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Guests Share Favorite Stories With Students
Napoli
The students at Mesa Verde Elementary enjoyed a story read by Resource Specialist, Lisa Napoli about a moose called, “If you give a moose a muffin” by Laura Numeroff. She even donned some unique headgear while reading to the students.

For the past few weeks, Riverbank Unified School District (RUSD) students have been engaging in literacy activities in celebration of Read Across Riverbank through the month of March. Last week students were engrossed in a variety of stories provided by District Administrators and staff for Guest Reader Week.

“Read Across Riverbank has been going well,” stated Mesa Verde Elementary Principal Lupe Velázquez. “We had some guest readers who came to the classrooms to read. Students seemed to have enjoyed it, which ultimately was the goal. To have students gain interest in reading.”

The call usually goes out to community members to participate as a guest reader for the students but due to COVID the district took precautions and limited the readers to district administrators and staff. Superintendent Christine Facella read to three classes including kindergarten, first and second grades.

“It was as great of an experience for me as it was for the students,” said Facella. “So much fun and students really seemed to enjoy the stories.”

RUSD Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Richard Tapia, participated in reading to the students last week along with other staff and teachers. He read “Oh the places you will go” from Dr. Seuss and “The Tooth Fairy meets El Raton Perez” by Rene Colato Lainez to the kindergarteners at California Avenue Elementary; in Ms. Landa’s class he read “The Great Kapok Tree” by Lynne Cherry. Mrs. Folks’ third grade class at Mesa heard the story of “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by A. Wolf told to Jon Scieszka by Dr. Tapia.

“I loved it, kids were so respectful and responsive,” remarked Dr. Tapia about being a guest reader. “Reading to students is one of the favorite things I do in my role. I miss being with kids on school sites and in classrooms, we are getting back to it slowly.”

The students at Mesa Verde Elementary, California Avenue Elementary, and Riverbank Language Academy (RLA) have been participating in the Books in a Jar challenge to see which class reads the most books in each grade.

There was also a Wild for Reading poster contest this month with the final deadline for students to turn in their posters by Friday last week. There will be a winner in each grade that will be selected this week.

This week will wrap up the festivities with the After School Program students performing one of their favorite books to their peers in Reader Theater. RLA held its Reader Theater on Tuesday, Mesa Verde Elementary will have their performance on Wednesday, March 30 and California Avenue Elementary will wrap up the festivities with a performance on Thursday, March 31. The performances will be held in the cafeteria from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Tapia
Young students enjoyed a book read to them by Assistant Superintendent Dr. Richard Tapia at Mesa Verde Elementary.
Cruz
Last week during Guest Reader Week, RLA Administrative Assistant Midory Cruz read a book to the students at Mesa Verde Elementary.