Students from New Horizons Elementary School had reason to celebrate Literacy Month in September with the donation of 335 books for the school’s International Spanish Academy kindergarten through fifth grade classes.
The books, which are all in Spanish, were donated by the school’s PTA with a matching gift from the Jacobs Family Foundation of Wellington.
Spanish language resource teacher Melissa Arcos approached the PTA to invest in books for the kindergarten class, but the organization decided that the need for more Spanish books for the immersive Spanish program was necessary. They asked the Jacobs Family Foundation for a matching grant.
“Our PTA’s goals match those of the foundation,” said Jessica Crow, president of the New Horizons PTA. “By promoting reading with our ISA students, and also language and culture, they will be better citizens in our community.”
The PTA donated $1,200 toward the goal to provide plenty of materials that students in the academy can use for years to come.
New Horizons was the first of the three International Spanish Academy elementary schools in Palm Beach County. Providing the books to promote literacy aligns with the district’s goal of students reading on grade level by third grade and promoting bilingualism.
ABOVE: Melissa Arcos with some of the donated books.
