Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Plenty to do in summertime

Unbelievably, another school year has zoomed past. Students filled with excitement, while educators are uttering a deep sigh of exhaustion.

For both, there are likely bittersweet moments: teachers thinking of students so challenging at the beginning they’ll really miss now; students feeling the tug of a heartstring as they leave that teacher they so disliked at the beginning of the year, now feeling sad and realizing how much that teacher deeply cared about them and their success.

Regardless, summer break is a time to pause, catch one’s breath, rest a bit, then begin the process of preparing for the next school year.

One of the primary concerns of educators is the retention of learning for students during summer months. To that end, one of the programs we roll out is the Summer Reading Program. With the theme, “Take Your Imagination on an Adventure…” the Clovis Municipal Schools Summer Reading Program will run from May 29 until Aug. 17 for grades preschool through eighth.

We want students to continue reading over the summer not only to support learning retention, but also to foster cognitive growth. Reading is the foundational skill essential for all other subject areas and, therefore, critical to nurture.

Research from The Brookings Institution, well-known non-profit public policy group, has revealed that often students — especially those from disadvantaged groups — return to school in the fall with achievement levels lower than at the beginning of the summer break. While summer school programs can help prevent such losses, a simple, but powerful support can be summer reading programs.

The same research shows that participation in summer reading programs can be particularly effective for students of low-income families.

Our Summer Reading Program is simple: reading logs were sent home with students at the end of the school year. Students simply record the books they read — verified by their parents — and return the logs to the district’s Central Office (1009 Main St.) and receive treat coupons from various contributing local businesses. Additional reading logs can be picked up throughout the summer at Central Office.

We also support the New Mexico initiative providing access to 150 interactive books via any mobile device (see our website: http://www.clovis-schools.org for access directions).

Also — don’t forget to visit our amazing public library regularly for something new every day.

As Dr. Seuss reminds us, “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the instructional technology coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools. She can be reached at

[email protected]