Dear Parents,

I would like to introduce you to our new 6^th grade reading partner. His name is Uno and he is a three year old Portuguese Water dog. Uno has hair instead of fur and it is considered a non-allergic breed. He has participated in several training classes and has recently passed his "Therapy Dog" test. Uno loves children and will be coming soon to join the community of 6^th grade readers here at MSN. When children enter a classroom with a reading partner therapy dog, the environment becomes electric! These dogs have a way of really helping the literature we read come to life.

Therapy Dogs International’s "Tail Waggin’ Tutors" program helps children to read by providing a non-judgmental listener and furry friend to read to, who won’t laugh at them if they make a mistake, but will rather lie next to them and simply enjoy the story being read. The children quickly learn to associate reading with being with the dog and they begin to view reading in a more positive and relaxed way. Over time, we are confident that your child’s reading ability and confidence will improve because they will constantly be practicing their reading strategies and skills, which will in turn, help them enjoy reading and become much better at it.

Therapy Dogs can help our students here at MSN truly understand how much fun reading can be! If you have any questions about this unique program, please feel free to email me. I am confident that all students will benefit from and enjoy this unique experience.

Sincerely

Mrs. Beth Schwartz and Uno