On Thursday and Friday, all students and staff will be participating in “Read Across Rowlett” (RAR). Read Across Rowlett was created by Dr. Patricia Ruggiero, a life-long learner, avid reader, and founding member of Rowlett Middle Academy. Dr. Ruggiero’s vision was to create a community of readers by pausing traditional instruction multiple times a year to allow students and staff time to read a novel together. Read Across Rowlett allows for students and staff to share a common experience of reading the same novel while participating in discussions and learning experiences about the book and topics based around the book’s theme.
An additional goal of RAR is to expose our school community to a variety of genres, authors, writing styles, and subject matter. Throughout your student’s three years at RMA, they will read between 9-12 complete novels through the Read Across Rowlett Program!
For our first book of 2025-2026, we will be reading Seedfolks, by Paul Fleishman. This short novel has garnered several awards, including Best Books for Young Adults & Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (ALA) & New York Public Library’s “One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing.” The novel is also often chosen for many one-book, one-community programs across the nation.
Perfect for the start of a new year to build community, the novel’s themes include celebrating differences, friendship, meeting challenges and so many of the Seven Habits, including seeking first to understand, be proactive, think win-win, and synergy. Students will have two activities on Friday in culmination of the lessons learned in the novel.
Our next Read Across Rowlett will be in January after the winter break, and we will be offering parents the opportunity to be “guest readers” in classes. Stay tuned for more information about this enriching opportunity this winter!
For further information on Seedfolks, visit this resource. For further information, contact Ms. Joanne Telesco, Media Specialist at telescoj@rowlettmiddleacademy.