Staff Report

WELLINGTON, Fla. – Students from New Horizons Elementary School have reason to celebrate this Literacy Month 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 in- vest 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 of Wellington for a grant to match their funds.

“Our PTA’s goals match those of the Foundation,” said Jessica Crow, president of the New Horizons Elementary School PTA. “By promoting reading with our ISA students, they are also language and culture that will be better citizens in our community.”

Initially the plan was to ask for a $600 matching grant from the Foundation, but after seeing the extra push that the Foundation provided, 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 and bi-literacy supports post-graduate success.