Melanie Roy Recommends: June 9, 2019

Summer Reading

This week your children will come home with summer reading lists they have created for themselves. I will spend time this week showing students how to log into the public library catalog and place holds for books they wish to read. I work closely with Mrs. Lisa Lesinski at the Barrington Public Library to ensure students can access the books they are looking forward to checking out. I hope you can join us on Monday, June 24 from 4-5:30 PM for the Summer Reading Kick Off party at the Barrington Public Library!

A few things to consider for summer:

Encourage the habit of reading every day
Allow your child choice while encouraging the Reading Without Walls challenge
Lead by example - let your child see you reading, read together, and talk about what you and your child are reading
Reading is a social activity - encourage your child to form a book club with friends
Your child is well-versed in placing holds in school (HMS students borrowed 1,301 books from other school libraries this year) and should start placing holds through the public library catalog based on their book tasting choices
If your child does not have a public library card yet, please take him/her to the circulation desk at the Barrington Public Library to get one
A public library card provides your child access to eBooks and audiobooks through eZone which is very helpful if you are going on vacation or cannot regularly make it to the public library
Audiobooks count - it is "reading with your ears"
Next week I will focus on the 6th grade reading assignment as well as what HMS students can bring to school in the fall to celebrate their summer reading

Screen time is a factor that impedes reading time. Therefore, I'm including a few examples of checklists you can use or tweak to encourage a well-rounded schedule for your family.