SAN DIMAS/LA VERNE – Shull Elementary students and families embarked on a literary voyage, diving into an ocean of stories and imagination on Sept. 11 during the school’s Family Reading Night, an event designed to inspire a love for literacy.

More than 150 Shull students, parents, and teachers soaked up this month’s aquatic theme of “Dive into Reading” at the first reading night of the school year, with many snacking on gummy sharks as teachers read aquatic-themed books that led families on an adventure across the seven seas.

“Family reading nights like these are meant to encourage the love of reading in our students and to encourage our parents to take an active role in developing literacy outside the classroom,” Shull reading intervention teacher Dr. Mikara Gallegos said. “With continued incredible turnouts and our kids and parents having fun, we strive to make reading an integral part of the Shull Elementary culture.”

Shull Elementary’s Family Reading Nights are part of a larger District effort to foster strong literacy rates. For the last two years, Bonita Unified School District was ranked No. 1 on the California Reading Coalition’s California Reading Report Card.

Additionally, according to spring 2023 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) results – the most recent data available – 72% of Bonita Unified students met or exceeded standards in English language arts (ELA).

During Family Reading Night, several teachers participated in story time, rotating through different books to read aloud in the library. Meanwhile, parents watched as students selected books to read, connected with classmates in a new setting, and took Accelerated Reader (AR) tests. Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, Shull has now made Family Reading Night a monthly feature.

“I had so much fun. I read books on tiger cubs and chameleons and I got 100% on my AR test,” third-grader Camila Pineda said.

Shull Elementary encourages parents to stay connected with their child’s reading progress through the Home Connect email feature, which sends notifications when AR quizzes are completed. Parents can click on a virtual bookshelf to see their child’s quiz results and celebrate their achievements, making it easier to support literacy development at home.

In addition to the monthly reading nights, Shull Elementary holds competitions between classes to see who can read the most words throughout the school year.

“My third grader Camila is actually excited to read because of this event,” said Kiara Gutierrez, Camila’s mother. “Her reading habits have developed so much since we started coming to the Family Reading Nights. Now she is the one who makes sure we bring her.”

PHOTOS:

BUSD_SHULL_READINGNIGHT1: Shull Elementary parents read with their child during Shull’s first Family Reading Night of the school year. Shull Family Reading Nights encourage parents to take an active role in developing their children’s literacy outside of the classroom.

BUSD_SHULL_READINGNIGHT2: Shull Elementary third-grade teacher Amber Peterson reads to more than 150 students at Shull’s first Family Reading Night of the school year. Shull continues to strive to make love of literacy an integral part of school culture.

BUSD_SHULL_READINGNIGHT3: Shull Elementary third-grader Camila Pineda (left) takes an Accelerated Reader (AR) quiz with her mother Kiara Gutierrez. AR allows parents and teachers to monitor students’ literacy development and understanding.