Student Spotlights

Mykel - Belle Haven School

Mykel is a second grader at Belle Haven School and this is his first year at YES Reading. Mykel is very excited about being a part of the program.  Almost every Monday and Wednesday, Mykel finds Tyler, the Belle Haven Site Director, on the playground and says, “It’s my turn to go to YES Reading, right? I’m ready, let’s go!”  His enthusiasm travels into the reading center where he greets his tutor, Chris, with a big smile.   In just over a month, he has learned many strategies in reading, including the importance of previewing a book.  Recently, he was working with his tutor, Chris, who asked him “What do you think this story is going to be about?” pointing to a book titled The Pink Tent. Mykel responded, “A tent, a pink tent,” and then reached over to open the book and continued by pointing to a picture of a group of bears, “And then the bear is going to fly away and that’s the other friend…” while turning the pages enthusiastically to find out what was going to happen at the end of the book.  Mykel has learned the importance of previewing and making predictions before reading a text. Whether it’s writing words on a white board, creating sentences using high frequency words or reading a book, Chris and Mykel can be found having a fun-filled session at Belle Haven School!

Volunteer Spotlight

Chris Brynelson

Chris has started her second year as a YES Reading tutor.  She moved to the Bay Area from Wisconsin and decided to get involved in volunteer work.  While posting items on Craigslist, she came across a volunteer recruitment listing for YES Reading.  After visiting the website, she realized it was a good fit for her and became a tutor.  She has built a wonderful rapport with her two students; one is a second grader and the other is a seventh grader.  Her success and interest in working with students of various ages is an asset to YES Reading!

1)  Why did you become a volunteer with YES Reading? I moved here two years ago after my husband took a new job and I had a lot of time and wanted to volunteer. I found out about YES Reading on Craigslist when I was posting things to sell.  I like...

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YES Reading Partners with Child Advocates of Santa Clara

Our new partnership: YES Reading has formed a new partnership this year.  We are training volunteers who work with Child Advocates of Silicon Valley (also referred to as CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates) to use our curriculum with the children they serve.  CASA’s mission is to provide stability and hope to abused children in the foster care system.   Trained volunteers (Advocates) are matched with a child and ensure that their needs and best interests are met. Volunteers are court-appointed, meaning they can thoroughly research every aspect of a child’s case, including meeting teachers, social workers and foster parents. In addition to representing children in court, Advocates serve as friends and mentors...

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Because schedules change, minimum days happen, and special training opportunities occur, find out what is happening at your center.

Belle Haven

Berkley Maynard

Castro

College Park

Horace Mann

Montague

Selby Lane

Ira Ruskin Visits Selby Lane

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Every holiday season YES Reading celebrates reading with students and families by holding Reading Recitals at all of the Reading Centers.  Reading Recitals offer a unique opportunity for students to build confidence and enthusiasm for reading.  Each child selects a short piece of poetry or a selection from a favorite book to read in front of an audience.  To recognize students for all of their hard work during the first semester, YES Reading also gives kids brand new books to take home at the end of the Reading Recital as a special holiday gift.

This year, to help with donations of new books for Reading Recital gifts, YES Reading is partnering with “Ashay by the Bay,” a locally based bookseller that focuses on providing a diverse selection of multicultural children’s books.  It is so important for our students to be exposed to books that have positive images, topics, and themes that relate to their culture. 

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