Wednesday, February 10, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Sisters
salutes...
Getting kids excited about reading
By erin Borla
Correspondent
“It’s not about teaching
kids to read. It’s about getting
them excited about books and
reading.” That’s how Diane
Turnbull, the Central Oregon
area manager for SMART,
describes the program.
SMART, or Start Making A
Reader Today, began in 1992
and has had a site in Sisters
since close to the beginning.
The concept is simple: pairing
one adult volunteer with one
child to build a love for read-
ing at an early age. SMART
volunteers read one-on-one
with students twice weekly
during the school year to
model a love of reading and
help build reading skills and
self-confidence.
In the past the SMART
program in Sisters read with
kindergarten students twice a
week for 30 minutes. Through
schedule changes the program
is no longer available at the
kindergarten level but is still
going strong for preschool
students. Through a part-
nership between the Sisters
Park & Recreation District
Community Preschool and
SMART, students in the pre-
school, ages 3-5, receive one-
on-one reading time each
week throughout the school
year.
Twice a week the volun-
teers come to the preschool
program and read for 15-20
minutes with each student.
The children get to pick the
books they read with their
volunteers, and once a month
each child gets to pick a book
to take home and keep.
For the last five years, the
local site coordinator for the
Sisters SMART Program is
Deborah Olsen.
“I just love to see the
excitement in the children’s
eyes,” she says. “They are so
animated and excited about
everything. Often as soon as
we sit down the kids want to
hold the books, turn the pages
– it’s so cute to see what they
choose to read.”
The intention of SMART
is to provide a literacy experi-
ence that entices children into
books, reading, supports chil-
dren’s efforts to learn to read
and celebrates their successes.
It is designed as a comple-
ment to reading curriculum
and in-class instruction. Each
session students have with a
volunteer reader is intended
to build confidence and build
lifelong readers who enjoy
reading.
“Reading is a great skill to
photo by erin borla
SmaRt volunteers engage with children to help them build reading skills.
have, but the SMART reader’s
role is about more than just
reading,” says Turnbull. “It’s
about mentorship and giving
the kids another positive adult
role model to look up to.”
SMART is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit and does its own
fundraising. The local sites
do not pay for the local pro-
gram. The Kiwanis Club of
Sisters has been a significant
supporter of SMART, along
with individual donors, and in
the past the Community 101
class at Sisters High School
has granted funds to support
SMART.
Volunteers are welcome
throughout the year for
SMART readers. Interested
parties can log on to www.
GetSmartOregon.org and
click on the “Volunteer Now”
button. The application is
available online and requires
a background check.
“The volunteers get as
much out of it as the kids,
that’s one of the coolest
things about SMART,” says
Turnbull, “This program is
a beautiful gift to the kids as
well as the readers.”
• Bill Anttila wrote:
On behalf of my daugh-
ter and wife, I would like
to thank the Sisters-Camp
Sherman Fire Department
paramedic crew who
responded to a Tuesday
afternoon traffic accident
on Highway 242.
The paramedics were
very thoughtful, con-
cerned, and profes-
sional in their treatment
of injuries sustained by
our daughter, Chelsea.
Also, thanks to Jim
Cornelius for stopping at
the scene and helping direct
traffic.
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SISTERS
GARAGE DOORS
Sales • Service • Installation
Residential • Commercial
Broken Spring
Specialist
Dale Lester
CCB#151832
541-815-1523
5th Annual
Sponsored by
Sisters Science Club
Sat., Feb. 20
12-4 p.m.
Photo by Jerry
Ba
ldock
Sisters High School
1700 McKinney Butte Rd.
Ride the Impossible Bicycle
e
Learn about comets • Compete in the mousetrap car competition
Experiment with gyroscopic science • Try elliptical billiards
Experience the planetarium • Learn from our students’ exhibits
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5
Have fun with the entire family!
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