SARASOTA – Middle schools throughout Sarasota County will hold events Jan. 21-28 that are designed to bring families together to celebrate the love of reading. The family literacy nights are part of the Starbooks reading program, now in its second year.
Starbooks is part of a multi-year goal to promote and improve literacy among children of all ages. The idea behind the program is to encourage reading for enjoyment through the involvement of peers, parents, teachers, media specialists and literacy coaches.
As part of the program, middle school students throughout the county have read young-adult fiction, including books by Gordon Korman, Roland Smith and Jordan Sonnenblick. The authors have visited area middle schools to talk about their writing.
Other components of the Starbooks program include ongoing teacher training, reading corners in school media centers and family literacy nights. Starbooks is being funded this year by a $267,150 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. It is the middle-school component of the foundation’s commitment to improving literacy and promoting reading among children and adults.
The scheduled family literacy nights and related events include:
Thursday, Jan. 21, 6-8 p.m., Venice Middle School/Oak Park South
Literacy Night will be the centerpiece of the VMS/OPS Showcase. Students, families and community members are welcome to attend. The event will feature a modestly priced dinner and various interactive activities, including a Make and Take table where students can make character T-shirts and bookmarks, a Media Scavenger Hunt, a family Word Game Challenge, samples of literacy letters and an interactive station showcasing language websites. Stoney the Charlotte Stone Crabs baseball team mascot will be on hand to meet and greet students and families.
Tuesday, Jan. 26, 6-7 p.m., Brookside Middle School
Brookside Literacy Land will welcome the school’s sixth and seventh-grade families. Literacy ideas, information, activities, games, student work and giveaways will be featured, including a giant game board called Literacy Land.
Tuesday, Jan. 26, 6:30-8 p.m., Heron Creek Middle School
The school will “Light Up the Night with Literacy,” a fun family event filled with exciting activities, food and door prizes.
Thursday, Jan. 28, 6-8 p.m., Booker Middle School
Students and their families are invited to explore reading and a variety of activities. The night will feature food, interactive family fun, performances by the school’s Visual and Performing Arts Team, reading sessions and tips for parents.
Thursday, Jan. 28, 6-7 p.m., Laurel Nokomis School
Parents will have a chance to hear about “Schooled” and “Swindle,” the Gordon Korman books that their sixth- and seventh-grade students have been reading as part of the Starbooks grant. Students will participate in a readers’ theater presentation and have the opportunity to swap books and trade baseball cards. A session will provide parents with information about the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, the FCAT. The school’s jazz band will also perform and refreshments will be served.
Thursday, Jan. 28, 5-6:30 p.m., McIntosh Middle School
The evening will celebrate the literacy achievements of McIntosh students, including readers’ theatre presentation, displays of student work and read-aloud activities. Hot dogs and drinks will be served, the MMS band and chorus will entertain diners, the Scholastic book fair will be open, and second-quarter report cards will be distributed. Stoney, the Charlotte Stone Crabs mascot, will be on hand to help the school kick off the Charlotte Stone Crabs and MMS Reading Club.
Thursday, Jan. 28, 6-8 p.m., Sarasota Middle School
Families are invited to share in food, music, door-prizes and literacy-based activities.
Thursday, Jan. 28, 6-7 p.m., Woodland Middle School
On display will be student writing from all classes, including Literacy Letters written as part of the Starbooks literacy grant. The school’s business partners will celebrate with students, families and staff. The Scholastic Book Fair will be open. Students, dressed as their favorite characters, will read stories to younger children.