Pulaski Road Elementary School was bustling with students this summer from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in the district’s Summer Reading Program. The 20-day program allowed students to better prepare for the new school year by taking part in fun, educational games and activities that promote literacy.

Students met for two hours a day from Monday through Thursday and were placed with a teacher who gave them what they needed to strengthen their reading skills. The days consisted of small group instruction, which allowed for personalized attention and hands-on and multisensory activities. The students utilized centers which they rotated through, to explore different avenues of learning and participated in creative educational games such as fishing for words and bowling.

In addition, the program encompassed technology into the learning environment by providing reading exercises on the SMART Board and personal computers for students to learn through the educational platform, Compass Learning Odyssey.

District Coordinator of Reading & AIS Tara Gaiss and Program Principal Scott Pellegrino have run the program for the past five years and watched it evolve into a beneficial outlet for students to challenge themselves to succeed.

“The Summer Reading Program engages students in small group, multisensory reading activities with the goal of not only reducing summer loss but closing the gap in the specific areas of challenge for each student,” said Gaiss. “As part of our pre-summer goal setting process, we take great effort to pinpoint the specific areas of challenge and then work for 20 days to target these skills in creative and exciting lessons.”