Our Spotlight School of the Month goes out to Japhet Academy in SAISD! The entire staff have been so wonderful to us this school year and we could not thank them more. Site Director Ms. Dana Day and the second grade team have been phenomenal, working closely with us to make sure their students get the best help they deserve.

“I want my students to fall in love with reading,” commented Ms. Day, the school’s Implementation Specialist. Students just want to be heard, whether they are reading accurately, correctly, or fluently – they want to be valued and to be heard. Many times, they do make a mistake here or there, but it is about getting the gist of the story. They just want to enjoy the story and enjoy the love of reading. That is one of the main benefits of having a Reading Buddy, it is just someone who enjoys literacy, whether it’s a comic book, magazine, or a fairytale, just enjoy reading.”

Ms. Day also shared with us that reading levels have increased by 2-3 levels as of mid-year! “The students are wanting to learn, they not only want to please the teacher, but they also want to please themselves. They want to be known as a good reader,” added Day.

During the spring semester, SAYL has had the opportunity to collaborate with Japhet Academy for a new partnership involving the city’s Faith-based Initiative. The whole Japhet team including Principal Ms. Gould, the Family and Parent Liaison Mr. Perez, and Ms. Day, went above and beyond to open up their campus and help make the new collaborative successful.