2019-2020 Enrollment Begins!
Each year, the school board opens enrollment for the new school year first to returning CCS families before opening enrollment to the general public. Therefore, CCS families are invited to re-enroll their students (and even submit applications for siblings of current students) beginning on March 1 through March 15. This allows CCS families to secure their students’ seats before new families can begin applying.
The 2019-2020 Re-Enrollment Newsletter was sent to families on February 18, which details how CCS families can re-enroll online through the Sycamore Admissions Portal, which was opened the morning of March 1. This newsletter is also located on the CCS app.
We look forward to another great year of working together with families that desire a Christian education for their children, as we equip their children to impact the world for God’s Kingdom!
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THE LION'S ROAR
MARCH 2019
Teaching students to read is serious business! Interestingly, most programs do not provide students with reading instruction past the elementary grades. Alternatively, Cornerstone’s students receive intentional reading instruction from Kindergarten through Grade 8 through the use of Foundations & Frameworks (F&F), the reading program we have adopted.
In order to teach reading well, it requires a sufficient amount of instructional time plus reading practice. In fact, F&F recommends allotting 90 minutes each day to be devoted to this task. Additional instruction is also needed in the lower elementary grades for phonics and fluency practice. These are necessary components of reading instruction that aid in maximizing reading comprehension.
Reading comprehension does not just happen; students must be taught to think deeply and critically. In order to accomplish this, teachers must model thought processes that enable reading comprehension. For each reading unit, teachers first read aloud an intentionally selected short book to the class while modeling their thinking for the children and completing a “visual tool” (more on visual tools in an upcoming newsletter). This allows students to hear the questions they should be asking themselves when they are reading independently and completing their own visual tools. Teachers then provide guided practice,
during which the class is given a short story to read, and then they complete the visual tool together. Finally, students engage in reading
their assigned books while they continue to receive instruction during small group discussions.
F&F is designed to have students read books that are appropriate for their specific reading levels, which allows teachers to tailor their instruction rather than just “teach to the masses.” Students are able to work at their instructional levels, while receiving encouragement to move to the next level of mastery. Most classes have three leveled books being read by students during any one unit, which allows students to be challenged at their own reading levels without becoming frustrated. Small group instruction allows teachers to have meaningful interactions with each child on a daily basis, which allows students to receive instructive feedback that is specific to their needs. This results in the ultimate goal: Students comprehending while reading material independently!
THE FOUNDATION OF "FOUNDATIONS & FRAMEWORKS"