Valadez, Melrose and Rio Vista “Read for the Record”

On Thursday, Oct. 22, Valadez Middle School Academy hosted first graders from neighboring Melrose Elementary School and Rio Vista Elementary School for a school-wide reading event, Read for the Record®.

Read for the Record is a global campaign sponsored by Jumpstart, a national early education organization. The purpose of the event is to support high-quality early learning by mobilizing millions of children and adults to take part in the world’s largest shared reading experience by reading the same book on the same day. Last year, more than 2.5 million people participated.

This year, between 500 and 600 students from PYLUSD took part in Jumpstart’s Read for the Record.

Jumpstart celebrated the 10th anniversary of Read for the Record with the campaign book, “Not Norman: A Goldfish Story,” written by Kelly Bennett and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones.

First grade students from Melrose and Rio Vista partnered with their eighth grade “buddies” from Valadez to read the book. The entire quad of Valadez was filled with eager readers, as each age group took turns reading and discussing the message of the book.

Interestingly, this year’s eighth grade participants were the original first graders when PYLUSD started the Read for the Record program seven years ago.

Following the reading session, all students participated in small group activities that reflected the themes and spirit of the book. The entire morning was filled with opportunities for students to learn and demonstrate their leadership skills, as well as invaluable bonding experiences.

Honored guests included Board of Education Clerk and Master of Ceremonies Karin Freeman, Board of Education Vice President Judi Carmona, and Superintendent Dr. Doug Domene, in addition to school principals and valued teachers.

By participating in this event, PYLUSD helped close the word gap, one word at a time, by promoting reading to all students.

Click here for our Facebook album of the literacy event.