Project A.C.T.I.O.N. (Afterschool Care Together In Our Neighborhoods) after school program kicked off the annual Read Across Riverbank (RAR) celebration with a Spirit Day on March 2. The after school program collaborates with California Avenue Elementary, Mesa Verde Elementary, and Riverbank Language Academy to get the youth excited about reading with festivities all month long including, Books in a Jar reading challenge, weekly drawings, a poster contest, Guest Reader Week and Readers Theater.
The National Read Across America Day is held on Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2 initiated by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1998 to engage youngsters in reading.
The campaign to “Go Wild For Reading” commenced within Riverbank Unified School District with students wearing green, wild socks, wild hair, or wild dress for Spirit Day on Wednesday.
Students can participate in the Books in a Jar reading challenge throughout the month. They fill out a slip or reading log and turn them in each Friday of the pages they have read or the books read. The winners for that week will be announced on the following Wednesday and the class with the most books read for the week will receive a popcorn party on Friday. There will be one class per grade that will be selected. The class with the most read books for the entire month will receive an ice cream party, certificates, bookmarks and pencils on April 1.
The Wild for Reading Poster Contest is for all students with one winner per grade with entries to be completed by March 25. The Guest Reader Week consists of District administrators and staff that will read to the students during the week of March 21 through 25.
Wrapping up the month’s festivities will be the After School Program students that will perform one of their favorite books to their peers the final week of March.
RUSD Program/Grant Manager Araseli Zamora noted that the students must read books that are appropriate for their reading level and complete the logs/slips completely in order for them to count. On Wednesday, March 30 the class with the most read books for the month, the poster winner, and the last backpack winners will be announced.
“We are excited to kick-off our annual Read Across (RAR) Riverbank reading challenge to celebrate Read Across America and help motivate kids to read,” said Zamora.
