April 2019 Newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE
- Message from Executive Director Anel Mercado
- Satoya Williams Joins Staff as Data Manager
- Summer Scholars Collaborative Update
- Reading Volunteers CAN Launched
- Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge
- ELA Corner: CLASS Project Lead Opening
- NCAA Readers Are Leaders Champion
- All Pro Dads Joins 100×25
- In the News:
- Como Gets Shout Out From Ellen
Anel’s Message
April has been another great month for Read Fort Worth! We’ve spent so much quality time connecting with the community through events such as El día de los Niños y Libros family festival (pictured above). At each of these events, we’ve signed up families for our new family newsletter, Read Fort Worth Family Reader in English and Noticiero Familiar de Leamos Fort Worth in Spanish. We believe this communication initiative geared specifically for families is vital to our community outreach, as well as informing parents/caretakers of many of the wonderful reading opportunities available to children across Fort Worth.
We’ve been so inspired by the number of programs that have applied to be part of the 2019 Summer Scholars Collaborative, along with the response we received for the Literacy Support Specialist openings. There is still time to sign up your program or become a Literacy Support Specialist. Read more about the Collaborative below.
As many of you know we took part in USA Today’s Community Thrives fundraising contest. Thank you to everyone who donated! Though we didn’t reach our goal, we did raise $3820 for library resources at four FWISD elementary schools: Sunrise-McMillan, Moss, Western Hills Primary and Western Hills Elementary. Thank you again to the Fort Worth community for the support!
Finally, we’re proud to welcome Satoya Williams to the Read Fort Worth staff as our Data Manager. Satoya comes to us after nearly 11 years at FWISD in a number of roles, most recently as a coordinator for secondary schools. Read more about Satoya and her vision for the work she’ll be doing below.
Enjoy our April newsletter and thank you once again for your continued support of Read Fort Worth. As always, feel free to reach out to me at anel.mercado@readfortworth.org or the phone numbers below.
Anel Mercado
817-258-8130 (o), 602-614-2044 (c)
Data Manager Satoya Williams Joins Staff
Data is at the heart of what we do at Read Fort Worth, driving the work forward to align our efforts. As Data Manager, Satoya Williams will be responsible for managing the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and dissemination of data to support Read Fort Worth activities in improving student outcomes.
Satoya will work alongside our Collaborative Action Managers Danielle Stenger and Cameron Navarro to support the collective impact work across our Collaborative Action Networks. Satoya will facilitate results-orientated data meetings with cross-sector partners, project manage the Collaborative Action Networks’ data action plans, assisting the Collaborative Action Managers in providing partners the appropriate data support to fulfill their roles.
“I am so excited to join the team at Read Fort Worth,” Williams said. “I’m ecstatic about the opportunity to combine my skill set of creating data-driven systems with my love of supporting my community. Using data to provide insight on our successes, progress and opportunities for improvement as we work to change the outcomes for children in our community will be the foundation of my work. That data will include looking at our work from a numerical standpoint, but also getting feedback from our stakeholders and the community on our progress and possible next steps.
“I want to continue the practice of including our stakeholders in the work as we build teams to take an in-depth look at the data that will inform our strategies for accomplishing our goal of 100×25. As we all know, preparing our students to read on grade level will not only help them continue on a pathway for college, career and military readiness, but they will also become productive and contributing citizens of our society. Working together, we can ensure that our children have all the tools that they need to be successful!”
She will also work alongside Anel Mercado and the Executive Council to implement a shared vision for the Collaborative Action Networks’ role in the overall success of 100X25. In other words, she’ll be busy, but she’s up for the challenge and ready to get started. Satoya’s first day is May 1 and we can’t wait for you to meet her!
Expanded Learning Update: Summer Scholars Collaborative
The Summer Scholars Collaborative is an opportunity for programs serving Fort Worth ISD students to align best practices and share data in an effort to ensure students gain or maintain literacy levels over the summer. Together, we’re tackling summer slide! This is a critical piece of the 100×25 initiative and collaborative work of Read Fort Worth and its partners.
2019 Summer Scholars Collaborative is on the search for more summer programs to join us this summer!
Currently, there are 10 programs registered, with a total of 55 sites between them. This is a great start and we look forward to welcoming more programs and their sites to the Collaborative. Programs interested in being a part of the Summer Scholars Collaborative are encouraged to get additional information and apply for registration here.
We still have a few more Literacy Support Specialist positions available for the summer, so if you are a current or retired teacher with a literacy background or know one that would be interested, they can visit here for a list of positions and the application.
