Maintaining reading skills over the summer for elementary school-aged children can often take a back seat to other summer activities. So to encourage ongoing summer reading among their students, Woodstock Elementary (and many other beach schools) partnered with the Virginia Beach Public Library to co-sponsor a summer reading challenge—“Paws to Read.” However, Woodstock went one step beyond encouraging their students to sign up and participate in the reading challenge. The school also hosted a Summer Reading Event for their students last month at the Kempsville Branch of the public library.
The Summer Reading Event was organized with several goals in mind. First, the school’s staff wanted to encourage summer reading and participation in the challenge with their students. Other goals of the event were to encourage use of the public library resources, to provide an opportunity for students to connect with staff members–which they otherwise do not see over the summer break, and to strengthen ties between the school and the families that it serves.
This year’s event was a success with many students in attendance along with their families, including parents, grandparents as well as siblings. Students were able to participate in activities, which included talking with staff about books they have read over the summer, making bookmarks and completing a scavenger hunt to learn more about the children’s resources available at the Kempsville Branch. Nearly 20 Woodstock Elementary staff members volunteered their time at the event.
This was the second year that Woodstock Elementary has hosted a Summer Reading Event for their students.