NORTH BATTLEFORD — The annual Pages in the Park, pop-up literacy event continues in the Light of Christ Catholic Schools communities.
The free program runs on school playgrounds from July 8 to Aug. 2, daily from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
For North Battleford families, on Mondays, they will be at Notre Dame School while on Tuesdays they are located at St Mary’s School.
On July 10 and 24, the summer literacy activity will be Rivier, and July 17 and 31, it will be located at St. Peter’s. Thursdays at Holy Family School and Fridays at École Monseigneur Blaise Morand (EMBM).
Children will develop a love of reading, writing, and exploration, maintaining those skills while school is not in session.
Literacy kits are available for families to spur children’s creativity and curiosity.
The experienced and skilled staff strive to provide a safe and supportive environment for children to learn, grow, and make new friends.
“The Ministry of Education in Saskatchewan funds our literacy camps and we have a small, but dedicated team within our school division who bring this programming to fruition in our area,” says Lorrieann Frohlich, from the Light of Christ Schools.
The initial literacy camp purpose was to support school-aged children to sustain and improve their reading and writing skills.”
Frolich also acknowledges that, like many other organizations, when COVID first impacted our communities they had to be innovative and look for ways to create safe, rich and engaging learning opportunities for kids - so Pages in the Park Pop Up Tents was born.
Pages in the Park is a free come-and-go literacy camp where kids and their families can enjoy time together reading, playing and getting involved in all the learning activities camp leaders provide.
“We have always hired teachers and educational assistants to plan and deliver our camps to ensure kids have a great experience. Everyone is welcome and we have worked to expand our reach in as many ways as we can.
“For example, in the past, our program rotated between our school playgrounds but was only available in North Battleford. This year, we are visiting Unity and Spiritwood each twice over the duration of our camp,” adds the LOCCSD program facilitator.
Light of Christ Schools has also created a partnership with the Lakeland Library Region and Battlefords Trade and Education Centre to expand their community connections. Their camp leaders have also started to find ways to include maths, science, art and other activities for participants to get their hands and minds going.
Kids always leave with free books they choose and with smiles.
“Countless hours go into planning and executing this event - ordering thousands of books, planning for the summer days, and reaching out to our partners, but it is worth all the time and energy to hear the family testimonials; which have been some of our best feedback. Families love the come-and-go style because it fits into their summer plans, and all aged kids are welcome.”
Pages in the Park organizers and facilitators say that recently, more and more businesses have lent their support and this program is so grateful for it.
For more information about Pages in the Park Pop-Up Tents, visit the LOCCSD website, the Pages in the Park Pop-Up Tents Facebook page, or call the division office. Or, just watch for the visible blue tents on your community playgrounds and drop in to experience it for yourself 9:30-12:30 a.m.
