As we enter into the final weeks of another school year, we can take this opportunity to reflect on the work and accomplishments of the East York - Scarborough Reading Association.

Thanks to everyone who attended this year's very successful Reading for the Love of It conference at the Sheraton. At this annual event, we revitalize ourselves with stimulating speakers and add new authors, books and professional ideas to our teaching repertoires. Thanks are extended to Teresa Paoli, Conference Programme Chair and the programme committee members who worked diligently on our behalf. Thank you delegates for your valuable feedback. We are incorporating helpful suggestions into next year's conference.

Congratulations to our Reading Teacher of the Year award winners, Sheila Delaney from Huron Public School and Anna Szumilas from Senator O'Connor Catholic Seconday School! Hearing about the work these talented teachers do every day in connecting children to books is truly exciting. We trust that honouring teachers in this way is inspirational to all of us in our collective commitment to improving literacy instruction in our schools.

Our Outreach Committee work, an increasing emphasis for our association, is expanding steadily. It brings enhanced literacy opportunities to those in need locally, nationally and around the world. I would like to commend Marguerite Campbell, Outreach Chair and the committee for this excellent work in supporting literacy development in such a broad array of projects. The Newsletter Committee, chaired by Kathy Lazarovits, is responsible for this biannual publication. We thank them for their hard work in putting together current, informative and interesting articles.

I would like to take this opportunity to express our eternal gratitude to Mary Wilson and Jennifer Baker, both retiring from their roles with us, for their efforts in making our association a contributing member of the literacy community. Our annual conference has grown steadily over their long term in our office. Mary, assisted so ably at critical times of the year by Jennifer, has been instrumental in this growth. We wish them all the best in the future.

May I officially welcome Erica Townson, our recently appointed Executive Administrator. We look forward optimistically to working closely with Erica over the coming years.

Tony Petitti, President

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Over the past several years, there has been a growing recognition of the valuable contribution that parents make to their children's education. Parent engagement can take many forms, from participating on the school council (engagement in school) to helping with homework (engagement in education). Both types of engagement are valuable, but it is parental engagement in their children's education that has the biggest impact on student success.

Parent involvement in school includes volunteering, participating in school events and programs, and attending school council meetings. This type of involvement fosters a sense of community within the school and supports the work of school staff. It can also build stronger relationships between teachers and parents, and provide an opportunity for parents to make connections with the broader community. These are incredibly valuable contributions, but parents should not feel discouraged if they cannot be involved in this way - it is their involvement at home that will have the greatest impact on their children's academic success. This is engagement in education, and it is something that all parents can do.

The most important thing that parents can do is to:

• provide an education-oriented environment at home.
• talk to students about what they are doing in school, what interests them, what they think they are good at, and where they need more support.
• help them choose their high school courses.
• support them as they do their homework.
• go over their report cards with them and take them along to parent-teacher interviews.

The impact of this kind of engagement crosses socio-economic, racial and cultural barriers. Students whose parents demonstrate a belief that school is the most important thing on earth are more likely to be successful, no matter what their background.

School staff play a key role in helping parents feel welcome in the school. It is often the classroom teacher who is the parent's first adult contact, so teachers must be given the tools, time and information they need to effectively engage parents. Teachers should ensure that every parent in their classroom knows:

• how and when to contact the teacher if they have a question or concern.
• the role of the school council and contact information for the council chair.
• what volunteer opportunities are available in the school.
• what other supports and resources are available (eg. Guidance Counselors, Social Workers, Settlement Workers).

School administrators can help too. Invite the school council chair to attend a staff meeting to talk about the school council and its role. Teachers who are familiar with the school council are more likely to share the information with parents and are better equipped to encourage parent involvement. Another idea is to host a "Bring Your Parent to School Day" where parents are welcomed into the classrooms to participate in typical classroom activities. These activities are easy to plan and contribute to building a warm, welcoming school environment.

If you are looking for information and resources to support parent engagement, go to peopleforeducation.com. There is a wealth of information, including multi-lingual parent tip sheets on subjects ranging from Parent-Teacher Interviews to High School Courses and Choices. All of the resources can be downloaded for free.

