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Archdiocese of Chicago

 Super School Initiative Minimize

  

 © Rowland Reading Foundation

What is a Super School?

A Super School implements the Superkids Reading Program in all classrooms from pre-K through second grade. Superkids, developed by the Rowland Reading Foundation, is a phonics-based reading and language arts program that teachers and students love.
PDF Documents:

Super Teacher Training
A Super School participates in Super Teacher Training, professional development provided by the Foundation's reading experts.  In addition to the in-service training, all teachers receive, the Foundation provides FREE coaching and support throughout the year.

Super Tutor Program
A Super School installs the Super Tutor Program, whereby Foundation experts train volunteers to provide meaningful instructional support. Super Tutors assist pre-K through second-grade students with reading, writing, and spelling—and truly make a difference in the classroom.

 


    

 Boost Your School's Enrollment Minimize

The Rowland Reading Foundation has produced professional quality marketing materials to give prospective families. The marketing materials are available FREE of charge.  Contact Dr. Daniel Foertsch via email dfoertsch@archchicago.org about getting these marketing materials for your school enrollment efforts.

New Brochures and Fliers

* Teaching You Can Trust Recruiting Brochure

*
Become a SUPER TUTOR!   

Letters to Families

* School Letter to Families

Artwork to Promote Your Super School

* Super School Logo

* Super Tutor Logo


    

 Principal/Teacher Testimonials Minimize

I am enjoying the program tremendously! I find the lessons so easy to follow. The kids look forward to dictation each day. Most days we do it on their Student White Board and once a week we do it on paper for me to look over. The daily review of skills really helps plant it firmly in their memory. Creative writing is still a struggle with a few of my slower students, but most of the kids are writing great stories and are better able to spell everyday words. I have had a lot of positive feedback from parents. They love the stories too and enjoy hearing their children read to them from the reader and library books that come with the program. I love the spelling songs and stories on the CD s. The kids really pay attention and follow along during the lessons.

Kathy Jones First-grade Teacher
St. Ann School
Lansing, IL

As we move into our second year with the program, all is going well. We were exceedingly pleased and proud of our kindergartners’ test scores from the spring. They scored in the 98th percentile on the Stanford Early Achievement Test, making this class the highest ranking class in the nation using the Rowland Reading Program! We credit our teachers and the Superkids’ volunteers for following the program completely. We were looking for aprogram that would help us with our goals of achieving reading competency in the primary grades and we found it with the Rowland Reading Program. We are thrilled with it!

Mary Vitulli Third-grade Teacher/Assistant Principal  
St. James School
Highwood, IL

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Superkids is a super program. My little guys don’t realize how hard they are working because they are having so much fun. The progress is outstanding. I didn’t think I would be seeing such great results. I have only one struggling child. Over half of my students had no preschool but are very successful in this program. Parents comment that their children love the Superkids. Thank you so much!

Sandra Quackenbush Kindergarten Teacher 
St. Joseph School
Round Lake, IL

I am very sincere in saying that I am very pleased with my students’ progress. I love the strong emphasis on phonics and spelling that the Superkids Reading Program provides. I am also pleased with the support the Rowland Reading Foundation provides for the teachers. In my 37 years of teaching, I don’t think I have seen such progress in my students by this time in the school year. I am very excited to see where they will be by the end of the school year.

Kathy Craven First-grade Teacher  
St. Christopher School
Chicago, IL

Our teachers at Our Lady of Charity have a lot of praise for the program and love to see their students constantly engaged and excited. Currently our first-floor hallway is decorated with writing from our kindergartners about their favorite Superkids characters. Each teacher has remarked that their students love the interesting and engaging stories and feel a special bond to the characters. I have also had several parents approach me in praise of the program, each one amazed at their child’s development. We love using the Super Tutor program to further the familyschool connection.

Clem Martin, Executive Director
Cicero Catholic Schools (Our Lady of Charity)
Cicero, IL
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I love the program! Everything I need for literacy is right there! And the kids enjoy their Super-friends. It does take a lot of time, but I know reading is the most important thing to teach in first grade. I also appreciate the coach and workshops we’ve had through Rowland Reading Foundation. I’m looking forward to the Super Tutor program next year.

