Community Message

Good evening Dragon Crew,

Malcolm X said, “the ability to read awoke inside of me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive." The energy and excitement was palpable this evening as we welcomed students and families into a night of fun with literacy. What a gift to see so many of you and your children this evening! Classrooms were alive with the sound of rich imagery as our wonderful teachers engaged students in the world of story. Fifth grade included some spooky visitors around a flashlight as they read the story of Heckedy Peg, a book by Audrey Wood and Don Wood. The book is the winner of the Irma Simonton Black Award. The story weaves excitement and intensity with breathtaking illustrations.

Jessica Wainman’s class experienced the Caldecott winning book titled Watercress. This is a powerful story about how memory flows between generations through the stories we tell and the experiences we share. In a similar way that the family’s history slowly reveals new layers over time, the book’s illustrations contain subtlety and depth that are revealed as you continue to read.

We quickly ran out of hot cider and cookies but we will be prepared on Sunday when we see many of you for Harvest Fest. Thank you to our literacy specialist, Andrea Steffanich for her intentional planning as we seek to create a culture of literacy at Isabella Bird. And thank you to our wonderful teachers for their ongoing efforts in ensuring all of our kids experience joy and love for the magical world of storytelling and reading.

I appreciate your continued support of literacy at Izzi B. Thank you for coming to support our school and our students tonight.

In partnership,

Principal Mercer