A Galaxy of Sea Stars

Cynthia Maggio — Tue, 02 May 2023 14:34:00 GMT

Students and staff at Eli Whitney are enjoying the chapters of A Galaxy of Sea Stars, but our school-wide initiative goes beyond the pages of the book! Students are thinking about, and engaging in conversations about their friendships, acceptance, and their community! Who's in your galaxy?

Book Reveal

Cynthia Maggio — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 15:42:00 GMT

Don't forget to send in your RSVP for our book reveal!

Building Perseverance

Cynthia Maggio — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 19:38:00 GMT

Each week at Eli Whitney School, students particpate in a PACK activity that focuses on SEL. This month our focus was perseverance. Last Friday, students listened to one of our very own 5th graders read Izzy Gizmo, a story about a little girl who wants to help an injured crow fly. Her love for inventing and a little perseverance seem to be the perfect mix! Ms. Suleski's students then created their own flying crows and put them to the test!

Winter Benchmarks

Cynthia Maggio — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 14:03:00 GMT

Winter benchmark time has arrived at Whitney! Students will be completing their iReady Reading and Math Diagnostics over the next few weeks. Teachers will also be completing running records with each student to monitor their reading growth! Here are some helpful tips to review with your child!

A Special Gift

Cynthia Maggio — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 14:27:00 GMT

This holiday I received a special gift from a former student! Just before the holidays, Mrs. Lindeland's 5th graders were working on a journalism writing unit. Students were given the task to choose an individual, conduct an interview, and write an article. When Joe delivered his article to me, it truly warmed my heart!

Is My Child's Reading Instruction Effective?

Cynthia Maggio — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 19:50:00 GMT

Is my child's reading instruction effective? A common question we ask ourselves as parents! Congress designated a panel to review 110,000 studies on reading and in 2000 a report was issued that identified the 5 key components of effective reading instruction. We have continued to learn a lot about reading in the two decades since, but those 5 pillars continue to be at the forefront of good instruction. The Right To Read Project issued a resource for parents and caregivers to advocate for their child's instruction. Visit https://righttoreadproject.com/ and click "Advocacy" for a free downloadable copy!

Supporting Struggling Readers

Cynthia Maggio — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 16:58:00 GMT

Using literacy resources to support our struggling readers helps build comprehension skills and prevent content gaps. Sora is a resource available to Eli Whitney students and can be accessed on their iPads or their Clever accounts. Click for more information! https://company.overdrive.com/2022/08/16/key-ways-sora-supports-literacy-in-students-with-dyslexia/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sfmc&utm_campaign=k12_newsletter&utm_content=sora_literacy_20221026

How Do You Book?

Cynthia Maggio — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 18:26:00 GMT

Thank you for all of the wonderful pictures!

Children's Book Week

Cynthia Maggio — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 00:52:00 GMT

November 7-11 is Children's Book Week! Established in 1919, this year they celebrate their 102nd anniversary! At Eli Whitney we are celebrating by collecting "How Do You Book?" photos and taking a fun book walk with Ms. Wolf in the library. Visit https://everychildareader.net/cbw/faq/ for more information.

Reading our way to the Turkey Trot!

Cynthia Maggio — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 17:36:00 GMT

The students at Eli Whitney have officially begun their challenge to make it to the Turkey Trot! Our school goal is to complete iReady Reading lessons by November 18th! Each 100 lessons passed puts a feather on the school turkey! If we meet our goal, 2 VIP turkeys will be leading us all on a Turkey Trot! Let's get reading and put some feathers on this turkey!

Dyslexia Awareness Month

Cynthia Maggio — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 17:43:00 GMT

Did you know that October is Dyslexia Awareness Month? Dyslexia is often defined as an unexpected difficulty in reading. Dyslexia does not affect an individuals overall ability to read, rather it is a weakness in one specific language system, phonological awareness. Individuals with dyslexia are often typical in other intellectual areas: thinking, reasoning and understanding. Dyslexia affects one out of every five children and early intervention is key is supporting children to develop a manual mode of reading. Some signs to watch for as early clues for potential reading struggles: * speech delay * difficulties with pronunciation of words * inability to identify rhyme * difficulty matching names and sounds of letters * talking "around" a word In 2015, CT Legislation Act 14-39 began to modify the education system and how we address challenges in literacy, specifically, dyslexia. From the CT State Dept of Education to your local school district, policies and programs have been instituted to support individuals with dyslexia. College teacher prep programs have been revamped, teacher training has been instituted and guidelines for assessment and intervention have been put in place. For more information: https://childmind.org/guide/parents-guide-to-dyslexia/ or reach out to cmaggio@enfieldschools.org

iReady

Cynthia Maggio — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:33:00 GMT

Did you know that your child has access to the iReady Reading My Path? My Path lessons are personalized for your child using their diagnostic results. Using My Path provides students with an opportunity to practice skills they may not have mastered in previous grades. Practice is done independently and at the student's pace. Students are presented with learning opportunities they are able to be successful with, yet challenge their thinking! Log in is simple with your child's Clever badge! Keep an eye out for a fun incentive to get those lessons completed!

Welcome

Cynthia Maggio — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 15:09:00 GMT

Welcome! In today's busy world, we find ourselves sending the kids out the door to school as we rush off to work. At the end of the day, we are balancing sports practices, club meetings, dinner, and of course the dreaded homework. As we lay our head on the pillow, we ask ourselves how we can help our student. How can we drill in those math facts? Will the Science project get finished? Why is he having trouble reading that chapter book? And in the morning, it all starts again... Reading is an important part of this busy world we live in. Let me help you stay informed with the literacy happenings at Eli Whitney School! As the Reading Consultant, I will keep you up to date on "what's new" in the reading world. I will keep you informed on the current issues related to literacy and education. Learn about various disabilities and their impact on reading. I will provide resources to challenge the excelled and support the struggler. Let's turn homework and reading at home into an enjoyable nighttime routine! Ms. Maggio Reading Consultant cmaggio@enfieldschools.org

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