Teacher Appreciation Week: Letter Writing Engages Students At Stratford Landing

FORT HUNT, VA — Every day, students at Stratford Landing Elementary School will drop off letters in the mailbox of reading specialist Jill Norris.

That's part of a letter writing initiative started by Norris to improve literacy at the Fort Hunt school. Students will write letters each day, whether it be about their weekend plans or struggles at school.

Norris will then reply to each letter on vibrant notepaper and send them to classrooms. To date, hundreds of letters have been written.

The reading specialist started the program from her own love of writing letters with her grandmother as a child.

"I really felt that I had something I could offer these students as they returned to school buildings this year - and I wanted to do what I could to help," Norris told the Fairfax County Public Schools blog. "At Stratford Landing, we firmly believe that reading and writing go hand-in-hand and we have found that our students did not spend time writing during the pandemic. So, the Administration, the teachers, and I initiated a 'writing revolution.'"

FCPS launched its Equitable Access to Literacy in 2021 to address gaps in literacy among specific student groups. Norris only joined the school in August, but the reading specialist has already had a significant impact. Norris had 76 students needing significant literacy intervention in the fall, and by spring the number fell below 20, according to FCPS.