Central hosts ‘Out of this World’ Family Literacy Night
Middle and high school teacher Carla Farinas is pictured in the astronaut photo op she made for the event made entirely out of recycled materials.
Rhett Meyer and his parents, Joy and Adam, participate in the re-teller craft station at the “Out of this World” Family Literacy Night at Central on Nov. 20. The families of 81 students attended the fun and engaging reading event.
Greta Scherf posed with the first page of the story walk. Central Elementary Principal Amy Pope expressed gratitude for her work in organizing the story walk and astronaut footprint path through the event, as well as other students and staff.
JoElla Carlson smiles for a photo with her new reading night and bag of books she received at Central’s “Out of this World”-themed Family Literacy Night on Nov. 20.
By Kaitlyn Kuehl-Berns | Times-Register
This year’s “Out of the World”-themed family literacy night at Central welcomed 81 students and their families for a night filled with reading and space-themed activities on Nov. 20.
Students followed astronaut footprints throughout the school to the different centers named after the planets in the solar system.
Along the route, a story walk was posted on the walls for children to read as they traveled from station to station.
Samantha Schwarz, librarian at the Elkader Public LIbrary, hosted a center with space-themed books and a mobile check out.
Schwarz shared with families the different children’s programs offered at the library and helped families fill out applications for library cards.
The station in the high school library shared different ways to make reading fun and engaging.
In the makerspace classroom, young readers made a re-teller craft to help follow along with the story line.
A highlight for many guests was the planetarium exhibit from Keystone AEA set up in the auditorium. Children and their parents stepped inside a sky dome to view a virtual tour of the night sky and constellations.
High school principal Aaron Reinhart noted, “I learned more about the solar system in the 10-minute presentation than I knew before.”
Middle and high school science teacher Carla Farinas built a creative photo op of an astronaut suit fully out of recycled materials for participants.
Elementary principal Amy Pope expressed gratitude for the different students and staff who helped volunteer their time to make the night a success.
Pope said, “Central Lead member Greta Scherf took the lead with the co-teachers, Mrs. Imoehl and Mrs. Farinas, to help organize and add fun elements to the event.”
A $1,000 Clayton County Foundation for the Future grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque funded the program. Pizza was served to represent the planets, and students went home with free “out of this world” books.