Reading Volunteers Update: 2019 and Beyond
Read Fort Worth’s Reading Volunteers Collaborative Action Network has officially reconvened and is excited to begin work on a coordinated effort with FWISD and its program partners. They are currently researching volunteer best practices in order to streamline the signup process and begin recruiting new volunteers in June.
Be on the lookout in our May newsletter for more information on how to sign up as a reading volunteer or to get further involved!
Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge is a Family Affair
Are you up for the challenge?! Join us! Read Fort Worth is partnering with the Fort Worth Public Library to present the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge, sponsored by the Fort Worth Library Foundation! Help us spread the word and rally our community to join the Challenge at any of the 17 library locations.
The Challenge is designed to encourage everyone, from kids to adults, to discover (or rediscover) the joy of reading. That means everyone in the community can join! For children, reading can help curb “summer slide,” a loss of knowledge during summer vacation that comes from having fewer structured learning opportunities. Adults who read can be positive role models for younger readers, and the goal is to give everyone the chance to participate, regardless of age.
“The summer is the perfect time to pick up a book a read, not just alone, but as a family,” said Betsy Price, Mayor of Fort Worth. “We invite everyone in Fort Worth to take part in the Summer Reading Challenge. Find a library near you, bring a friend and start reading!”
Families that read together, win together! From toddlers to adults, there are fun prizes for readers of all ages. Read 200 minutes to complete each level and earn rewards. Complete all three challenge levels and be entered for the grand prize.
Reading logs will be available to pick up after Memorial Day at any branch. The challenge begins in June and ends in August. Please visit FortWorthLibrary.org/SummerReading after May 13.
Early Learning Alliance Corner: Hiring CLASS Project Lead
In this month’s Early Learning Alliance (ELA) Corner, we’re introducing Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). ELA contracted with the SMU Center on Research and Evaluation to assess classroom quality using CLASS, which scientifically captures the essence of great teaching. The CLASS model is the most researched framework for assessing teacher-child interactions, measuring their quality, and turning those metrics into meaningful suggestions for improvement.
The CLASS Instructional Quality Initiative is connecting child care, Head Start, Early Head Start and local independent school district Pre-K classrooms to a tool that will improve instruction in early-childhood settings. The alignment of early childhood programs and classrooms across boundaries promotes a sound approach to analysis of early education in Tarrant County.
The ELA is seeking your support in filling a CLASS Project Lead position in partnership with Child Care Associates. Please share the full job description LINK with your networks!
NCAA Crowns FWISD Readers Become Leaders Champion
Fort Worth ISD’s top three finalists in the NCAA’s Readers Become Leaders program were recognized April 18 at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena as part of the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships. Overall winner Lily B. Clayton elementary, along with H. V. Helbing and Leadership Academy at Como, attended an open practice for the NCAA Championships.
FWISD partnered with the NCAA, Scholastic, Read Fort Worth and Visit Fort Worth to implement Readers Become Leaders into the District’s elementary schools. More than 17,000 students from 38 schools participated in the inaugural event and logged more than 6.7 million minutes.
NCAA’s Team Works division sponsors Readers Become Leaders to help address the literacy problem facing the nation’s youth. Readers Become Leaders encourages students in kindergarten through fifth grade to read by creating a fun environment where they can compete against other schools.
Readers Become Leaders supports 100x25FWTX, the District’s early literacy initiative with a goal to ensure 100 percent of third-grade students are reading at or above grade level by the year 2025.
All Pro Dad Partners with 100X25
Mayor Betsy Price and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy joined forces to announce a first-of-its-kind program that encourages local fathers and their children to read together this summer as part of the City of Fort Worth’s 100×25 initiative. The program is a partnership with the City of Fort Worth and All Pro Dad, the fatherhood program of national nonprofit Family First.
Family First plans to establish All Pro Dad chapters at 21 Fort Worth community centers, adding to the already existing 73 All Pro Dad chapter in Fort Worth area schools. These chapters will work to offset the “summer slide” in reading that has detrimental impacts to children’s educational progress.
“Community involvement, year-around, is critical to moving the needle on childhood literacy in Fort Worth,” Price said. “That is why we are thrilled to partner with All Pro Dad, a program that encourages reading as part of its curriculum, that will be available in all of Fort Worth’s community centers starting this summer.”
In the News
- “Surprise! Fort Worth’s Como students, staff get shout out from Ellen and $50,000 too,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 16.