Sounds of Christmas Concert December 17
The North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra will make its traditional visit to Revere on Sunday, December 17 at 4:00 p.m. when Music Director Robert Lehmann conducts the annual Robert A. Marra Memorial “Sounds of Christmas” Concert at St. Anthony’s Church.
The concert has been a staple of Revere’s holiday season since 1976. Admission is free to everyone who brings a generous donation of non-perishable food to benefit the Revere Food Pantry.
Concert co-chair Robert A. Marra Jr. expressed gratitude to the concert sponsors. “We are grateful for the support of the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, MassPort, Comcast, Astound Broadband, Action Emergency Services, and of course Bocchino Insurance,” he said. “Co-chair of this concert Dom Bocchino stepped up in 2006 and Bocchino Insurance has been an integral part of this concert ever since.” Marra also noted that Comcast has been involved in the concert going back to 1991.
“It’s a wonderful time for everyone, and a time of happiness and generosity,” said Marra. “The Revere Food Pantry does such important work in our community, and the concert gives so many people the chance to help our neighbors.”
The concert program will include traditional holiday music and an original holiday-themed narration by a Revere High School student. “The concert bears my father’s name,” said Marra, “and I am sure he’d be so pleased that his beloved North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra carries on this tradition, and that an RHS student has a role in this concert.”
Revere Students in Ignite Reading’s Tutoring Program
In the first full school year after the launch of Ignite Reading’s partnership with Revere Public Schools (RPS), the organization announced today that students participating in the virtual, one-to-one literacy tutoring program have recorded an average of over two weeks of reading progress per week, with no achievement gap for students of color, students with IEPs, multilingual learners, or students receiving free or reduced-price lunches. Ignite Reading officials joined leaders and students at A.C. Whelan Elementary today to showcase the nationally recognized program. The demonstration was followed by a Q&A session.
Revere Public Schools also announced that enrollment in Ignite Reading will serve 375 1st – 3rd grade students this fall. Ignite Reading is now serving students in 60 schools across the commonwealth.
“We are absolutely delighted to share the remarkable literacy progress our students achieved through this innovative collaboration with Ignite Reading. Participating students have gained vital foundational skills for their reading journeys. Moreover, the program’s capacity to foster success for students from diverse backgrounds and with distinct learning styles has been impressive. We look forward to continuing this partnership well into the future,” said Briana Tsoupas, Revere Public Schools Assistant Director of Curriculum & Title I Director.
Ignite Reading pairs students with expert tutors who deliver daily, 15-minute, Science of Reading-based instruction to help them master the key foundational skills that equip them to become independent readers. The one-to-one virtual program is seamlessly integrated into the school day and takes some of the burden off teachers by providing individualized instruction for every student.
The company is now teaching thousands of students to read across eight states with further plans to expand nationwide. In addition to Massachusetts, Ignite Reading is partnering with schools and districts to serve thousands of students in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, New York, and Oregon this fall.
“We are excited about deepening our collaboration with Revere schools to empower hundreds of more local students with enhanced literacy skills.Through Ignite Reading’s one-on-one tutoring approach, students are not just meeting, but exceeding anticipated benchmarks, making over two weeks of reading progress for every week in the program. Alongside the marked improvement in literacy, we are also witnessing a significant positive impact on their social-emotional development. It is a privilege to continue serving Revere’s exceptional students, families, and educational institutions,” said Jessica Reid Sliwerski, Founder & CEO of Ignite Reading.
Ignite Reading’s mission is to ensure that every student is a confident, independent reader by the end of first grade. The organization was co-founded by CEO Jessica Reid Sliwerski and Evan Marwell, Executive Chairman of Ignite and CEO of EducationSuperHighway. Ignite Reading pairs schools with a dedicated literacy specialist and a team of virtual reading tutors, all highly trained in the Science of Reading, who deliver 1:1 daily instruction to students focused on their specific decoding gaps.
