Kinderhook Bank Supports Elementary Literacy                 

Kinderhook Bank recently donated $500 to the East Greenbush Central School District. The bank pledged $100 to each elementary school to support the development of leveled reading rooms.

Branch Manager Alicia Gonzalez said the bank wanted to reach out to support students in East Greenbush schools. Kinderhook Bank has a branch located at 567 Columbia Turnpike, its first branch in Rensselaer County.

“Kinderhook Bank is pleased to sponsor the level reading rooms for the elementary schools in the East Greenbush Central School District,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Sherwood.  “Literacy is vital to the development of children and we are proud to support this mission.”

The district’s elementary schools are now purchasing new literacy materials to develop the rooms, which separate books based on their level of difficulty.

Genet Elementary School started its leveled reading room last spring with the support of the school’s PTO. The school turned a former storage room into a room filled with fiction and non-fiction titles that pique student interest in a variety of topics.

Genet Elementary School Principal Ana Yeomans said the room allows teachers to differentiate reading instruction to better meet the needs of all students within a classroom. “This strategy focuses on individual needs of students, who often read at different paces and abilities than their classmates,” Yeomans said.

Research shows that the best way to teach reading is to provide guided reading based on student’s individual reading levels, whether they’re reading at, above, or below grade level.

Donald P. Sutherland Principal Jack Alvey said it’s important to improve reading skills at an early age. “The importance of reading cannot be stressed enough. It is the foundation for learning other subjects,” Alvey said.

East Greenbush CSD Superintendent Dr. Angela Nagle appreciates Kinderhook Bank’s support. “This donation will help our elementary students as they master the literacy skills needed to be successful,” Nagle said.

From left to right, Bell Top Principal James McHugh, DPS Principal Jack Alvey, Kinderhook Bank - East Greenbush Branch Manager Alicia Gonzalez, Superintendent Dr. Angela Nagle, Red Mill Principal John Caporta, Genet Principal Ana Yeomans and Green Meadow Principal Mike Kuzdzal.