I Love to Read Week

Two grade 1 girls drinking hot chocolate after “Buddy Reading” on Friday afternoon

	This year, IHMS celebrated “I Love To Read Week” from Tuesday, February 19 to Friday, February 22 (it was a short week because Monday was Louis Riel Day – no classes). During these four days, students were involved in activities that promoted and celebrated reading in their daily lives.

The theme for this year’s “I Love to Read Week” was:     Warm Up With a Good Book

 

 

Something new this year for “I Love To Read Week”  was the recruiting of family members as guest readers in the classroom. Family members (usually parents) who read in the classroom as guest readers were:

• Mrs. Stefaniw read: Children of the Earth Remember and Dino Soccer to the grade 4 & 5 students
• Mr. Kemp read:  Angela’s Airplane to the grade 1’s and Unexplained Events to the grade 5 students
• Mr. Pritchard read: The Wonderful Book, What Colour is Your Underwear and The Very Cranky Bear to the grade 3 students
• Mr Luczak read: In the Red Canoe to the grade 1 & 5 students
• Mr. Marini read: Reading Makes You Feel Good to the grade 2 students
• Mrs. Cabeliza read: I Will Try, I Love You With All My Heart, and Mine All Mine to the kindergarten & grade 3 students
• Mrs. Angela Do Couto read: Nuts to the grade 1 students
• Mr. Alibin read: 101 Animal Records to the grade 2 students

 

Some, but not all of the family members who volunteered as guest readers

 

 

In addition, “I Love To Read Week” wouldn’t be the same without an activity done every year in the past called “Stop, Drop, and Read”. At various times throughout the day, when a pre-arranged sound played over the intercom (this year, a xylophone sound was used for this purpose), students knew they had to stop whatever they were doing and start reading a book.

 

Miss Bacon displays a bag of prizes that she used during “I Love to Read Week”. As Miss Bacon randomly walked around the school, she would give a small gift to students that she spotted reading on their own.

 

Friday, February 22 was the last day of “I Love to Read Week”. In addition to being a NUT day (“Comfy, Cozy Clothing Day!”), it also had the last activity of the week – Buddy Reading. This is an activity where younger students pair up with an older “buddy”. The two students take turns reading to each other from the younger student’s book.

 

As they entered the gym for Buddy Reading, students were given a cookie and a cup of hot chocolate

 

Buddy Reading has been a part of “I Love to Read Week” for years, but this is only the second time that everyone gathered in one place at the same time (last year was the first time). As students gathered in the gym, they were treated to a cookie and a cup of hot chocolate to eat and drink as they read to their buddy.

 

Older students and their “buddies” in the gym during Buddy Reading

 

“I Love to Read Week” was a lot of fun and an interesting time for the students. Hopefully, they learned to love and appreciate reading even more than ever!