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SeDoMoCha Elementary families will take a trip back in time together with One Book, One School

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Once again in the 2018-19 school year SeDoMoCha Elementary School families will have the opportunity to read together as part of a shared reading experience through the ninth annual One Book, One School program. For about a month through early October students and family members will read and discuss Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House in the Big Woods” and then be able to attend an ending celebration on Thursday, Oct. 4.

Families were introduced to this year’s One Book, One School selection at a program kickoff on Sept. 5 prior to an open house a week into classes. Those who will be reading the book together joined administrators and staff in the multipurpose room to learn more, and they were told their students’ teachers have copies of the novels to hand out later in the evening as well as nightly reading logs to complete.

The shared reading experience is intended to increase literacy awareness within the community and to get families reading together more at home, while creating fun and memorable connections to the school community.

“I am the new principal here at SeDoMoCha, my name is Adam Gudroe and I am here with the Assistant Principal Andrew Shaw,” Gudroe said in introducing himself. “We are excited to be here and for One Book, One School.”

“It is an event to essentially unite our elementary school around a shared reading experience,” Shaw said about the program. “We are all reading the same book at the same time, one big book club.” He said One Book, One School provides an opportunity for parents to read to their children as they may have done when the students were younger.

“You have got fourth-graders who can talk to second-graders, who can talk to kindergarteners,” Shaw said. “In less than one month on Oct. 4 we will be here to wrap up.”

The assistant principal added that all students and teachers, not just those residing in Dover-Foxcroft, are able to sign up for a free card at the Thompson Free Library as library policy was recently amended to open free eligibility to all SeDoMoCha School and Foxcroft Academy pupils. Shaw said Michelle Fagan of the Thompson Free Library was present to assist with sign-ups after the presentation.

“So please take advantage of that and sign up at the local library,” Shaw said.

He said the school funded the books for each family to keep, and the SeDoMoCha School Organization will again be providing the food for the ending event from 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 4 which will include crafts, games and activities in addition to the meal. Shaw said staff decorated the lobby for One Book, One School the previous Friday.

Grade 4 teacher Tom Mowrey constructed a wagon, Shaw said, “We’ve got a wagon that will circulate daily to the classrooms to inspire students because there’s a wagon on the cover and it’s part of the theme.”

The first SeDoMoCha One Book, One School took place in 2011 as students and families read “A Castle in the Attic” by Elizabeth Winthrop and then enjoyed a medieval feast after they finished the novel. A year later “The Indian in the Cupboard” by Lynne Reid Banks was the program selection and the ending evening event featured a Western motif and activities. In 2013 One Book, One School featured E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” and this novel led up to a night at the fair. In the ensuing year the selection was “The Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, with a trip to Emerald City concluding the program. In 2015 families all had a golden ticket with Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

In 2016 the book choice was “The World According to Humphrey” by Betty G. Birney with the ending evening featuring activities based on the book’s classroom hamster protagonist. In 2016 One Book, One School featured the junior novelization of the animated film “Finding Dory” as the SeDoMoCha Elementary community then traveled under the sea with ocean-themed activities. One year ago families found their way through “Lost on a Mountain in Maine” together with the culminating night taking place outside.

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