While students and teachers are looking forward to the end of the school year, Lowell Area Schools’ (LAS) Arrow Readers on the Move program encourages students in elementary school to continue reading during summer break. The program will kick off its 15th year in mid-June and run through the end of July. Funding for the program comes from the LAS general fund.
Passing the Baton
Dawn Emelander has been involved with Arrow Readers on the Move for over 10 years. This will be her fifth year serving as the coordinator. After the end of this school year, Emelander will retire as Bushnell Elementary’s Library Media Center Assistant. She will pass the role of coordinating to Katelynd Pulver, a 4th grade teacher at Cherry Creek Elementary.
“I have been involved in various capacities with Arrow Readers since I joined the district in 2017,” says Pulver. “I am taking it on because I think the program is important for our kids and community. I have family in the community that has been participating in the program for years, and I remember their excitement for reading during the summer months!”
How It Works
Students who were in kindergarten through 5th grade during the current school year (2021-2022) can participate. Students can be registered for the free program by completing this form. The deadline for completion is June 14, however, late registrations will be accepted depending upon available space.
Books that appear in the Accelerated Reader (AR) system qualify to earn points, which then translate to prizes. Parents can use the AR Bookfinder site to see if a book qualifies and what level it is. Levels are rated such that the first part of the number is the grade level and the second part of the number is the month within that grade. For example, a book that’s a level 3.4 means that it’s suitable for a student in the fourth month of third grade. E-books checked out through KDL or the LAS Overdrive app can also be used as long as they are in the AR system.
Most students should be familiar with knowing their reading level as well as how to take AR tests. Each test is worth points based on the difficulty and number of correctly answered questions. Students can take tests on certain dates at a variety of locations throughout the community or take them at home. Books can be checked out and prizes can be picked up from each location. Students can go to as many of the locations as desired each week.
Point goals to receive a prize are based on the grade a student will begin in the fall. Once the following number of points is achieved through taking AR tests a prize may be selected.
- Grades K-1 – 4 points
- Grades 2-3 – 6 points
- Grades 4-6 – 8 points
Prizes this year include t-shirts, ice cream coupons from Balls Softee Creme, Red Barn Market, and the Ice Cream Caboose, lunch totes, splash toys, water squirters, bubbles, hula hoops, and backpacks.
Listed below are the locations, dates, and times for checking out books, taking tests, and picking out prizes.
Cherry Creek Elementary
June 14, 21, 28 and July 12, 19, 26
Time: 9am to 12pm
KDL – Alto Branch
June 14, 21, 28 and July 12, 19, 26
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Murray Lake Elementary
June 15, 22, 29 and July 13, 20, 27
Time: 9am to 12pm
KDL – Englehardt Branch
June 15, 22, 29 and July 13, 20, 27
Time: 5:30pm to 7:30pm
The Importance of Reading Over the Summer
Kids often enjoy interacting with teachers and staff about summer reading and choosing books to read, especially in an informal setting. Sometimes students will run into classmates and friends and be able to catch up as well. There are also been guest readers who come in to read aloud, which has been popular among students.
Pulver acknowledges that, of course, it’s important to read over the summer and that Arrow Readers on the Move encourages this behavior. She adds, “What I think is just as important is that they see their teachers and other staff members encouraging and engaging in reading in the summer months, too!”
For more information follow the Arrow Readers on the Move Facebook page. Books read for Arrow Readers on the Move can also be counted toward KDL’s Summer Reading Program.
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