Dear PES Families,                                                                                May 5, 2023

Our school is about to take part in a special, communitywide shared reading event. Every family will receive a copy of the same book, “Fenway and Hattie” by Victoria Coe. Your family will be asked to read it together at home over the next few weeks. Funds from our Title One grant paid for books for each student.

Reading aloud at home is valuable because it better prepares your child to be an effective reader, and it is also a fun, worthwhile family activity. With this program, we aim to build a Community of Readers at our school. Everyone – students, parents, teachers, even administrative staff – will all be following along together.

Your child received a copy of “Fenway and Hattie” today at a special school-wide assembly introducing the program and the book. Along with the book, you will receive a reading schedule so that you can keep up at home. Monday and Wednesday chapters will be read aloud at school.Alternate weekday chapters will be read at home. An audio of each chapter, read by PES staff, will be available on this site . The reading calendar will also be available.

In school, your child will be invited to answer daily trivia questions to encourage and reward attentive listening. Nightly discussion questions will also be posted on the school’s Facebook page. In class, students will explore the book through activities and discussion. You will want to make sure your family keeps up so that your child can be included.

When a whole school reads a book, there’s a lot to talk about. With your help, we can build a Community of Readers at our school.

Thank you for your participation!

– The PES FELT Team (Family Engagement Leadership Team)