Catholic Superkids Research

Momentum article by Pam Peroutky

Super Tutor Brochure

August 10,  2009

Dear Parents and Guardians:

I’m writing to share some very exciting news with you! St. Ailbe School has been named a Super School as part of the Super School Initiative, a new partnership between the Archdiocese of Chicago and Rowland Reading Foundation. The goal of the Initiative is to create a model nationally for excellence in primary-grade reading.

St. Ailbe School is one of 15 schools in the Archdiocese selected for the first year of the Initiative, which is led by Sister Mary Paul McCaughey, Superintendent of the Archdiocese schools, and Pleasant Rowland, founder and chair of Rowland Reading Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to improve reading in the primary grades.

As a Super School, St. Ailbe will implement a fresh, proven reading program called The Superkids in our pre-K through second-grade classrooms this fall. As we all know, teaching children to read in the primary grades is the most urgent task in education today. Research has shown that students who do not learn to read by the end of second grade struggle in school thereafter. The Superkids is a comprehensive, phonics-based reading and language arts program that has produced exceptional results with a broad range of students in classrooms throughout the U.S. I have enclosed a summary of results from independent researchers who tested Superkids students using standardized national assessments. I was very impressed, and I think you will be too!

Our St. Ailbe School Super Teachers will be trained to teach the Superkids program and ready to start the year with new books, new materials, and a renewed commitment to giving our children the best possible education. In addition, the Foundation’s reading experts will be working with volunteers from our parish community who want to be Super Tutors. Super Tutors will be trained to make a real difference in the classroom by providing meaningful help to our kids and teachers. This could be YOU! No prior education experience is required—just a desire to help our children succeed. Please call me if you are interested in participating.

 This Super School designation is a great honor for St. Ailbe, and it builds on our long history of academic excellence and success. We are especially pleased to be part of an Initiative at the forefront of primary-reading innovation.

Enclosed you will find two summaries of Superkids research results and two articles from a recent issue of Momentum, the magazine of the National Catholic Educational Association. The articles will tell you more about the Superkids program in action and about Pleasant Rowland, author of the program and founder of Rowland Reading Foundation.

If you’re already a member of our school community, I hope you’ll look through these materials and be as excited as I am about this honor. If your family is new to our community or considering what school is best for your child, this exciting initiative gives you one more good reason to choose our “Super School!”

Please call the school if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing you when school resumes on August 24th!

Sincerely,

Stephanie A. Clausell
Principal