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Rockingham Celebrates Reading

Reading success of students in our RCPS elementary schools is celebrated with excitement, creativity, and style. See how each school enthusiastically fosters reading development in its own distinct way while injecting fun into the process. Click thumbnail pics below to see larger versions of each picture.

Elkton Elementary School

This year celebrates the 28th year for Community Readers Day at Elkton Elementary. 41 readers came to EES to read to students in their classrooms. Visiting readers included Elkton business people, RCPS central office administrators, retired EES teachers, former EES administrators, and students from Spotswood High School. It is a great event and the kids love it each year.

See also Elkton Elementary's "Find a Treasure in a Good Book" celebration. There, students were challenged to read 3,000 books in two short weeks. The students not only met that goal, they more than DOUBLED it, reading an extraordinary 6,688 books in the two week period. Mr. Ed Powell, EES Principal, transformed himself into a pirate and the Elkton Bookaneers celebrated!

Sally Brown, Reading Teacher

 

Ottobine Elementary School

On Feb. 22, the last day of Reading Month 2008 for Ottobine Elementary School, the students, teachers, and staff celebrated with a tricycle race between the teachers and "Speedy Evy", alias school principal Laura Evy. The theme was "Race Into Reading," and the students were challenged to read 60,000 minutes at home during the month. The students actually logged more than 83,000 minutes and were entertained by 3 qualifying races, a semi-final race, and the Big Race between "Speedy" Evy and Misti "Wild Wheels" Wheelbarger. It was a close race, but "Wild Wheels" edged out "Speedy" by a wheel.

Susan Pollard, Library Media Specialist

 

Linville-Edom Elementary School

Rainbow Readers. Students filled out rainbow colored cards for every 2 chapter books or 5 picture books they read. In March, our school read well over 15,000 books. We had to continue our rainbow from the hallway wall into the gymnasium!

We also did Book Cook Club with third graders. After reading The Gadget War, students created catapults that launched raw eggs on the playground. After reading Aliens for Breakfast, students created "alien goo" that was quite colorful.

Other programs this year were Run and Read (combining laps walked and books read), and Virginia Readers Choice where faculty dressed up or created activities with the book that they read aloud.

Margaret Alger, Library Media Specialist

 

South River Elementary School

"Reading Round-Up" was our theme for Reading month at SRES this year. We have a reading month committee and we brainstormed about what we wanted to do to promote reading and have a little fun too! This is what we did:

1. Made a display in the front lobby with hay bales, a saddle and rope, a stand-up cowboy with the face cut out for picture taking - and an "I Spy" display on cowboys in the display case.

2. A bulletin board with all of the upcoming events and a "Thermometer" with our goal of 2000 books at the top.

3. Mr. Larry Shifflett, our principal, also challenged all of the teachers to set AR goals for themselves and take tests during the month - so we can see what it is like for the kids. We had another bulletin board with the teachers' names and the heading "Can These Teachers Meet Their AR Goal?" He gave us an AR party lunch at the end of the month when we did.

4. Put funny cowboy reading posters around the school.

5. As the students read a book, they put the title and their name on a paper cowboy hat and put it up along the hallways. These are what we counted to fill in the thermometer.

6. Special events:

First week - Bookfair
Second week - Passed out cowboy bookmarks and had a "storybook dress-up" day
Third week - Passed out cowboy shaped candies

On the Friday after we met our goal, we had Cowboy dress-up day and Mrs. Jacki Nickel (assistant principal) and Mr. Shifflett rode their horses to school! They were accompanied with music by the PE teacher who is a disk jockey and brought her sound system. Two children who worked extra hard at reading during the month were given a coupon by their teachers to stay after and pet and feed the horses. Mrs. Nickel and Mr. Shifflett also rode stick horses through an obstacle course to win the "ten gallon hat!"

Culminating activity: A family at our school owns miniature horses and one of the teacher's daughters owns Belgians. They brought them both to school for the children to see. We also hired Classic Carriages to come to the school and give all of the children a covered wagon ride.

Sheri Smucker, Library Media Specialist

John Wayland Elementary School

For Reading Month, we tied our theme in with the book fair's theme of Reading Road Trip. Our students were challenged to read 20 minutes a night. Those who did brought in a paper car signed by their parents saying they had reached the weekly goal. We taped our cars around the school walls until we reached the "finish line." Our school met our reading goal and was rewarded with a "Fun on Wheels" day. This was relay races "on wheels" provided by our PE staff. Teachers and students participated and had a great deal of fun!

Dewie Arey, Reading Teacher

 

Lacey Spring Elementary

"HOG WILD FOR READING" activities.

The Lacey Spring reading project was begun by the Language Arts Committee, the Library and the Reading Department in October. It began with "HOG WILD FOR READING". The Shenandoah Harley-Davidson Shop from Staunton kicked off the project by driving three brand new, sparkling bikes into our gym. The bikers read their favorite books to the students after talking to them about the importance of reading. On that day, students and staff members dressed in their version of a "biker." Language Arts Committee members were decked out in clothing provided by the Shenandoah Harley-Davidson shop who also gave our students stickers, pencils, and a Harley Hogwart stuffed toy to be given away at the end of the program.

The students kept track of their reading minutes with reading logs until March, 2008. In March, Farmer Minor and Daisy the Pig visited our school for "HOGS AND KISSES DAY". Donna Robinson, Lance Moran, and Tom Baker had to kiss the pig since the students had met their 200,000 minutes goal. That day was "FARMER DAY".

PIG OUT ON GOOD BOOKS at Lacey Spring Elementary School!

Diana Umbel, Library Media Specialist

 

John C. Myers Elementary School

Our Reading Month Theme: "A Seussical Salute!"

Our challenge teacher, Bobbie Arbogast, worked with EVERY student on a design technology activity. Students used only recycled materials to design a particular project from a Dr. Seuss book. Every project was then put on display in our gym for all the students to see.

We had a Dr. Suess Hat Day. Teachers and students wore Dr. Seuss hats to celebrate his birthday, a Crazy Sock day after all the students heard Fox in Socks, a mismatch clothes day after all the students heard Wacky Wednesday.

Students participated in an illustration contest. They matched a picture from a Dr. Seuss book to the title of the book. Winners received a new book.

Our final activity was a wonderful presentation from Barbara Spillman Lawson.

Lisa Roeschley, Reading Teacher

 

McGaheysville Elementary School

One of our reading incentives this year was The Great Appalachian Trail Reading Race in which students read books to earn enough points to get to watch [Becky Roadcap, Principal] and Sharon Martz, Assistant Principal, dress in hiking gear and race through stations in the gym. Then, students got to rotate though the stations themselves during gym time.

Becky Rhodes, Principal

 

Fulks Run Elementary School

Pictures from various reading-related events at FRES: