On Saturday, April 29th, a group of RNESU educators, parents, students, board members, and community members gathered for a day of reading and connection at the Neshobe School Library. The ‘Stories Matter’ event was a celebration of children’s literature as well as an interactive workshop about the power of representation across diverse social experiences.
The event was also an opportunity for the community to read, review, and rate over seventy books that were nominated for RNESU classroom book bundles. The book bundles will ultimately become a meaningful tool for teachers to promote social-emotional learning and transferable skill-building in classrooms across the SU. Each bundle will be designed around a specific grade-level theme, from “What is a Community?” to “I am Special, and So Are You!” Once the books are chosen, a committee of educators will come together to co-construct accompanying materials for each one, including writing prompts and art extension activities. All interested teachers will have access to training and coaching to support their use of the book bundles.
Funding for this initiative is made possible through a mini-grant from the Vermont Superintendents Association, the Vermont School Board Association, and the Vermont Principals Association.
