“Great Bend Reads” comes to a close – Great Bend Post Archive

Bonding over a good book, students and parents from Park Elementary School enjoyed Family Night at the Great Bend Public Library on Nov. 27.

In the month of November, nearly 1,300 students from across USD 428 have enjoyed reading “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by Katie DiCamillo. Reading has the power to ignite the imagination, and when paired with family and community engagement, the positive outcomes are infinite.

The 2018 Great Bend Reading Initiative provided kindergarten through sixth-grade students and families with a roadmap to complete the book in one month, as well as ample opportunities to explore the community. Kip Wilson, principal at Jefferson Elementary School, served as the 2018 coordinator and introduced partner programming with the Great Bend Public Library and the Kansas Wetlands Education Center.

“The overall goal for the initiative is to bring families together around literacy at home,” said Wilson. “We want parents to get involved; reading creates quality time and provides an avenue for parents to take an active role in their child’s learning.”

New additions to the schedule this year included Books n’ Breakfast and individual Family Night for each elementary school at the Great Bend Public Library. The grand finale was a district-wide Family Reading Night at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center that included book-based activities, an inflatable planetarium show, crafts, and an opportunity to explore newly renovated exhibits.

Casey Hatzenbuehler, third-grade teacher from Riley Elementary School read to families at Books n’ Breakfast on Nov. 10 th . New in 2018, GBPL welcomed students and families on Saturday mornings in Nov. for reading, breakfast and family bonding.

“The community partnerships we established this year have opened new doors for students and families,” said Wilson. “Our partners helped connect the themes and characters in the book to engaging activities for our families. Beyond the events, our hosts took advantage of the opportunity to showcase resources and programs they provide year-round. We hope our families will continue to utilize these resources and continue to engage as a family unit.”

In its fourth year, the Great Bend Reading Initiative is an annual program coordinated by USD 428. This program fulfills USD 428’s mission “to educate and prepare all students to become responsible citizens and lifelong learners,” by engaging parents and families outside the classroom.