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Chris Puglia
Northern News Services
A new program being launched by the Catholic School board will be see schools sending book bags home with early elementary students.
The Kids First Book Bags, as they are called, contain four books, one non-fiction and three fiction, and a number of activities for students and parents.
Activities include recipes that the children can make at home.
"Early literacy programs is where our school board in the past three years has really put a lot of emphasis," said Theresa Lachowski, kindergarten Teacher at Weledeh Catholic school.
The hope is students will develop an interest in literacy and create a routine by integrating reading into family activities.
"We are very excited about these bags because the kids are going to be excited these," said Lachowski.
Ninety bags were created for the project -- 17 for each Kindergarten and Grade 1 class in the system.
That doesn't cover every child but it is hoped eventually there will be enough bags to go around.
Right now the children will alternate taking them home.
"Everyone will have a turn taking one home and when everyone has had a turn they can take another one," said Lachowski.
What is unique is that each of the 19 bags are different.
The literacy program offered by the Catholic board will be supplemented by the NWT Literacy Council's book bag program that is distributing book bags full of reading supplies to children.
"I don't think there can ever be too many books. The more opportunity children can be exposed to books the better it is," said Merrill Dean, principal at Weledeh school.
Dean said she also encourages students and parents to continue to work with the supplies in the Kids First Book Bags for the whole week they are at home, whether or not they have already read the books.
"Children like to re-read books and that patterning helps the children to be able to read," said Dean.
