Valley Read

What a wonderful surprise this morning! Thank you, Kelly Sweeney, for such a thoughtful gift! Your sweet sweet boys are an absolute pleasure to work with here at Valley Read! ❤📖

Last week was a week of canoeing, backwoods camping and hitting the reset button. And it certainly made heading into this week that much sweeter! Yet, something seems different about my students. I can't quite put my finger on it 😆 Happy to see these dear faces again and all things phonics and books!

Sometimes my students like to show me their little brother, their favourite Disney character, something fuzzy or what they're planning to snack on during class! 😂 Week 7 is in the books and my kids are still going strong! Keep up the hard work, guys! You're real troopers!

Week 4 of Virtual Valley Read is coming to a close. Wow, has it really been 4 weeks of this new reality?? Now that the kids and I are settling into this new groove, we like to shake things up with a bit of show and tell. This week I learned that my students can play guitar, has a favourite barbie, has crazy hair in the morning, can get totally technical on the computer or can munch away on a bagel and still say her sounds perfectly!

Look how happy these guys are about keeping up their sound work, their reading and their writing! I certainly appreciate how energized they are for our sessions and how hard they're working! Gideon is displaying one of the cards from our pseudo word packs - we use these packs to work on speed ⏱

Week 2 at Virtual Valley Read is going so well and I am so proud of these troopers! Maybe it's the structure they're missing, or maybe they much prefer computer Angie 😂 You guys have been so attentive and eager to learn! Because of this, you have made this transition so much easier for me. Thank you, guys!

Valley Read has gone VIRTUAL! 👩‍💻 Classes are still a go and despite the change in class format the kids are very attentive and engaged! 📖 I'm so proud of you guys for transitioning so well and working hard during our lessons! (And yes, I'm aware if I were more computer savvy I'd know how to do a screen capture 😂)

I received this text the other day from a former client. I am so proud of my students both current and past! These language skills they gain are for life and seeing this picture brings me such joy and gratitude!

"Because of their time with you they choose reading over iPads or video games. I honestly can't thank you enough for teaching my boys to read and always being so kind to them - they always ask about you ❤️ I couldn't recommend you enough. Whenever anyone mentions a child having difficulty with reading I go on and on about your program ! There's a big difference between teaching a child to read and helping a child love reading"!

This past weekend I ran into this wonderful family who I haven't seen in 10 years! And it was a very special and proud moment for all of us and Valley Read. I worked with Sam (Sammy) Gallant when he was in grade 2. We were amazed back then how his newly acquired tools for reading and writing had him soaring well beyond grade level in a rather short period of time. And he continued to soar! By the end of grade 8 he read the Game of Thrones series in its entirety! In grade 11 he was awarded top English student at his school! Sam also excels in Squash with some impressive titles to his name and this year he represented with Team Nova Scotia at the Canada Games! Sam, I am so proud of the student you have become and all your accomplishments!

Valley Read is almost 14 years old and it was that many years ago I started with one of my first students here in the Valley. This boy has grown into a very successful and accomplished young man and I think of him often and feel so proud. And sometimes the parents of these former students feel compelled to reach out to me this many years later to thank me. It’s moments like these I feel thankful for the work I do and the impact it makes. Here is that message I received the other morning from a former client:

As I was driving into the office this morning, I watched as the sun started to rise and the pastel colors it created in the morning sky. Two things came to mind. First, I need to start work later in the morning! The second and far more important, it made me think of those people that have had such a positive impact on my life. Some of these people I see daily, others not so often. Angie, although you may fall into the not so often group, I wanted to reach out and let you know that I feel so fortunate that our paths have crossed. The work you carry out with Valley Read and the person you are, not only impact those you work directly with, but also those of us who reap the benefits. I think about this often. I am certain you hear this often.

Thanks Angie for being you. Thanks for making a difference.

I am so proud of my student! Peter is in grade 3. After 44 weeks in the SpellRead program he went from reading the K/E level book at the top of this photo to reading the grade 4 level book underneath! So proud of you, Peter!