Day 1 - Reading Gives You Super Powers!

Today we gathered for the first time as the 2014 Summer Academy.  We discussed qualities that superheroes possess and the code they live by.  We also have a code we follow here: we do our best, and we do the right thing even when no one is watching.  Already we can tell that there are lots of stars in this group of students who are helping classmates, working hard, and being leaders by setting positive examples. 
The challenge was also set for all students to explore the idea of what their superpowers might be.  At the end of our program, we are going to have a celebration and our goal is for everyone to know their superpower by that celebration.   
One important superpower we revealed today is reading, thanks to Dav Pilkey.  Here is what he had to say:

Summer reading is a super power that can yield super results.  Research says that the only summer activity related to improving reading achievement is summer reading. (Heyns 1978)  By reading a few books over the summer, outside of a typical educational setting, summer reading loss can be prevented.  Just reading four to five books during the summer, "was potentially large enough to prevent a decline in summer reading." (Kim 2004)  Participating in the academy will kick off summer reading in a big way. 
Happy reading!