Power Down and Read Week
This is a copy of the note to be sent home this week from the counselors and librarian. All fifth grade teachers strongly urge families to try a screen free week. It is also a great opportunity to surge ahead with those READING OLYMPICS projects! It is also a great opportunity to support a school in Sichuan.
Dear Parents,
“Power Down and Read Week” is April 19th – April 25th. This is a combination of two annual SAS events – TV Turnoff Week and Love of Reading week.
During TV Turnoff Week, millions of children and adults world wide pledge to spend seven “screen-free” days. This is a volunteer activity, students are not required to participate, but it is an experience that can be very valuable for you and your family. If you are up to the challenge, seven “screen-free” days means: No TV, DVDs, computer games, video games, cell phone games, movies at the theatre, or chatting over the Internet. (Exceptions include computer use for school or work…or for communicating with parents working out of town).
Studies show that children who watch less TV and play fewer video games are more likely to read well and to be physically fit. Turning off the screens also allows for more family time. We think that Turnoff Week 2010 is a great way to jump-start our kids into more reading, learning, and active play. It’s also a lot of fun!
We would like to ask for your support in our efforts. Many families and teachers choose to join their children by keeping the screens turned off all week long. This kind of support is the best thing you can do to ensure that your child will have a successful and beneficial experience. We have included a screen-free participation signature box on the attached sheet. If your child remains screen-free for 7 days please complete the form and have your child return it to their classroom teacher on Monday April 26th. We will use this information to acknowledge their efforts and celebrate their success.
Love of Reading week is designed to inspire students to develop a passion for reading and support the school’s goal of being a reading community. There are a couple of ways to participate in this event. First, there will be five themes one for each day of the week. Students can either dress up or bring in a prop which will enable them to participate in special classroom reading activities. The themes are listed below.
Monday April 19th – Pajama Day
Tuesday April 20th – Bring your favorite teddy/buddy day
Wednesday April 21st – Wear a crazy hat and have a poem in your pocket day
Thursday April 22nd – Backwards Day
Friday April 23rd– Wear the title of your favorite book day and Eagle Colors
Secondly, students have the opportunity to help a build a reading community in a Chinese school without a library. Students are already required to read a minimum of 20 minutes a night. For this activity students can ask a family member or friend to sponsor their extra reading over 20 minutes. For example, on Monday Susie reads for 30 minutes. Her parents have agreed to sponsor her at the rate of 1 RMB per minute of extra reading. Susie’s parents will pay 10RMB for Monday’s extra reading. The money raised will go to support books for a school library in Sichuan. Please see the attached sponsor sheet for more details.
Thank you for your support,
Eileen Knobloch (Puxi PK-1 Counselor)
Paul Stambaugh (Puxi 2-3 Counselor)
Kristina Anderson (Puxi 4-5 Counselor)
Rosmary Kinyanjui (ES Librarian)
