Southmoreland Junior High School

SOUTHMORELAND MIDDLE SCHOOL 200 Scottie Way Scottdale PA 15683 (724) 887-2031 www. southmoreland.net

“Books, I found, had the power to make time stand still, retreat or fly into the future.” ~ Jim Bishop ~ Dear Parent or Guardian:

The faculty and administration of Southmoreland Middle School believe that fostering a love of reading is essential to promote lifelong learners. With this in mind, we are incorporating the Accelerated Reader Program into our curriculum.

The Accelerated Reader (AR) Program is a computerized testing program that determines how well your child understands the book that he or she has read. Your child will choose his or her own AR book based upon the available tests at Southmoreland Middle School and will read the selection at his or her pace. Your child will then take a test on a computer which will assist us in motivating and monitoring increased reading practice and comprehension. Both your child and his or her teacher will receive immediate and individualized constructive feedback to direct the ongoing reading practice.

Southmoreland Middle School has hundreds of books that are worth different point levels. Your child will earn points when he or she passes the AR computer test on the book that they have completed. We encourage our students to choose books that they are able to enjoy and comprehend. Please help guide your child in these book selections.

The following listings describe the point values that your child will need to earn for the year (by quarter) and that will be incorporated into the grades for the marking periods.

First Quarter: 8 points Second Quarter: 12 points Third Quarter: 12 points Fourth Quarter: 8 points

Your student will receive one reading grade per nine week marking period based upon his or her success in our Accelerated Reader Program. This grade will be based on the average of percentage points earned for the nine week marking period and on the percentage of questions answered correctly to earn their points for that nine week marking period.

Thank you in advance for your support and efforts to develop your student into the best reader that he or she may be. We look forward to working with you.

Respectfully,

Daniel A. Clara, SMS Principal Valerie Cosco, Language Arts Teacher Kristi Burgh, Language Arts Teacher Amity Williams, Language Arts Teacher Lisa Shurina, Language Arts Teacher Keith Miller, Language Arts Teacher Kimberly Schwartz, Language Arts Teacher Ashley Morris, Learning Support Teacher Natalie Lilley, Learning Support Teacher Michelle Patrick, Learning Support Teacher Nikki Sherbondy, Communications Teacher Janet Tavormina, Librarian Nikki Sherbondy, Communications Teacher