Children and their families are spending quality time together reading this week at Northside Elementary School.

Family Reading Summer Days are underway through Thursday this week from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Smithville Elementary School hosted a similar event last week as part of the Accelerated Reader Program. Children and family members from any school in the system may participate.

DeKalb West School started its Family Read Days Monday and will continue on Friday, June 15 from 8-11 a.m.; Monday, July 9 from noon until 3 p.m.; and Monday, July 16 from 9 a.m. until noon with special activities at 10 a.m.

“Through the summer reading program, family members including parents, grandparents, guardians, aunts, uncles, or older siblings can come to Northside and read books with their children. The students are tested later through the accelerated reader program and the points they accumulate go toward AR Awards for the first nine weeks of school,” said Libby McCormick, Librarian at Northside Elementary School.

In addition to the Family Reading Summer Days at the end of the school year, the schools host Family Read Night events during the school year as an extension of the school day.

Accelerated Reader is a computerized program that tests reading comprehension. Students select books on their reading level, read independently, and take an independent comprehension test on the computer. Each book is worth a certain number of points based on its length and reading level. Students get a percentage of these points based on how many of the test questions they get right. The program tracks their progress over the course of the school year.

“Its nice for parents because they can actually see their children’s growth in reading by participating with them,” said Dr. Danielle Collins, Federal Programs Supervisor for the school system.

Pictured: Kaydence Johnson, Retired Teacher Carolyn Adcock and grandparent, Chrystal Reed, Tristan Reed, Northside Elementary Librarian Libby McCormick, Taylor White, and Hayden Reed

Want to know who is running for the various offices in the August 2 elections?

A sample ballot can now be viewed by clicking on the link below and at www.dekalbelections.com

Sample Ballot

Winners in the state party primaries will square off against each other in the November election.

Those who win in the DeKalb County General Election will take office on September 1.

Winners in the four municipal elections will take office based on the date specified in their respective city charters.

Meanwhile the deadline to be a “write-in” candidate for any of the local races is Noon June 13.

Early voting in the August elections is set for July 13 through July 28 (with exact hours to be announced later). The last day to register to vote is July 3 and that applies also to property rights voters.