Exciting News From Lower School

   Lower school is excited to introduce our new reading program “Building A School of Readers” to our students and parents.  In the past years Accelerated Reader has been used to promote reading and comprehension skills.  We at HCA have designed a program that will foster life-long readers and measure student achievement through critical thinking activities.  Through these activities our goal is to sculpt 21^st century learners that enjoy reading and are able to take the content from their books and apply it in multiple ways.

   This program is designed to be adapted for each grade level and its needs. By allowing classroom teachers to set guidelines for students, the program will enable students to gain reading and critical thinking skills appropriate for their age and ability.  The overview of the program consists of the student having the privilege of choosing the book he is interested in reading.  After completing the book, the student will choose from a list of activities provided by the teacher.  These activities could include but are not limited to the following: travel brochures, time lines, collages, letter to an author, book report, puppets, etc.  After completing the activity the student will turn his work into Mrs. Usher or Mrs. Quinn.

   Teachers will assign the number of activities to complete during each six weeks or throughout the year. Activities will not be required for every book read. Our goal is to encourage students to read for pleasure and to gain knowledge on topics of their choosing.  Students that are actively involved in this program will be rewarded throughout the year.  Each six weeks we will hold a drawing during lower school chapel and each child that has completed activities will have a “brick” to be drawn out of a box for a prize. 

   Your support and encouragement is needed to ensure our program is a success and our children are achieving at their highest academic potential.  Your child’s teacher will provide further information to you that will map out guidelines and expectations in their classroom.  This is an exciting new journey that we are embarking on together to ensure each learner’s reading success.