Since 2010, the first Wednesday of February has been known as World Read Aloud Day—a global tradition organized by LitWorld that centres on the joy and importance of reading.
At SJS, we had 15 guest readers from the leadership team, administration and Senior School faculty who visited our Junior School classrooms throughout the day to share a special story (or two!)
This year also saw three Grade 11 students volunteer as readers. Thank you to Elise Bereti, Athan Irinakis and Kareena Sandhu who read stories to the Kindergarteners and Grade 4s.
Our Junior School students also enjoyed virtual visits with published authors throughout the day, including Jory John, Leslie Gentile, Nidhi Chanani, Josh Funk and Gabi Snyder. It’s always a pleasure to hear students’ thoughtful questions for the authors and share their enthusiasm for a new book series! Some classes also engaged with activities such as reader’s theatre and collective story-building.
The impact of shared storytelling on children’s development is immeasurable. Laughs were shared and ideas were exchanged, helping us to establish reading as a pleasurable experience with value beyond academics.
Many thanks to all SJS teachers, staff and students for making this year’s World Read Aloud Day a success!
