Reading Program

We made it!

We read

386,509 minutes

Thanks to all who participated in this year’s reading program. We met and surpassed our goal of reading 300,000 minutes over the course of 28 days in February and March. Our total was 386,509 minutes, which took us to 1970. The wildebeest bravely flew his time machine TARDIS through the turbule Wildebeest in Time Machine nt years beginning with 1958. Our timeline is looking great with events large and small submitted by students.

The Lower School had an assembly to celebrate our accomplishment. We had a presentation and then danced the time away to hit tunes from the 50’s and 60’s. We also celebrated an early Loving Day (June 12) with Loving cakes in multi-colored layers in honor of Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving and all who shared their struggle for a more just world.

And don’t stop reading just because we’ve stopped counting – it is still a great way to learn about and enjoy life.

2018 Reading Program:

Loving Reading

Inspired by our summer reading about Mildred and Richard Loving and their fight to marry legally and live in Virginia, we planned a journey though time fueled by present day reading. For 28 days, from February 5 to March 4, Lower School and Middle School students and faculty kept track of the time they spent reading outside of the school day. Each one minute we read equaled fifteen minutes of time travel on a timeline that went from 1958 (when the Lovings got married), to 1967 (when the Supreme Court made interracial marriage legal throughout the United States). The wildebeest flew his machine along a timeline in the library to show our progress. Materials went home with PK-2^nd grade, who then brought their slips in each Monday, and 3 – 8^th grade logged their minutes on a poster in their classroom (LS) or advisory (MS).

-- Week Four bonus -- Do something kind for someone, and/or tell us about something kind that someone did for you. Write it down or draw a picture about it and send it in with your slip, bring it to the Library or email elizt@ssfs.org and earn a 60 minute bonus.

Need inspiration for an act of kindness? Here is a link to a checklist of kindnesses.

-- Week Three bonus --
Tell us about a person or organization that has made the world more fair or just and you can earn an extra hour. You can include this with your reading slip, or bring it to the Library, or email elizt@ssfs.org

-- Week Two bonus -- Send someone a loving message on a postcard and earn an extra 60 minutes!

-- Week One bonus --
Post a photo of you with a favorite read. You can see other pictures there, too

-- Lost your Reading Slips?
Click here to download new Reading Slips (to document your minutes)

-- What is the Reading Program?
Each year, the SSFS Library designs a program to promote and celebrate reading, where LS and MS students and staff keep track of all out-of-school reading for a month. Through the magic of imagination, we turn these minutes of reading into something fun and interesting that also has a community service aspect.