Family Literacy Night

Alley Woody, 6, was one of dozens of children and adults who attended the Family TJ Literacy Night event at Thomas Jefferson Elementary in Newton.

“I like this book because it has a surprise teacher in it,” Woody said.

The event’s theme was safari, which meant the school and many teachers were dressed and decorated with Savannah-inspired scenery.

“We are promoting literacy and fun with our students and their families,” Thomas Jefferson Elementary principal Trisca Mick said. “Reading is a fundamental skill that helps set kids up for success in the future. It definitely helps kids be successful in learning in our school.”

Each teacher in the building developed a literacy-related activity in their classroom for the event such as making bookmarks, “looking into literacy” binoculars and Bingo involving letters and “sight words.” Throughout the event, children collect orange tickets from Bingo and they bring them to the library, where they exchange them for a book or books they want. Woody’s sister also participated in the event.

“I checked out the pages, and I liked it,” said Isabella Woody, 5, of Newton. “Reading is so fun.”

Contact Orrin Shawl at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or oshawl@newtondailynews.com