Berg Elementary event highlights literacy

It was a night focused on reading as nearly 500 people filled Berg Elementary for its inaugural Family Literacy Night on Monday.

It was also a girls night out for Brooke Williams and her daughter Ava Williams, a first-grader, who said she was excited to get a new book and play games.

“It’s a good opportunity for the kids to be able to do a lot of activities at the school and for parents to get some ideas of things we can work on at home,” Brooke Williams said.

Berg Elementary Principal Jolene Comer said those are some of the ideas behind literacy night.

“Our goal is to promote the love of reading for our kids and families and help provide some strategies to parents to use at home,” Comer said.

In the elementary gym second grade student Mekhi Zephier curled up with his mom, Hope Zephier, and read a book aloud at one of multiple stations.

“It’s fun,” Mekhi said.

Families were able to enjoy a variety of “make it-take it” literacy games and activities, were given free codes to download PBS Kids apps and each child was also given a free book in an effort to ensure each child has a book on hand to enjoy of winter break, Comer said.

“We’ve always had Math Night in the past, and this year we decided to do a literacy night,” Comer said. “We were hopeful to have 200 people, maybe 300 so this surpassed our expectations.”

In the library, computers and iPads were accessed and parents were given instruction on how to login to Wonders, the school’s reading program. Children can use the site to play games and take part in other activities that help build reading skills.

Families also enjoyed hot cocoa and many door prizes including two Kindle Fires that were raffled off.

Contact Abigail Pelzer at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or apelzer@newtondailynews.com