Team Read is growing! This year we’re excited to offer Team Read+ and Team Read 4 at additional sites, and launch a new program at John Muir Elementary in Seattle.
John Muir enlisted 32 teen coaches to work with 32 elementary readers. This extended-day program called Team Read+, provides additional enrichment time for students before tutoring starts at the school. The program offers supplementary activities and literacy support for students, including read-alouds and book discussions with Team Read staff, and art/STEM activities involving the books we read.
“We’re excited to be at John Muir this year,” says Site Coordinator Sandy Gunder. “It’s especially fun for many of our tutors who currently go to Franklin High School, just a few blocks away because several of them also attended John Muir. Principal Brenda Ball Cuthbertson is also very excited to be working with Team Read. She thinks it’s a great opportunity to introduce more young people to the field of teaching, especially high school students of color.”
Team Read provides extended-day services at three schools with earlier dismissal times.
Team Read is also expanding a pilot program from last year that will serve 4th grade students at four of our elementary school sites (3 in Seattle, 1 in Highline). These students will receive one-on-one support from teen coaches, including book group discussions, journal reflections and the opportunity to lead read-alouds for younger students.
Thanks to support from The Norman Raab Foundation, we’re expanding our technology as well. Students at Midway Elementary received 30 new laptops to do individualized online phonics lessons with their reading coaches.