Literacy events at Valley View Elementary are off to a great start this year.

We began with an assembly featuring the Boundary County Library’s newest director, Mr. Craig Anderson. He thanked the children for their participation in our Summer Reading program and presented the Valley View library with exciting new children’s books.

The program’s goal is to slow down, or stop, the ‘Summer Slide’, where children lose up to one year’s worth of reading skills during the summer from lack of reading practice. Even reading one or two chapter books over the summer can help keep their new reading skills fresh. The six-week program was a great success with over 100 children checking out books, making crafts and eating snow cones.

In October, Mr. Kenn Nesbitt, Children’s Poet Laureate, from Spokane, WA treated students at Valley View to an Author Visit.

Mr. Nesbitt held assemblies for the children, reading from his books of zany poetry and showing them that anyone can rhyme. The students were delighted with his clever word plays and giggled repeatedly during his playful use of the word “but”.

Fourth and fifth grade students came to a writer’s workshop and spent an hour creating their own poetry. During the noon hour, many children came to the library to purchase his books, chat with him and have their books signed. Many of our reluctant readers came into the library to explore Mr. Nesbitt’s books, making his time at Valley View worth every penny.

Our next literacy event is Idaho Family Reading Week, Nov. 14-17. This year’s them is, ‘Laugh it up! at your library’ and Valley View has daily events planned, starting with Monday’s Mystery Readers, Tuesday’s Team Reader’s, Wednesday’s Wacky Joke’s, and Thursday’s Popcorn, PJ’s and Books.

All of our events are sponsored by the Bonners Ferry Rotary, the Eagles’ Aerie, the Lion’s Club, LiteHouse Inc., Super One Foods, our PTO and many parent volunteers. According to student Dakyn Robbins, “Without all of these programs our school would not be the fun, learning place that it is!”

— Julie Colson