CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ALBANY

WILLIAM S. HACKETT MIDDLE SCHOOL

45 Delaware Avenue
Albany, New York 12202
Phone: (518) 475-6475
Fax: (518) 475-6477
Michael Paolino, Principal
Judith G. Collins, Assistant Principal
Lawrence Moultrie, Assistant Principal
Stephon Frost, Home School Coordinator

MISSION STATEMENT
A Professional Learning
We celebrate the strength of our diversity and foster a learning community based on mutual respect GO HAWKS!
Community and supportive relationships to achieve our full potential as leaders, learners and citizens.

September 2017

Dear Parents and Guardians:

I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and express my excitement about being your childs Reading
Enrichment Teacher for the 2017-2018 school year. My name is Corie Hart-Nelson and this is my fourth year
teaching at William S. Hackett Middle School. I am very excited to work with your seventh grader this year!

Students who are enrolled in Reading Enrichment were selected based on several factors, which include: a score
of a level 1 or 2 on the New York State ELA Test, a below grade level score on AIMSWEB Benchmark
Assessment for fluency and comprehension, NWEA overall reading scores, or the student has been
recommended by their content area teachers. I will meet with your child each day to focus on reading, writing,
and specific literacy skills that your child needs additional support with (ex: vocabulary development, reading
fluency, reading comprehension, etc.). My goal as your childs reading teacher is to provide them with the skills
and confidence they need to be successful, life-long learners. Reading Enrichment is scheduled quarterly (10
weeks), and is a non-credit class. However, your child will receive an S (Satisfactory) if they participate in
class and complete their work. A U (Unsatisfactory) will be given if he/she is non-compliant in class.

I believe that strong school and home connections can truly affect the lives of students. I encourage you to
contact me with comments and concerns you may have about your childs progress in school and at home. I
make phone calls very often to update you on your childs progress in my class. I also have a classroom website
that I encourage you to use as a resource and to learn about what we are doing in the classroom. I will update
my website weekly, providing you with details and examples of the work we have been doing in class. You can
access my website at http://hartreading.weebly.com/.

I am excited to work with you, your child, and the remainder of the school community this year to ensure your
childs academic success and personal goals they have for themselves. Furthermore, I am looking forward to
meeting you at parent/teacher conferences, school events, as well as community events. You can reached me at
chart-nelson@albany.k12.ny.us, website: http://hartreading.weebly.com/ or by phone at (518) 475-6475. Please
do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you have throughout the school year. I am looking
forward to teaching your child and working together as a team to create a successful and enjoyable school year.

Sincerely,

Corie L. Hart-Nelson
7th Reading Teacher
Room 005A
Dear Parents and Guardians,

As I am getting to know my students this year, it would be helpful if you

could write me a letter about your child. You know your child best, so please

provide me with any information that you think will help me understand them as a

reader, writer, student, and as a person. You may place the letter in a sealed

envelope and tell your child to bring it to their reading class. I truly appreciate any

information that you are willing to share with me. As I mentioned in my previous

letter, parent/teacher communication and relationships are very important to me. It

is an essential piece of your childs education and your cooperation and attention to

this task is greatly appreciated! Should you have any questions or concerns, please

e-mail me at chart@albany.k12.ny.us or call 475-6475.

Sincerely,

Corie L. Hart-Nelson
Reading Teacher
Room 303

*Students will earn 10 ClassCraft points once I receive a letter from a

parent or guardian!
 Mrs. Harts Reading Class

The following list is an overview of the topics that will be covered in reading class this year.

Reading Strategies
- Making Connections to a Text
- Visualizing
- Asking Questions While Reading
- Determining Important Ideas and Summarizing
- Predicting and Inferring
-Synthesizing
-Monitor and Clarify

Other Skills
- Vocabulary Development
- Cause and Effect
-Fact vs. Opinion
- Sequencing events
-Decoding unfamiliar words
- Using context clues to define unknown vocabulary
- Word Study and Spelling
- Fluency
- Reading Compression

Additional Activities
- Short Stories
- Class Novels
- Literature Circles
- Group Discussions
- Word Games and Activities
- Critical Thinking Activities
- Non-Fiction Text
- Graphic Organizers
- Quarterly Comprehension Assessments
- Weekly Fluency
- Independent Reading and Writing
- Writing Expository, Narrative, and Persuasive Essays