ONE BOOK, ONE SCHOOL

COVID-19 has challenged students, teachers, administrators and communities to think outside the box in order to remain connected. While social-distancing requirements have changed the way we gather as classes and a school community, we have been committed to continuing to build relationships among our students with an emphasis on maintaining and building our connections within our community of learners. Whether our students participate in-person or virtually, all students at All Saints Academy in Albany are invited to share in our “One Book, One School” read-aloud program, which was launched through a generous anonymous donation of new literature.

The “One Book, One School” program was designed to connect the entire school through literature. Each week, a new book is chosen with a focus on topics such as diversity, perseverance, kindness, perspective, uniqueness, inclusion and social-emotional well-being. Each class reads the same book and has an age-appropriate discussion around the theme and message of the book, often becoming a jumping off point for further and deeper discussions. The books have been carefully selected to cover a range of topics, to allow all students to see themselves in literature, and often speak to the challenges students face in their everyday lives. 

Julie Reilly, first-grade teacher, All Saints Academy