• Welcome!

     

    Hello Students and Parents! 
      
    I am your Reading Specialist for grades K, 1, 2, and 3.  If you have a child in grades 1, 2, or 3, I interact with that child regularly, assessing reading fluency.  We call these assessments "cubby checks," because they are given in the coat room of your child's classroom. I teach some Kindergarten students individually, to build foundational skills and assess their growth.  I work with older students individually or in small groups to help them build their reading and writing skills.  I also work closely with the teachers in grades K-3, to provide support both in and out of their classrooms.  I am a familiar face to younger students, and hopefully someone they trust. 
     
    You are always welcome to borrow books from my classroom lending library.  I encourage you to read to your child/children daily, as well as listening to them read aloud to you.  We know that students who struggle with reading often lack adequate reading practice at home.  Feel free to help your child read, until he or she becomes capable of reading on his or her own.  Also, I recommend that your child read something he finds interesting for reading practice.  We want to hook him or her on reading, and the best way to do that is to expose him or her to fun books!  Visit our community library and check out books there as well, the more the better, so that you will have plenty in case your child wants to skip over a few.  Make reading together a positive daily experience, and you will see your child's reading skills grow and strengthen.   
     
    A little bit about me.  I joined the faculty at Ellicottville Central School in the fall of 2003.  I worked as a high school English teacher for over ten years before taking my position at the elementary school.  Prior to coming to Ellicottville, I taught English at Salamanca High School and Middle School.  I worked in human services field as a case manager and child care director before becoming a teacher.

    I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in December 1993.  My bachelor's degree is in American Studies which is a combination of American history and American literature.  My minor is in Sociology.  I am permanently certified to teach both English and Social Studies, grades 7-12, in New York State.

    I earned a master's degree (M.S. Ed.) in Adolescent Literacy (reading) at St. Bonaventure University in 2005 and a Ph.D. in English Education at SUNY Buffalo in 2013.  I hold professional literacy certificates, Birth to grade 12. I am certified with Wilson Reading System (WRS) as a Dyslexia Practitioner and as an instructor of Phono Graphix.
     
    I have loved to read all of my life, and I find this to be the perfect position for me.  My favorite children's author is Cynthia Rylant, author of the Henry and Mudge series. 
     
    I am sincerely grateful to be employed by Ellicottville School District where my colleagues and students truly are like family to me.  It is my privilege to be a part of this wonderful elementary school and interact with the students here each day.  Take a look at "The Joy of Teaching Reading," another page on my website where I give you a taste of the funny things your children say to me.  Once you've read that, you will understand why I couldn't do anything else.  Your children are such a blessing to me, and I am grateful every day to spend time with them.
     
    Please do not hesitate to contact me at the school (699-2318, extension 1165).  If you prefer email, our school secretary will be happy to give you my email address.  I look forward to working with you!
     
    Sincerely,
    Marie Kleiderlein Davis