Both Bloomsdale Elementary and Ste. Genevieve Elementary celebrated Read-On Missouri Week from Feb. 27 - March 3. This week is part of the Read Across America program, which is sponsored by the National Education Association and celebrates reading and encourages students to develop lifelong reading habits! Many activities are centered around Dr. Seuss and his collection of books, since the celebration coincides with the author's birthday.
Throughout the week, students had the opportunity to participate in various activities that promote the message that reading provides countless opportunities to learn and grow. Both schools hosted visiting readers, held bookmark contests and dress-up days, among other fun activities, to celebrate the week.
MNEA officers, MNEA-Retired teachers, Board of Education members, administrators, community members and family members all made plans to read to students. Our guest readers shared some of their favorite children’s books to the students, and of course, there were three guests that all of the students knew right from the start—the Cat in the Hat, and Thing 1 and Thing 2!
Each year, SGNEA and NHS has a tradition of sponsoring Cat in the Hat visits to both elementary schools—this year, Maya Watts dressed up as the Cat for SGE, and Olivia Klump dressed up as the Cat for BLE. Dru Koetting and Alli Byington were Thing 1 and Thing 2 for SGE, and Karlie Basler and Caitlin Gray were Thing 1 and Thing 2 for BLE. NHS members volunteer their time, while SGNEA sponsors the Cat in the Hat suits while NHS provides the Thing suits.
Bloomsdale Elementary would like to share a special thank you to Wolk’s Insurance for the wonderful donation of a new book for each preschool student! The students were excited and thankful for their new books!
At both schools, students and staff participated in themed dress-up days throughout the week! Monday was Pajamas / Comfy Clothes day for Dr. Seuss’ book “I’m Not Going to Get Up Today,” Tuesday was Crazy Socks day for the book “Fox in Socks,” Wednesday was Wacky Clothes day for the book “Wacky Wednesday,” Thursday was Wear a Hat or Stripes for Dr. Seuss’ birthday, and Friday was Wear Many Colors day, for the book, “My Many Colored Days.”
Toward the end of the week, every student at both schools received a bookmark! At BLE, bookmarks were drawn by students in grades 2nd - 5th, and a winner from each grade level was selected based on their theme choice, composition, and craftsmanship. The bookmark contest winners were: Grace Conwell, Madison Stomberg, Fiona Guilford, and Violet Tersanschi. At SGE, all 5th grade students designed a bookmark in Art Class related to Dr. Seuss, or any of their favorite literary characters! The winner was Vivien Naeger!
We would like to thank all of our guest readers who took the time to engage and share their love of books with our students! Your visits helped us spread the joy of reading.