy Fixer Dances Down Dixwell Avenue New Haven tutoring initiative shows improvement in math and reading skills New Haven students show improvements in math and literacy through tutoring program
Founded to share the joy and power of reading, New Haven Reads partners with the community to provide free one-on-one tutoring, educational family support, and a book bank to empower aspiring readers to master the literacy skills needed to thrive in school and life.
Check out our latest video here!
