Wisdom Weekly

The Importance of Reading at Home

Reading is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children—and it is a gift that can begin at birth and continue through eighth grade and beyond. Whether you are reading a picture book with a preschooler, listening to your elementary school child read, or talking with a middle schooler about a novel, the time spent with books matters.

Research consistently shows that reading aloud and sharing books with young children supports language development, vocabulary, and early literacy skills. As children grow older, reading for pleasure is associated with stronger vocabulary, reading achievement, and progress in other academic areas, including mathematics. Studies have even found that positive reading habits established during childhood can have benefits that extend into adulthood.

Most importantly, reading at home helps children develop a love of reading, rather than viewing reading simply as something they have to do for school. Families play an important role in creating a home environment where books, conversation, curiosity, and learning are valued. Research on parental engagement also finds positive effects on student learning, with much of the evidence focused on home-reading activities.

How Can You Encourage Reading at Home?

Birth–Pre-K

• Read aloud every day—even if your child is too young to understand every word.
• Point to pictures, name objects, and talk about what is happening in the story.
• Let your child see you enjoying books and other forms of reading.

Grades K–3

• Set aside 15–20 minutes each day for reading together.
• Take turns reading aloud or read a book aloud to your child.
• Ask questions such as, “What do you think will happen next?” or “Why do you think the character did that?”
• Visit the library and allow your child to choose books that interest them.

Grades 4–5

• Encourage children to read books connected to their interests—sports, animals, mysteries, history, fantasy, biographies, or anything that captures their attention.
• Talk about what they are reading without turning every conversation into a quiz.
• Encourage them to recommend a book to you and explain why they enjoyed it.

Grades 6–8

• Continue to encourage reading, even as children become more independent.
• Help your child find books, magazines, articles, biographies, or other texts that connect to their interests.
• Talk about books, characters, ideas, and current events around the dinner table or in the car.
• Consider reading the same book your child is reading so that you can discuss it together.
• Most importantly, keep encouraging reading for enjoyment—not just for an assignment.

A Simple Goal for Every Family

You do not need to read for hours each night. Consistency matters more than quantity. Even 15–20 minutes of reading or sharing a book each day can help establish a powerful lifelong habit.

Let your children see you read. Let them choose what interests them. Talk about what they are reading. Visit the library. Read together. And remind them that there is no age at which we outgrow a good book.

When families and schools work together to create a culture of reading, we help our children become not only stronger readers, but curious, thoughtful, and lifelong learners.

Warmly,

Miriam Bonici

We recognize that mornings can be challenging, and we appreciate the effort our families make to get their children to school each day. At the same time, consistent punctuality is an important life skill that helps children develop responsibility, organization, and respect for their own time and the time of others.

We ask all families to make arriving on time a priority. Together, we can improve our attendance and lateness and ensure that every student starts each day ready for success.

We would like to take a moment to express our sincere appreciation for our wonderful custodial team. They work tirelessly each day to keep our Academy clean, safe, and welcoming for our students, faculty, staff, and families.

Their dedication goes far beyond keeping our building in order. They are always willing to help, greet others with a smile, and bring kindness and positivity to our school community. Their hard work often happens behind the scenes, but the impact they have on our Academy is seen and felt every day.

Please join us in thanking our custodians for all that they do. We are truly grateful for their hard work, kindness, and commitment to Divine Wisdom Catholic Academy!

Our i-Ready Diagnostic window is coming to a close. The Diagnostic provides teachers with valuable information about each student’s current skills and helps identify areas of strength as well as areas where additional support may be beneficial.

Following the Diagnostic, students receive a personalized instructional path in i-Ready that is designed to address their individual learning needs and provide opportunities for continued growth. We encourage parents to take a few minutes to watch the link provided below to learn more about the i-Ready Diagnostic, what the results mean, and how the personalized instructional path supports your child’s learning.

Thank you for partnering with us as we use this information to better understand and support the academic growth of every student.

https://videos.curriculumassociates.com/watch/CdGRnjBuu3jUSxcE4Aiid4

"We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race" Kofi Annan

The DWCA Celebrates Diversity~ September 15- October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month.

We welcome students of Hispanic Heritage to share about their culture during morning announcements. Students interested in sharing should email to schedule. dwisdom@dwcaonline.org

Thank you to all the families that helped make the Walkathon a success. A special thank you to Mrs. Barrett, Ms. DiMarcello and all the volunteers for all their hard work in planning and helping the walk go smoothly. Congratulations to Nia Sarumi in 4-1 who raised the highest donations with a grand total of $1,200. 4-1 earned the Halloween Breakfast!!!

• I-Ready Diagnostic Window Closes- September 30
• Class Pictures - September 28 ALL K-8 MUST BE IN DWCA UNIFORM OR GYM UNIFORM

Dear Divine Wisdom Families,

Strong communication between home and school is an essential part of creating a successful school experience for every child. When parents and teachers communicate openly and work together, we are better able to understand each child’s needs, celebrate their successes, and address concerns before they become larger challenges.

We encourage parents to reach out whenever you have a question, concern, or important information that may help us better support your child. Communication is most effective when it is timely, respectful, and focused on finding solutions together.

There are several ways to stay connected with the Academy:

• Email your child’s teacher when you have questions about classroom learning, assignments, or your child’s day-to-day experience. Your child's teacher should always be your first point of contact.
• Contact the main office when you have questions regarding school policies, attendance, schedules, procedures, or other general concerns.
• Reach out to the administration when a concern requires additional support or cannot be resolved at the classroom level.

A Quick Reference list of our Shared Email Boxes (Gmelius) is provided below, which helps ensure that messages are received, tracked, and organized. Families may still call, but email is now the preferred method of contact.

Please include your child’s name, grade, and class number when emailing.

We are always here to help!

Mrs. M. Bonici- Principal