Lynn Herrick First-grade Teacher
Transfiguration School
Wauconda, IL


This is our first year using it in grades K-l. The children are enjoying it as are the teachers. I was a little worried about the teachers as one is a 25-year veteran kindergarten teacher and the first-grade teacher is less than traditional. Both are totally sold on the value of the Superkids program. The coaching, development opportunities, and communication have all far exceeded expectations.

Jeanne Petkus Principal
St. Joseph School
Round Lake, IL

The students wrote their own sentence(s) about their dreams for the future after discussing Dr. King’s dreams. Everyone wrote a sentence or two. You could actually read over two-thirds of them. Most even used a capital for the first letter of the sentence and some even put a period at the end.

Robin Rapp Kindergarten Teacher
St. Rene Goupil School
Chicago, IL


  

 January Workshops Minimize
Who Should Attend?

This session is designed for first year users of the Superkids Reading Program. However, all PreK-2 Superkids teachers are welcome to attend for a review/refresher of this critical component of the Superkids Program and to network with other same-grade level Superkids teachers.

Registration Deadline: 
       Five (5) days before workshop date

Click Here to Register

Thur, Jan 12 (2-4 pm)
St. Juliana, Chicago

Wed, Jan 18 (1-3 pm)
St. Joseph, Summit

Thur, Jan 19 (1-3)
Santa Maria del Popolo, Mundelein

Tues, Jan 24 (3:30 - 5:30 pm)
St. Ann, Lansing

 

 


  

 Our Research Results Minimize

The Rowland Reading Foundation and the Office of Catholic Schools conducted a research study on the Happily Ever After and Superkids reading programs last year.  An executive summary and final report of this research study may be downloaded for your reivew.   School, teacher, and parent participation was critical to this research effort. The results from this research study are very positive.  Further research is being considered to learn more about the effectiveness of the Rowland Reading PK-2 reading programs.  Contact Dr. Daniel Foertsch, Director of Data and Research, Office of Catholic Schools at dfoertsch@archchicaog.org if you have questions.

2010-2011 Reading Research Study


  

 Online Training Available Minimize

Online Training is available for Teachers who are new to Superkids or Happily Ever After.  Teachers are expected to attend the Summer Training to prepare for implementing the Superkids programs.   Teachers are expected to participate in the online training only if they are unable to attend a Summer Training.  To view the online training schedule and to register, click on

On-line Training
Schedule and Registration


  

 60+ Super Schools! Minimize

Academy of Our Lady
Academy of St. Benedict the African Laflin Campus
Academy of St. Priscilla
Divine Infant Jesus **
Divine Providence
Holy Angels
Immaculate Conception  (Exchange)*
Our Lady of Charity
Our Lady of Tepeyac *
Pope John XXIII
Queen of the Universe
Sacred Heart (Chgo.-Sheridan Rd.)
Sacred Heart (Melrose)**
Santa Maria Del Popolo
St. Agatha Catholic Academy
St. Ailbe
St. Alphonsus Liguori
St. Anastasia
St. Ann  (Lansing)*
St. Barbara  (Chicago)**
St. Barbara  (Brookfield)
St. Bede  (Ingleside)
St. Bernardine
St. Celestine
St. Christopher *
St. Clement *
St. Edmund
St. Elizabeth
St. Ethelreda
St. Florian
St. Francis Borgia
St. Francis Xavier  (Wilmette)
St. Gabriel *
St. Gerald
St. Giles
St. James  (Highwood)
St. Jane De Chantal *
St. John of the Cross *
St. John the Evangelist
St. John Vianney *
St. Joseph  (Round Lake)*
St. Joseph  (Summit)*
St. Juliana *
St. Kieran
St. Louise De Marillac **
St. Louis De Montfort *
St. Maria Goretti **
St. Mary of the Angels *
St. Nicholas of Tolentine *
St. Odilo *
St. Pascal *
St. Paul-Our Lady of Vilna *
St. Peter (Antioch)
St. Philip Neri *
St. Pius V *
St. Rene Goupil
St. Sabina Academy
St. Symphorosa **
St. Turibius *
St. William **
Transfiguration *


*First year adoption: 2010-2011
**First year adoption 2011-2012