Rotary earns kudos for gifting dictionaries to elementary schools The goal of the dictionary project is to assist students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers and resourceful learners by giving them a personal dictionary.

The Rotary Club of Brentwood (California, US — D 5160) helped third-graders in the Knightsen Elementary School District begin the school year with new dictionaries.

Rotary distributed 1,600 dictionaries to all 16 elementary schools in the Knightsen, Brentwood and Oakley school districts as part of a long tradition of promoting literacy.

And for over 20 years, the members have kept this tradition going strong.

As the dictionaries are distributed, teams of four Rotary members speak to the students about the importance of helping others in the community.
Rotarian Jennifer Fink led the team that distributed the dictionaries this year.

“It is a really fun thing to do,” said Fink.

“The students get so excited when we present the dictionaries, and then we have them look up a word. I like for the students to look up ‘service,’ because they can connect that word to what the Rotary is all about.”

Leanne Sarmento, Knightsen Elementary principal, said she was grateful for Rotary’s ongoing support to the students and the school.

“We appreciate the encouragement and mentoring Rotary provides with their ‘service above self’ motto,” said Sarmento.

The goal of the dictionary programme is to assist students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers and resourceful learners by providing them with a personal dictionary.

The dictionaries are a gift to each student to use at school and at home.

Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn, according to the Rotary Foundation website.

Source: The Press