Welcome Back from February Break!

NIS families are invited to join us for an exciting evening, which includes:

• Multicultural Book Tasting at the NIS Book Bistro (Every NIS student will go home with a free book!)

• Family Heritage Art Project with Live Music

• Red Carpet/Photo Booth

• Bilingual Book Readings

• Story Walk

• and more!

The Friday morning before break, our whole school gathered together to celebrate the growth of our Reading Forest. The morning meeting was led by a few brave and confident students along with NIS Librarian, Christine Braunohler, who created an impressive slide show full of fantastic student book review videos. Congratulations to all of our enthusiastic readers who took time to read and answer a question about their book(s) by completing a reading leaf (or leaves). These leaves were hung on their grade level tree in our Reading Forest, which was located just outside of the school library. Fifth graders proved to be reading leaders as they collectively 'grew' 236 leaves on their tree! Our third and fourth graders grew just over 100 leaves together! Although the leaves have now fallen, Ms. B shared that trees shall remain up. Are you curious about the ways in which the trees may transform? I bet it will have something to do with books and reading, and perhaps the new season of spring, which will begin in just a few weeks. We look forward to watching our Reading Forest transform, and in the meantime, we encourage students and families to continue to grow as readers. If you haven't already, develop the good habit of reading every day! Happy Reading!

National Reading Month takes place each March and begins by celebrating Dr. Suess's birthday and Read Across America Day. Here are a few ways you can celebrate National Reading Month:

Ready to go on an exciting adventure and explore?

Close your eyes and randomly choose a spot on a map or globe, and then read about that place! You could also read about the people who live in that area and learn more about their culture.

Go on a book scavenger hunt!

Visit the library and search for 3-5 books that represent you. These could be books about families, culture, sports, holidays, and anything that pertains to you. Then search for books that represent different cultures or traditions and read to learn more!

Start a book club!

Are you and a few friends interested in learning more about a topic or reading the same book? Decide which book you will read and make a plan of how many pages or chapters you will read each week. Plan a time to meet at the end of the month to discuss what you learned about the topic through reading or to discuss the book you all read. Each person can come up with a few questions to get the group thinking and talking about the characters, the setting, the problem(s) and solution(s), and events. Bring a special snack to share and celebrate reading the book together!

Create a character and your own book!

Create a character based on you! Choose a setting that you are familiar with and think of a story that shares something about your family, culture, or a tradition you enjoy. Create a book complete with illustrations and share it with a friend.

Curious about a certain topic?

Do you want to learn more about rocks and minerals, right whales, or rainbows? What is of interest to you? Go to the library and ask for help finding books, stories, and any articles related to that topic. Enjoy learning and sharing what you learn with others.

Share the joy! Read aloud!

Choose a favorite book and read it aloud to a friend, family member, pet, stuffed animal, or a plant! Reading aloud improves vocabulary, word recognition, listening comprehension, and cognitive development.

Did you know reading improves your comprehension, vocabulary, and analytical skills?

It also strengthens mental muscles, boosts memory, and increases creativity.

Getting lost in a good book reduces stress and improves sleep quality.

In addition, studies have shown that people who read fiction books are often kinder!

Challenge yourself to develop the habit of reading a little every day throughout the month, which will help develop this habit for the entire year!

Now, take a little time for you! Please go grab a good book, get comfy in your favorite reading spot, and enjoy! Or share a good book and read with your child. It's important work. ❤️

Happy Reading!

• March 1- Hug a Librarian Day
• March 2- Read Across America Day
• March 3-9- Jewish Book Week, Read an Ebook week, and Returned Borrowed Books week
• March 4- National Grammar Day
• March 14- National Write Your Story Day
• March 17-23- World Folktales and Fables Week
• March 19- International Read to Me Day
• March 20- World Storytelling Day
• March 21- World Poetry Day