The Superintendent's Summer Reading Book Club Will Return Next Summer!

Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell has made literacy a priority within the Newburgh Enlarged City School District (NECSD). This summer, the Superintendent's Summer Reading Book Club provided NECSD scholars with the opportunity to read together and also be read to.  Each week, scholars on the elementary level gathered in the Active Learning Space at Gidney Avenue Memorial School (GAMS) to hear a book reading by the Superintendent or a member of her educational team.  The young students were encouraged to ask questions and to share their favorite moments from the story following the reading. The scholars were also gifted free copies of some of the books to read at home.

On the secondary level, middle school scholars in the Summer Reading Book Club were given a copy of Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix | Shadow Children Series. The Book Club students would gather in the South Middle School (SMS) library weekly. While there, they would take turns reading chapters aloud immediately followed by a discussion on what was read.  Assistant Superintendent and Chief Equity Officer, Dr. Natasha Freeman-Mack, and Dr. Manning Campbell, engaged the students with in-depth questions pertaining to the story. The scholars were challenged to identify similarities or differences between themselves and the main characters in the novel. They were also asked to highlight and locate the definition of any words they found to be challenging or unfamiliar during their reading.

Board Member, Mr. Philip Howard, and William Kaplan, of the Newburgh armory, visited GAMS during the Superintendent's most recent reading with the elementary scholars. Mr. Kaplan spoke briefly with the scholars and welcomed them to join the Newburgh Armory to continue their love of reading there in the Armory library.  Mr. Howard also took time to visit with the middle school scholars at SMS during their most recent Book Club gathering. He provided them with words of encouragement for life and the upcoming school year.

The Superintendent's Summer Reading Book Club was created to encourage scholars to read and enjoy picking up a book. Literacy and reading comprehension continue to be a  priority within the district. The ability to read is crucial to the future success of each Newburgh scholar. 

ATTENTION: Are your scholars or colleagues doing something great? Please contact the district Communications Team at communications@necsd.net. We’d love to visit your class or event and/or post your pictures and recap to highlight the amazing accomplishments throughout our district!