Ready Set Go 2020: Week 1
Hello Families!
I want to welcome you and your scholar(s) to Breakthrough Schools. We are so excited for your student to join us for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year!
Between now and the first day of school in August, there will be several opportunities for you to get to know your new school better, meet school staff, and connect with other families. As you begin your journey with Breakthrough Schools you will also receive our new family communication, called Ready Set Go.
Ready Set Go will include tips from me on getting ready for the upcoming school year, books that you and your scholar can enjoy together, and family friendly event and activity ideas that you can take part in.
If you ever have a question or if I can help in any way, please send me an email or give me a call.
Thank you for choosing Breakthrough Schools,
Kareemah
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Kareemah Williams
Parent of Two Breakthrough Alum
Former Board Member of Citizens Academy
Former Board Member of Breakthrough Schools
Current Director of Enrollment & Engagement
Office: (216) 367-5720
Email: kwilliams@breakthroughschools.org
Activities & Resources
Here are a few resources for family & youth activities you can do at home.
Visit Kids National Geographic for videos, games, brain boosters, and animal facts and pictures.
Into the Book: Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies
Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for elementary students and teachers. Login is required.
Virtual field trips are a great way to expose kids to new places around the world all from the comfort of your home. Many museums, zoos and aquariums have set up virtual tours and webcams of their facilities. Take a virtual trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Other Activities:
- Pick a person, place or topic to research
- Teach a sibling or parent something you already know
- Make homemade flash cards for math
- Math games adding/ subtracting/ multiplying/ dividing with cards, dice, other household items
- During a virtual tour of an art museum choose a painting or sculpture and create a copycat piece of art
- Choose a piece of art for you and your child to focus on. Describe it, tell why you chose it and how it makes you feel
- Choose 2 works of art to compare
Reading Ideas for Fun - eBooks
The Cuyahoga County Library has closed all of its branches through April 5th and the Cleveland Public Library is closed until further notice. Fortunately for all of us both libraries are offering continued access to their digital and streaming services. You will need a library card to access these materials. If you do not have a library card you can apply for a library card online here for the Cuyahoga County Library or here for the Cleveland Public Library.
Grades K-3
The Day You Begin
 by Jacqueline Woodson
A poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.
There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you.
There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.
Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical text and Rafael LĂłpez's dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.
(This book is also available in Spanish, as El DĂa En Que Descubres QuiĂ©n Eres!)
Grades 4-7
Notorious
by Gordon Korman
A funny, suspenseful mystery and unlikely friendship story from New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman—perfect for fans of Swindle and Ungifted.
Keenan has lived all over the world but nowhere quite as strange as Centerlight Island, which is split between the United States and Canada. The only thing weirder than Centerlight itself is his neighbor Zarabeth, aka ZeeBee.
ZeeBee is obsessed with the island's history as a Prohibition-era smuggling route. She's also convinced that her beloved dog, Barney, was murdered—something Keenan finds pretty hard to believe.
Just about everyone on Centerlight is a suspect, because everyone hated Barney, a huge dog—part mastiff, part rottweiler—notorious for terrorizing the community. Accompanied by a mild-mannered new dog who is practically Barney's opposite, ZeeBee enlists Keenan's help to solve the mystery.
As Keenan and ZeeBee start to unravel the clues, they uncover a shocking conspiracy that dates back to Centerlight's gangster past. The good news is that Keenan may have found the best friend he's ever had. The bad news is that the stakes are sky-high. And now someone is after them. . . .
Grades 6-8
Planet Middle School
by Nikki Grimes
For twelve years, Joylin Johnson's life has been just fine. A game of basketball with the boys-especially her friend Jake-was all it took to put a smile on her face. Baggy jeans, T-shirt, and hair in a ponytail were easy choices. Then, everything suddenly seemed to change all at once. Her best girl friend is now flirting with her best guy friend. Her clothes seem all wrong. Jake is acting weird, and basketball isn't the same. And worst of all, there is this guy, Santiago, who appears from . . . where? What lengths will Joy go to—and who will she become—to attract his attention?
In short poems that perfectly capture the crazy feelings of adolescence and first crushes, award-winning author Nikki Grimes has crafted a delightful, often hilarious, heart-tugging story.
Get Involved
If you are interested in getting involved at your school specifically, or with me at the citywide level, let me know. We always welcome parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents interested in volunteering and getting involved in several ways. Email me here or call me at 216 367 5720 and ask for Kareemah. I look forward to hearing from you!
Refer Your School!
If you know someone you might want to enroll their child/ren in our schools, please let them know we would love to have them. School may be just starting, but we will keep our doors open to new scholars as we have space!
Please use the link below to refer your school to a friend or family member!
Staff Spotlight
Meet Principal Johnson! While not new to the E Prep & Village Prep Cliffs Campus, Marc Johnson kicks off his first year as E Prep's principal this year.
Mr. Johnson is proud that "Our school is moving the needle with our scholars and getting them to tap into their potentional and really cultivate the talents that are there."
We are so excited to announce Mr. Johnson as our #StaffSpotlight this month!