Posted by Governor's Office on 14:42:07 01/21/05
NEWS RELEASE
Acting Governor Richard J. Codey
Date: January 21, 2005
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Kelley Heck 609-777-2600
CODEY, FIRST LADY PROMOTE GOVERNOR'S BOOK CLUB
Students Encouraged to Post Book Reviews on Club Website
(WEST ORANGE) Acting Governor Richard J. Codey and First Lady Mary Jo Codey today visited Hazel Avenue School to promote the Governor's Book Club, a monthly statewide reading club for children.
"Reading is the key to learning and is crucial to a child's future success in school and in life," Codey said. "The Governor's Book Club helps every child in New Jersey become a great reader, and I can think of no better person to be my ambassador to the club than our First Lady Mary Jo Codey."
The Acting Governor and First Lady spoke to students in grades kindergarten through 5th about the importance of reading and writing. They also read "The Hat" by Jan Brett, one of the January Book Club selections, to the group.
"We can learn about many new things by reading," the First Lady told the students. "The best way to become a good reader is to read whenever you have free time. So I hope all of you will spend some time reading every day either after school or before you go to bed at night."
The First Lady encouraged students to write book reviews and post them on the Book Club website at www.nj.gov/bookclub. On the website, students can print membership cards, bookmarks and ribbon awards for reading each book. They can also play book-related games and do puzzles and other activities, all of which improve children's literacy skills.
The Governor's Book Club, the first of its kind in the nation, encourages children to develop a love of reading outside the classroom. Currently in its third year, the club's major objectives are to raise awareness of the importance of early literacy, encourage parents to read with their children, and to help young students read for pleasure.
Since September 2002, more than half a million books for children in grades kindergarten through 3rd have been provided to more than 2,000 elementary schools, including private and parochial schools, throughout the state.
As participants in the Governor's Book Club, elementary schools receive three copies of each of four monthly selections. The program is made possible through a partnership with Scholastic Book Clubs and the New Jersey Network Foundation. Several of New Jersey's leading corporations have provided funding for books to be distributed each month. This month's corporate sponsor is Pfizer, a strong supporter of New Jersey's education initiatives.
The monthly book selections are announced on the first Thursday of the month at 6:26 p.m. on NJN.
Each of the children attending Hazel Avenue School, which the Codeys' sons attended, received a copy of the January book selection for their grade level. Clients at the Jewish Vocational Service in East Orange placed labels inside each book commemorating the Codeys' visit.
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Photos and audio and video clips from Acting Governor Codey's public events are available in the Acting Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page, http://www.nj.gov/gov_newsroom.html
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