Shore Daily News Talks about how All Northampton Reads brought “The magic of reading back…”
Northampton County elementary students recently wrapped up a magical month of reading through the All Northampton Reads program. The program culminated in a recorded magic show, where Mr. Dyas from Kiptopeke Elementary School performed tricks from the book EllRay Jakes Is Magic by Sally Warner. With assistance from Reading Instructional Coach Susan Camden, Dyas brought the magic of the story to life for students and their families.
Throughout the month, families read EllRay Jakes Is Magic, which tells the story of third-grader EllRay Jakes, who overcomes challenges to perform magic tricks at his school talent show. This reading initiative was made possible by Northampton County Public Schools’ partnership with Norfolk-based nonprofit All District Reads (ADR), and was generously funded by the Cape Charles Rotary Club and the Northampton County Education Foundation. Thanks to their support, every family at Northampton’s two elementary schools received their own copy of the book, along with a family reading guide to encourage meaningful discussions at home.
To spread the magic even further, nearly 30 Community Guest Readers participated in the program by reading chapters of the book, both in English and Spanish. These guest readers hailed from various local organizations, including the Virginia State Police, Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, Eastern Shore Rural Health, and the Exmore Police Department, as well as school board members, principals, and even NCPS Superintendent Dr. Lisa Martin.
The ADR model aims to build excitement around reading by uniting school systems in reading two children’s chapter books each year. The program has been praised by both educators and families. “Opportunities such as these spark the fires of family engagement, the love of reading, and the importance of lifelong literacy,” said Dr. Martin.
A third-grade teacher from Occohannock Elementary School shared how the book reignited her students’ enthusiasm for reading. “Students were able to connect their reading at home with the activities we completed in school. It was great to see them foster their learning both inside and outside of school.”
Throughout the program, families read and discussed one chapter each night, while schools built anticipation with trivia contests, special activities, and other surprises. The program brought families together around the magic of literacy.
All Northampton Reads is part of a growing initiative in southeastern Virginia. This spring, students in Suffolk Public Schools and Virginia Beach City Public Schools also participated by reading EllRay Jakes Is Magic. ADR is rapidly expanding, with future programs set to launch in Norfolk and Chesapeake, bringing the joy of reading to more than 65,000 families.
For more details about All Northampton Reads, you can contact Susan Camden at scamden@ncpsk12.com. To learn more about All District Reads, visit alldistrictreads.org.
(Source: Shore Daily News)