Jacqui Strachan, Parent Support Coordinator, People for Education

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Dr. Chris Spence, the Director of the Toronto District School Board, has an "effective schools" philosophy that is based on seven key practices that range from setting high expectations and creating a safe and orderly climate to frequent monitoring of students' progress. As a former middle-school teacher, he knows positive relationships with students'. families need to continue throughout a student's school years.

Researchers are citing the power of blending school and community resources as being of benefit to all and creating A Habitat for 21st Century Learning (Helm, Turckes, Hinton 2010; Henrich, 2006). This approach sees a shared ownership and responsibility with community members and stakeholders; professional and adult learning communities, including a strong connection to the outdoor environment, sustainable building strategies; and around the clock use of resources.

The design of these centres/schools includes space to support strong family partnerships, spaces that can be shared by multiple groups, and a safe, secure, and welcoming environment. How the community will interact with the school begins right at the main entry! The main entry is designed to foster a feeling of welcome, safety, and security. It can even feature a community wall. This wall may contain community announcements or even handprints of all ages from both the school and the community. The main entry can be arranged to easily direct people to either the main office or a lobby where staff or students will personally greet and direct students and visitors alike. Is this not moving even further towards engaging more parents and making them feel welcome, safe, and secure?

Parenting and Family Literacy Centres have supported early learning and development of children as they transition to school. Now is the time to foster support for all students and make our schools 21st century learning centres.

Not every school can be a new building but changes can be made over time to ensure better learning environments for our students that continue to nurture their confidence and engage parents at all levels of their student's education.

What are some schools doing already? Bendale Business and Technical Institute is a multi-lingual high school in the Toronto District School Board. With the diverse languages spoken by both students and parents, along with the differing working hours of parents/guardians, outreach ideas need to be unique and varied. Throughout the year a variety of different events are scheduled, along with the regularly scheduled parent/teacher interviews; held twice yearly. This school has students studying the Culinary Arts (Food School) which has become an integral part of their Community Outreach Plans. Their Yearly Community Outreach Plans include:

• Senior Citizen Luncheons (Once a Month often with entertainment: e.g. Drama, Music)
• Dine and Discuss Dinners for Parents (Generally held three times a year from 6:30-8:30pm)
• Dinner and Mystery Theatre Night for Parents
• May Blooms and Bargains Day (Plants available, Fashion School provides the Bargains, Dinner Available)
• Food School Catering (Ongoing and Available to Anyone in the Community)

The variety provided in this outreach plan has increased parental involvement in the school for these older students and is building community awareness of the "learning by doing" happening here. This is a building that is well on its way to becoming a community learning centre.

Joan Barrett, Literacy Consultant

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The TDSB believes that education is a shared responsibility among parents, the community, students, staff and the Board ... the Board is committed to ensuring that all parents and members of our diverse communities have opportunities to participate in the school system and shall provide the support necessary to achieve that goal.
- TDSB Board Policy: Parent and Community Involvements

Malvern Jr. Public School prides itself in its school motto "Growing Together". This K-6 school has shown that linguistic and cultural diversity are not barriers to strong parental involvement. The leadership in the school inspires both the staff and community. Parents are viewed as "leading partners" and every attempt is made to engage them in the process.

The School Council is clearly visible and recognized as a body of valued members, who have organized a number of celebratory events such as:

• pot lucks
• workshops (literacy, second language learner, numeracy and social services)
• fundraisers
• author and musician visits
• Friday night basketball games

Leadership and training opportunities, supported and developed by our administrator, have instilled confidence and determination in our parents.

Congenial staff relationship and respect between parents and our teachers is clearly visible. Students see that teachers are working together and in partnership with parents to support them in their learning and well being. As early as initial registration, Kindergarten students' parents, have the opportunity to be part of the "Ready Set Go" programme. This valued initiative is designed to support and ease the child's entry into school life. The parent's vital role and involvement in their children's growth is an on-going focus.

Malvern's staff is a dedicated, caring and compassionate team, working together to ensure that we have a balanced and holistic approach to meeting children's needs. Parents are recognized as key players in "Malvern's Growth" and, as a result, we are continuously designing, evaluating and revisiting means of partnering with all the members of our learning team.

Together, we work to make a difference for our children.

Malvern P.S. Staff

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Research has proven time and time again that reading with children at a young age will help with future success in school. Reading at home with children not only exposes them to the natural rhythm of language but helps create rituals, memories, and bonds while providing a safe, comfortable place to explore books.

