Belmont Primary School today began its Reading Week with an official opening ceremony, at its My Lord???s Hill, St. Michael, location.??

The theme for the week is: One World, Many Stories: Reading Takes Us Places.

Principal Pamela Ifill, addressing her charges stressed, in the words of Dr. Seuss, ???the more you read, the more things you will know: the more you learn, the more places you???ll go.???

Noting that these words still rang true today, she said it was through the act of reading that children and adults alike were exposed to ???new and exciting ideas and experiences??? that helped them to become productive citizens of our nation.

???Reading is one of the most marvelous adventures that anyone can have and Madeleine L???Engle, award winning children???s author, believes that ???a book can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe???.

“In other words, reading takes us places – it gives us somewhere to go, without us leaving our homes, classrooms, or wherever it is that you make your reading corner. Where else can you encounter kings and queens, giants and dwarfs, villains and heroes, or travel to exotic lands like Africa, India, France or Saudi Arabia???? Ms. Ifill stated.

The students were reminded too that reading helped to develop critical thinking skills, which would enable them to make good decisions and positive choices.??

???The ability to read contributes to your personal sense of pride and well-being, and opens up greater opportunities that you can take advantage of in order to become responsible, industrious adults,??? the Principal observed.

Education Officer, Pauline Millar, spoke of the privilege of having compulsory education for males and females and the young students heard that sacrifices were made by their fore-parents ???because literacy was the only inheritance that they had to offer???.

Tomorrow, Tuesday February 10, Seeds International will make a presentation at 9:00 a.m., and there will be a professional development course on Using Technology to Teach Reading, from 2:15 p.m.

Wednesday, February 11, will be poetry reading at 9:00 a.m.by George Francis and Adrian Greene, as well as Read Aloud Sessions with various guest readers. A Parents and Teachers Literacy Evening focusing on Language Arts will be held at the school on Thursday, February 12 from 5:00 p.m. Education Officer, Shamin Ally, will facilitate this session.

The curtain comes down on Friday, February 13, with a dramatic portrayal of stories which students have read, at 9:30 a.m. The stories relate to persons of African American and Caribbean descent.

joy-ann.gill@barbados.gov.bb

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