Dear SJCS Families,

 

Please review the attached materials for our 2019 Summer Reading Program.  The files will also be posted on the school website:  http://stjosephtx.org/summer-reading-program 

Reading Log - We encourage all members of the school community, including students, faculty, and staff, to read a minimum of 600 minutes (or 10 hours) during the summer months.  We know that summer reading is particularly beneficial in helping students retain and expand upon the literacy skills they have developed during the past school year.  All who complete and submit a Reading Log when we return to school in August will earn  SJCS Spirit Shirt Privilege on Thursday 08/29/2019 (Note: SJCS Spirit Shirts must be worn with uniform bottoms).

Required Summer Reading, 2nd-8th  - A list of required reading titles for students entering grades 2-8 is posted below.  Please make sure your incoming 2nd-8th grader reads the book(s) assigned to the grade level she/he will be entering in August.  Upper School - Mrs. Pouttu has requested that all 6th-8th graders complete a "Track Your Thinking" sheet for each required reading book.  She is distributing hard copies of this sheet to all current 5th-7th graders and a digital copy is also attached to this email.

Poetry Memorization, Kindergarten-8th  - In effort to align with all Diocesan schools and promote our identity as a classics-based school, we have added a poetry component to our summer reading requirement.  We hope that the assigned poems will foster literacy skills and community building in our school as we learn them together.   I am attaching the required poems for students entering grade Kindergarten-8 to this email. Please have your student memorize the assigned poem for her/his grade level.  The homeroom teachers will create an opportunity for the students to demonstrate mastery of their assigned poem when we return to school in August.

Recommended Reading Lists  - This summer's recommended reading lists are publications from NCEA (National Catholic Educational Association) and ALA (American Library Association) and are intended to provide guidance as parents and caregivers select summer reading materials for students in grades PreK-8. Feel free to consult these or other recommended lists at your local public library.  The NCEA lists are attached to this email and the ALA list can be accessed at this web link:  http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb
Wishing everyone a strong finish to the school year and a wonderful summer break!

SJCS Required Reading List, Summer 2019
2^nd -  D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths  by Ingri d'Aulaire
3^rd -  Little House on the Prairie  by Laura Ingalls Wilder
4^th -  Farmer Boy  by Laura Ingalls Wilder
5^th -  The Phantom Tollbooth  by Norton Jester or  Island of the Blue Dolphins  by Scott       O'Dell (choose ONE only!)
6^th –  Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
7^th -  The Cay  by Theodore Taylor and  Booked  by Kwame Alexander (BOTH)
8^th -  The Red Pony  by John Steinbeck and  Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie  by Jordan Sonnenblick (BOTH)