That is not to say that we aren't reflecting back on summer and learning how we can improve things next year. We also had a big Staff Development Meeting last week where the whole staff sat down to see how we can improve services to our community - we are constantly re-evaluating!
So back to Summer Reading. This summer was the third year of a 3-year State contract with the company behind the Evanced Summer Reading online system. We tried out their new offering this year - Wandoo Reader. There were pros and cons of using this program. The biggest hurdle was the parental approval email requirement which kept the School Media Specialist at Marlborough Elementary from registering all the students in June. Parents were tasked with registration at home, and I think this turned out to be more confusing to parents than we had thought.
Secondly, we found that while many kids and parents love logging their reading through the summer (some even compete!) there are many who just don't have the time to do this.
So, while we aren't sure where the State Library will take us yet for next summer, we do know that we are taking a very close look at how we can make summer reading easier for everyone, and we are prepared to offer something new and more streamlined next year! Summer slide is still a real problem, and I think we all agree that keeping the kids reading throughout the year is important. Keeping that in mind, we want to offer the kids something that they can do while on vacation, but still come visit us at RML during the summer months. Stay tuned!
On another note, the Friends of RML helped bring summer to and end as usual, with their Ice Cream Social. I'll leave you with a few pics from that fun annual event and a reminder to please let me know any suggestions you have for your child's Children's Department at RML!
Ms Eileen
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