RODDICKTON, N.L. — STEPHEN ROBERTS
THE NORTHERN PEN
RODDICKTON-BIDE ARM, N.L. — The K-12 school in Roddickton-Bide Arm is getting help to grow its library from Coles book store in Corner Brook.
Cloud River Academy is participating in the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation’s Adopt a School program, from Sept. 14 to Oct. 6, It has been “adopted” by Coles Corner Brook Plaza, which will fundraise on its behalf.
Contributions through the program will be vital in restoring the school’s library collection for its 175 students.
The school’s participation in the program comes after it started to rebuild its defunct library last year. Its collectionmconsisted of outdated, low-interest texts, most of which were discarded.
“Our goal is to make our library a flexible, active space where students actively engage in their learning,” the school wrote in its entry to Indigo Love of Reading.
Alicia Power, a Grade 1 teacher at Cloud River Academy, said it is important to expand the library to promote literacy at the school.
"For my grade ones, some of them might not know all the words but they’re making up their own stories and they’re using their imagination. They’re learning new words, they’re talking about it and they’re having conversations with their friends about books,” she told The Northern Pen. “So we feel here reading is very important. Having more books in our library for the kids to choose from is very important.”
There are two ways people can contribute.
Donations can be made at the Coles book store in Corner Brook and online until Oct. 6. The school will receive the total raised on a gift card from Chapters Indigo that will allow it to receive 30 per cent off any book purchased from the store.
Cash donations can be made to Cloud River Academy at loveofreading.org/school/1377
A Chapters Indigo online registry is also hosting 50 books the school hopes to add to its library collection.
Anyone can visit the registry and select books to donate to the school. For every book donated, Coles in Corner Brook Plaza will donate a second copy of that book to the school.
To find the registry, visit https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/list/find and type “Cloud River Academy” into the search engine.
On Sept. 20, the Kindergarten to Grade 6 students also hosted a read-a-thon fundraiser in the afternoon, seeking donations from parents, family and friends.
Power says older students can also join.
Student names will be placed in a draw for two $10 gift prizes, from Chapters Indigo, for each age group.
