Budget Woes Put Trip to Get Prize in Doubt
At its annual convention in Toronto next month, the International Reading Assn. will present an award to Will Rogers Elementary School. Unfortunately, there may be no one from the school in Toronto to receive it.
“The district said it’s impossible to send us,” said principal Juli Di Chiro, laughing at the irony. Di Chiro and teacher Maureen Bradford, who helped implement the reading program being lauded, each need about $1,000 for the trip.
The school received an award from the Delaware-based association for excelling in teaching reading and writing.
Will Rogers Elementary was chosen as the school with the best reading program in California. Di Chiro said the school’s “whole language” program is the reason that students do so well.
In the program, students read a story, write about it, discuss it, and practice listening skills by talking with teachers and each other.
“We’re still trying to scrape the money together to go,” Di Chiro said.
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