News

Literacy coaches Mrs. Susan Convery (left) and Mrs. Stacey Leung (right) 

As we approach the end of another successful academic year, we proudly reflect on the outstanding work of our dedicated literacy coaches team - Mrs. Susan Convery, Mrs. Laura Jane Corker, Mrs. April Franks and Mrs. Stacey Leung. Their efforts and commitment to enhancing literacy skills and practices among our students have significantly impacted our entire school community.

In alignment with our Strategic Plan, our literacy coaches support teachers and principals with research-based best practice strategies to develop lessons and activities to help students in mastering or exceeding grade-level standards. They also develop and collect resources using language arts curriculum to bring common academic language from the New Art and Science of Teaching (NASOT) instructional framework.

Literacy strategies displayed in the classroom

Throughout this school year, our literacy coaches have implemented many initiatives to foster a love for reading, improve writing abilities, and strengthen literacy competency. Here are a few examples of their concerted efforts:

• Reading strategies: worked closely with students and teachers to identify areas for improvement and implemented strategies to help struggling readers and writers thrive academically
• Professional development: actively participated in ongoing professional development sessions while staying up-to-date with the latest research and best practices in literacy instruction
• Community engagement: promoted literacy at home through collaboration with school sites to organize family literacy events and encourage parent involvement in reading activities. This spring, they presented an overview of the district-wide initiatives focused on effective reading instructional strategies to our Board of Trustees and community. Highlights included a timeline of implementation, student improvement data, reading/literacy framework, and more.

In these editions of the HBCSD Tiny Mic Series, our literacy coaches asked students to share the strategies they’ve learned and some practical tools to apply when reading. 

• HBCSD Tiny Mic Series - The Reading Strategy of Summarizing
• HBCSD Tiny Mic Series - The Reading Strategy of Predicting (aka Inferencing)
• HBCSD Tiny Mic Series - The Reading Strategy of Making Connections
• HBCSD Tiny Mic Series - The Reading Strategy of Visualizing 
• Tips for Reading With Your Child (parent resource)

Please join us in celebrating the collective achievements of our school community as we look forward to the next school year, filled with even more opportunities for growth and learning. Together, we will continue to foster a love for reading, writing, and communication among our students.