Superintendent Press Release September 15, 2023
Dear Cedar Bluffs Families,
Last month Cedar Bluffs PreSchool through 5th grade students participated in a book blast where we had 80% participation and raised over $25,000 for reading awareness. Every student in grades PreSchool through 5th grade will receive between 6 and 10 free books depending upon their grade level. Six teachers received $100 gift certificates to buy books for their classroom and the school received another $300 for its library. Great program and great job reading students.
Next month our accelerated reading program will be up and running also. This program encourages reading among all students and provides incentives for books read. The Center for Public Education states, “Reading is the Open Sesame for acquiring knowledge: learn to read, and you can read to learn just about anything.”
Children begin the process of learning to read long before entering school as they acquire vocabulary and background knowledge. But when they enter school, it is not long before they can and must use reading skills and strategies to learn all about the world around them in every subject and content area. As you read, you come across new words, phrases and writing styles that helps you improve vocabulary. By reading, young people encounter new words more frequently and sometimes repetitively and therefore can see them better in their context. Kids who are encouraged to read at an early age have better comprehension of things around them.
The more you read, the more imaginative you become. Whenever you read a fiction book, it takes you another world. In the new world, your imagination works at its best as you try to see things in your own mind. Another benefit of reading books is the ability to develop critical thinking skills. For example, reading a mystery novel sharpens your mind. What elements are there in a story to make this or that conclusion. Or if a book is non-fiction you will sometimes ask yourself if the author is right. Critical thinking skills are crucial when it comes to making important day to day decisions. Reading requires an individual to think and process information in a way that watching television can’t. The more you read, the deeper your understanding becomes about what you’re reading and its application. Furthermore, every time you read a book, you must remember the setting of the book, the characters, their backgrounds, their history, their personalities, the sub-plots and so much more. As your brain learns to remember all this, your memory becomes better. What’s more, with every new memory you create, you create new pathways and this strengthens the existing ones.
So hopefully everyone will help support our new accelerated reading program.
Have a great weekend - Wildcat Pride!