Children of all ages who love to read can
celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday with puppet shows, crafts, a photo booth,
cupcakes and free books! The University of Texas at Arlington Chemistry and
Physics Building, 700 Planetarium Place, is the place to be on Saturday, March
2, 9 a.m. to noon.
Dr. Seuss’ Birthday: Blaze through Reading is part of the National Education
Association’s annual Read Across America initiative to encourage children to
read. A presidential proclamation kicked off the campaign at the Library of
Congress, and 45 million children are expected to participate nationwide. The
Arlington event is a collaboration between the Arlington Public Library, UTA’s
Freshmen Leaders on Campus and UTA Volunteers.
Arlington is one of 124 communities nationwide
working with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading to ensure that our students
are reading on grade level by the end of third grade. If students are not
reading on their grade level by this time, it becomes increasingly more
difficult for them to catch up and be ready for the higher grades.
Programs such as Dr. Seuss’ birthday are
created to bring awareness to families about the importance of reading together
and to inspire children to be better readers.
Cary Siegfried, Director of Libraries for the
City of Arlington says, “While schools play a huge role in teaching students to
read, they can’t do it alone. Our Campaign for Grade Level Reading initiative
brings together the schools, local government agencies, business leaders,
faith-based groups and others to work together to achieve our reading goal.”
Citizens interested in helping achieve some of
the goals of the campaign may consult the Library’s website, www.arlingtonlibrary.org to find ways to assist.
But in the meantime, bring the whole family on
Saturday and join in the fun. Silly hats are welcome!
For more information, call the Leadership
Center at 817-272-9220 or Freshmen Leaders on Campus at 817-272-2293. (Dr. Seuss art illustration at top by artist Donald
Dusinberre)
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