We are excited to announce that, starting this month, HIS students will be participating in Drop Everything And Read ("DEAR") schoolwide once a week for 20 minutes.  This will be at all age levels EY - 12 and at both the Sapporo and Niseko campus (schedule attached).  DEAR is a common strategy across schools worldwide for fostering literacy and a love of reading.  Developing a lifelong love of reading is one of the most powerful things we can do for our students' learning, and research demonstrates the positive impact of literacy development across the curriculum (including in math/science).  The goal of the DEAR approach (as opposed to just classroom-based reading) is to create a school culture where all students love to read--it has a big impact for younger students to see older students reading at the same time they are, or for students to see their teachers reading.  Students will be supported by their teachers and the librarian to ensure they have a book to read during this time each week.  We would also encourage families to ask students about what they're reading and consider taking them to the public library if they would like additional assistance in finding high-interest books.  We will be conducting the DEAR program on a trial basis for the dates attached and determine our approach for the next school year based on feedback.  If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact HIS administration.  Thank you for your support!