Children in grades one through four at Mt. Laurel’s elementary schools can read for the chance to ride a firetruck to school.
Kids in Mt. Laurel will once again have their annual chance to stay “fired up” during their winter break.
Mt. Laurel Fire Department and the Mt. Laurel Library have announced the 10th year of their “Get Fired-Up for Literacy” program.
Each year, the program encourages students in grades one through four throughout Mt. Laurel Schools’ elementary buildings to keep their academic skills sharp during their winter break by reading as much as they can.
In past years, contest officials have pointed out that holding the contest during students’ winter break attracts a large number of entrants, as students have less time off during their winter break than they do for their summer break, and the students are less likely to go on vacation during winter break or spend as much of their time outside.
And rather than count the number of books a student can read, the contest is based on the total number of minutes a student spends with their nose in a book during their break.
In turn, the one student from each grade who reads the most minutes at the end of the contest will be selected as a winner.
Then, from those four winners at each school, one student will be randomly selected as the grade prize winner and will get the honor of receiving a ride to school one day on a fire truck.
In addition, all students who read a minimum of 60 minutes during their break will receive a certificate to honor their achievement.
“As a way to promote reading, the Mt. Laurel Fire Department and the Mt. Laurel Library are excited to announce the 10th year of the Get Fired Up for Literacy program,” said James Moyer of the fire department.
This year’s Get Fired-Up for Literacy contest runs from Friday, Dec. 21 through Friday, Jan. 4.
To enter the contest and to keep track of how many minutes students have read, students can get an official reading log form on the Mt. Laurel Schools’ website at http://www.mtlaurelschools.org/Parents/Get-Fired-Up-For-Literacy/.
The form will ask students for their name, school, grade, age and phone number.
Then, students can use blank spaces on the sheet to list the books they read during their winter break and the number of minutes spent reading each title.
While officials have said in past years that students are allowed to choose any book they’d like to read for the contest, many participants select books that are actually above their current reading levels.
For students who participate in the contest, reading logs must be returned to their school by Friday, Jan. 4.
Once all reading logs have been collected, winners of the contest will be announced in early January and the grand prize winners will have their ride to school on a fire truck arranged shortly after.
Participants are also asked to note that grand prize winners from previous years are not eligible for the grand prize in this year’s contest.
Those will questions are asked contact Moyer at the Mt. Laurel Fire Department at (856) 234–6053 Ext. 5050.
