We want to engage our new members in a Rotary project to hand out books. We also want to restart a Reading Program for 3rd and 4th graders where Rotarians read to kids for one hour a week.
Research has demonstrated that children that are read to become much better readers as they mature. Our school system has a significant population of students where English is a second language. Hearing correctly spoken English from several voices is important.
This project will continue a literacy effort by Jackson Hole Rotarians that already covers every second grade student in the valley.
Addendum to Project Description (added after the project was signed)
Our target student 3rd Grade population in the Teton County School District, Teton County, Wyoming, numbers 229 students as of Oct 17, 2019. With the following school breakdown of 3rd graders:
Alta School: 5
Kelly 8
Moran 2
Wilson 33
Colter 58
Jackson 31
Munger Mtn. 92 TOTAL of 229 Third Grade Students
This is about 20 students less than the 2nd grade population last year (2019).
We obtained a detailed list of books from our local Valley Bookstore. The books are mostly in English, but there are a number of Spanish titles. Our intent is to get students to read. We feel it is necessary to offer some books for students in their native Spanish language. Latino students comprise nearly half our elementary student population.
Elementary teachers within the School District have welcomed the idea of our Rotarian members coming into their classrooms to read to their students for a half hour as often as once a week.
The School District Superintendent has enthusiastically endorsed our program of book reading and book distribution. Our Superintendent is Gillian Chapman, a member of our Rotary Club of Jackson.
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