Some ways to make reading fun at home:

1. Read daily to your child. Choose a cozy spot where you can cuddle and not be disturbed.
2. Children love to have certain favourite books read to them. Read their favourite books over and over again, for as long as they are enjoying them.
3. Let your children choose books for themselves.
4. Read different types of materials - picture books, information books, magazines, comics, articles.
5. Subscribe to a magazine for your children. (ie. Owl, Canadian Geographic, Highlights)
6. Encourage relatives to give books as gifts.
7. Read with dramatic expression and flair using different voices and/or acting out the story together.
8. Point out words that are all around you such as street signs, boxes of groceries, maps, posters
9. Put magnetic letters on the fridge, and spell different words encouraging your children to do the same.
10. Make letters with bread dough, or use playdough to spell names and words.

I read picture books to my three children from a very early age. Each night, after a warm bubble bath, the three of them would climb onto my bed and I would read. Each child had books they loved to hear over and over again ... Madeline, I Love You Forever, Shh! Matthew and the Midnight Turkeys, Where the Wild Things Are, Drummer Hoff. I fondly think back on those nights remembering three squeaky clean, rosy-cheeked little ones intently listening to the words in the books. As I read, their eyes would become heavy-lidded with sleep and calmness would descend upon all of us.

These three tots are teenagers now and have developed a close bond as brother and sisters. In the fall of this year, my eldest began her first year of university out of town, and as summer drew to a close, I began to see signs of the siblings spending more and more time together as it became clear to them that one was about to leave home. One late night toward the end of August my eldest daughter asked if I would read them a story. They clambered onto my bed, and instead of it being 8:00 pm as it used to when they were younger it was 12:30 am and this time the four of us didn't all quite fit as comfortably on the bed as we used to. We had a long, rich discussion over which "favourite" to read and finally settled on The Giant's Toe, a charming story fashioned after the giant in Jack and The Beanstalk, who thinks he's carrying on a conversation with his cut-off toe when actually he's speaking to a garden imp. I began reading the book using the different accents I used when they were younger and my children began to read with me. I was suddenly struck by the fact that not only did reading with my children provide both them and me with undeniably sweet memories of their childhood, but that there is an intrinsic magic to the art of reading with loved ones that cannot be measured through research.

Deanna Giffen, Literacy Coach (K-8), TCDS Board

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To say that Stephen Lewis is important is to understate his significance in the world today. Numerous roles have allowed him to gain a global perspective that few attain. He brings charisma to the podium and his impact is immense. What a powerful message he presents!

At this year's Reading for the Love of It banquet, he spoke of the inequalities that continue to exist throughout the world, with particular emphasis on the role of women in Africa. They are the heart of their communities, both functionally and sentimentally and yet they are ignored, excluded, and abused. He said that if you educate a man, that man will become a single professional, but if you educate a woman, you give that knowledge to all - because women foster and nourish the next generation.

Mr. Lewis spoke with insight and sympathy that moved his entire audience.

Kate Stewart, First Year University Student

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Outreach continues its work in funding a variety of organizations to support literacy development. Please visit readingfortheloveofit.com/outreach.html for a complete list of organizations supported this year.

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Shanghai Girls
Lisa See

Galore
Michael Crummey

The Golden Mean
Annabel Lyon

The Scarecrow
Michael Connelly

The Girl who Played With Fire
Stieg Larsson

Remembering the Bones
Frances Itani

The Bishop's Man
Linden MacIntyre

Still Alice
Lisa Genova

Carol Munro

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Jennifer Baker has retired from Reading for the Love of it after almost 25 years of years of service. Jennifer you will be missed!

After 14 years of service to the East York -Scarborough Reading Association, and Reading for the Love of it , Executive Administrator, Mary Wilson retires, passing the torch to Erica Townson.

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We received an unprecedented number of nominations for the reading award. Among them were several exemplary teachers and curriculum leaders. Congratulations to our two extraordinary, dedicated winners: Anna Szumilas from Senator O'Connor, Catholic Secondary School, TCDSB and Sheila Delaney from Huron Public School, TDSB

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Plan to attend next year's conference on Thursday, Feb. 10th and and Friday Feb. 11th, 2011 at the Sheraton Centre, Toronto. Online registration will open on October 1st, 2010 at readingfortheloveofit.com.

We recommend that you register early.

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