Bequest boosts Beausoleil books
By Sharon Weatherall
BEAUSOLEIL FN – Literacy is a priority at Christian Island Elementary School, and the program received a huge boost, thanks to an unexpected $60,000 donation made specifically for “library usage”.
“We decided to support the school to try and make a difference in education for this First Nation community,” said estate executor Rosemary Slivinskas, executrix for the estate of Sophie Lucyk from Mississauga, Ontario. “”We have given other donations across Canada to different First Nation and Inuit communities.”
Principal Angela Johnson was moved to tears accepting the donation.
“This is a substantial personal donation and something that we have never received before. Knowing what our limited budget is, it is amazing. We are greatly humbled and honoured by this generous gift. The money will definitely be put to good use; it goes directly to our school for the kids.”
Johnson said the $60,000 bequest will enhance library operations at the school, including updating a desktop computer lab and purchasing new textbooks.
For the past four years, part-time school librarian Trudy King has been operating “Read and Recovery”, an early intervention literacy program where children aged six and enrolled in Grade 1 learn letter identification and sound recognition.
“Those are the early stages, then we begin reading and writing and eventually they go into leveled readers,” says King.”These start as simple as pattern books and get more difficult as they progress. Students are expected to reach level 16 by the end of the 20 week program.”
King reads books to promote literacy and operates a book exchange in the library, which is used regularly by Kindergarten to Grade 5 students. Students also do internet research on the library’s six computers. The school recently purchased a computer program that enables students to sign out and return books by scanning a bar code.
The library adds to its book collection through donations and hosting Scholastic Book Fairs from which 20 per cent of sales go towards purchasing new titles. Book donations have been received from other schools and the Peel Board of Education.
King also arranges for authors to visit the school and get the children “excited about reading”.
On the same day the school library received its $60,000 estate gift, author/illustrator “Darci-que” Fischl was visiting the school to promote her successful “Mollie-Doodle” series.
“I write about Mollie’s adventures as she is growing up and the things she is going through,” the author says. “I am all about literacy and teaching kids through words and that’s the reason I do my books in the Mollie concept. Kids can relate to a dog or a puppy and it opens up a dialogue for stories that are true about what kids go through today.”
(Visit Facebook page www.theadventuresofmolliedoodle.com/#!).
In addition to promoting books and reading, Christian Island ‘s school library provides speech therapy to students.
“We have a speech therapist coming in once a week from September to November and for several weeks in the spring,” says Trudy King.