Celebrating International Literacy Day on the First Day of School

Today is International Literacy Day which celebrates the power of literacy and its role in creating opportunity, equity and a more informed society.

“It’s especially fitting that International Literacy Day falls on the first day of school – a day when students in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin Island begin a new year of learning, growing and discovering the power of reading and writing,” said Bruce Bourget, CEO of the Rainbow District School Board.

He added: “Reading and writing provide the foundation for all learning as students progress in school. That’s why it’s so important to develop strong literacy skills at a young age.”

Rainbow District School Board invites parents/guardians to read to their children daily to support their learning in school. “Model a love of reading for your child,” said CEO Bourget. “When they see you read, they will want to read too.”

Role models for reading can include parents/guardians, older siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbours and friends. “International Literacy Day reminds us that when the school and the home work together to support student success, children thrive,” he said.

Literacy and Numeracy is one of six priorities in the Rainbow District School Board’s Strategic Directions.

There’s still time to register for school. Learn more by contacting the Rainbow School nearest you. For a directory of schools, visit rainbowschools.ca.

Rainbow District School Board is the largest school board in Northern Ontario with 29 elementary school buildings and 9 secondary school buildings in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin.

The Board also offers other programs – Applied Behaviour Analysis program, Attendance Centre, Cecil Facer School, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Program, Children’s Treatment Centre, Frank Flowers School, N’Swakamok Anishnawbek Kinomaadwin School, Mishko-Ode-Wendam, Northern Support Initiative, O’Connor Park, Restart, Step Up Step Down, and Barrydowne College operating at Cambrian College.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.