Magic is in the air as families enter Adams Elementary’s gymnasium for a literacy night. The event shares strategies to build stronger reading skills at home. Fourth grader Simon Beck, excited to draw a picture on a new canvas book tote, attended the event with his mom.

“I’m thinking of drawing a book and saying, ‘do not disturb, I’m reading,’” Beck explained. He says reading is his favorite thing to do.
“There are so many imaginary settings, characters and worlds that you can explore that you otherwise can’t in real life,” said Beck. “It’s important to know how to read so you can enjoy the imaginary world of authors and other people’s minds.”

As part of the school’s Family Literacy Night, each student received a copy of Malcolm Mitchell’s “The Magician’s Hat.” Families also participated in fun literacy-focused games and imaginative arts and crafts centered around a magical theme.

“In my classroom, we have ‘disappearing literacy.’ They'll write on paper with a white crayon and then reveal what they wrote or drew with watercolor,” said Abigail Mitchel, Adams Elementary kindergarten teacher.

For Andrea Pafeka, Beck’s mother, there was a lot of excitement leading up to the event.

“It’s great because it gives all our families a chance to be in school and talk to other parents,” said Pafeka. “It’s another way to get the kids excited about reading and a good way to build community.”

Mitchel says learning to read is a partnership that extends beyond the classroom and involves families and teachers working together.

“We want to provide our families with the opportunity to practice these skills with their kids at home,” said Mitchel. “It's important for us as teachers to build a relationship with the community that is our school.”

Family Literacy Night is just one of many ways our schools engage families as partners in promoting literacy to support academic progress.

Omaha Public Schools implemented a new English Language Arts (ELA) and reading curriculum this fall. For kindergarten through second grade students, this includes learning materials focused on structured literacy.

“It contains fundamental skills children need as they learn to read,” said Miki Holbeck, Omaha Public Schools coordinator of structured literacy. “So, letters and sounds, how to blend sounds to make words and how to read and write words and sentences.”

In October, staff presented to the Board of Education about structured literacy and how it's taught in our schools. Structured literacy has three key parts:

• First, teachers directly explain the skills students are learning and model how to do it.
• Second, after modeling, students practice the skills with teacher support until they can do it independently.
• Third, teachers measure how well students have learned the skill.

“We’re seeing a lot of success in our classrooms,” said Meagan Bakhit, Adams Elementary principal. “It’s a true indicator if they’re able to read and if they can reproduce that in their writing. It’s showing great evidence that this is working.”

The updated curriculum includes new activities and tools that help students practice reading and writing in all subjects, making literacy a focus in every classroom. This investment reflects Omaha Public Schools' commitment to continuous improvement, ensuring every student has access to resources that support success.