Ferndale Schools : Donation!
By Ferndale Schools Superintendent Blake Prewitt
AS WE BEGIN A NEW SCHOOL YEAR, I am very excited to announce the implementation of a
new reading intervention program at Ferndale High School. The addition of this program is the direct result of Jack and Annette Aronson’s incredible commitment to the students of Ferndale High School. The Aronsons, lifelong Ferndale residents and founders of Garden Fresh Gourmet, reached out to me this past summer about implementing a reading intervention program for the 2016-2017 school year. To fund the startup of the program, the Aronsons generously agreed to pledge $100,000! The costs of the program include a full-time reading specialist, new laptop computers, flexible classroom furniture, and the READ 180 reading intervention program.
The READ 180 program targets individual students’ needs and accommodates instruction (and practice) in the specified areas. It uses multiple methods to reach the students’ goals: whole group instruction, small group instruction, computer activities, and silent reading time. Students are selected for the program based on test scores and previous year’s grades.
“If we can help students with reading skills and get them to read at grade level, we help them with all subjects. That means better grades overall, which translates to more opportunities. This intervention will help them feel more confident,” said Ferndale Reading Specialist Stephanie Scobie. “I have explained the program to the students by likening it to circuit training for your brain. The design of the program allows for me to confer and differentiate for each student.”
What an incredible community we have where an alumnus of Ferndale Schools, Jack Aronson, is will-ing to give back to the students in such a substantial way. On behalf of the entire Ferndale Schools family, THANK YOU to Jack and Annette!
