UPPER CANADA DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

June 25, 2024 (Perth, ON) – The Queen Elizabeth Public School (QES) has been awarded $15,000 through Indigo’s Literacy Fund Grant, which aims to enhance reading resources and advance literacy at the school.

The school has called the initiative The Literacy Enrichment Project: Bridging Worlds Through Books.

QES will receive the grant in $5,000 installments over the next three years, which will go towards purchasing new books and resources, create partnerships within the community and expand access to high interest books at all reading levels in both English and French.

“We have been doing extremely well with the Science of Reading to help improve reading comprehension,” said QES Principal Claire Snider. “This grant will move us forward on student feedback we received through Amplify sessions to focus on literacy, where we plan to form a committee on this next school year.”

The Student Voice Committee at QES is dedicated to making sure that all students feel included in its learning resources and say it’s not just about reading words; it’s about all students seeing themselves in the stories.

“At QES, we are so proud of the work we have been doing to support our students in developing the foundational literacy skills needed for accurate, fluent reading,” Snider said. “This grant goes beyond books. It helps provide a passageway for our students to engage with authentic issues and develop a greater appreciation for diverse perspectives through the written word.”

QES met key criteria when applying for the grant; receiving at least 80 per cent of their funding from the provincial government, serving elementary students in Grades K-8 and exhibiting a strong commitment to literacy.

“We are so excited to work with our students, staff, and community to build a library collection that represents and reflects the diverse world in which we live,” Snider added.

“I want to read books about different people and their lives,” said Grade 6 student, and Student Voice Committee member Noor Chakr Ellah. “I think these kinds of books can impact my community and help people appreciate diversity.”

For media inquiries, please contact:   

April Scott-Clarke
Manager of Communications
Upper Canada District School Board
[email protected]