San Angelo READS! Joins Atmos Energy for First-Grade Book Giveaway

Atmos Energy, San Angelo READS! And first-grade students at Lamar Elementary celebrated literacy and the love of reading with a book giveaway and a read aloud of "Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao” by Kat Zhang last week. On October 2, every first-grade student in San Angelo ISD received a copy of the book, generously provided by Atmos Energy. 

In celebration of the giveaway, Rochel Blakemore, Atmos Energy public affairs manager, read the book to first graders in Lamar’s library. “I encourage kids to read all the time and all kinds of books,” said Mrs. Blakemore. “You can travel through books, you can pretend through books, you can learn through books. So, I just encourage them to really enjoy it, to not think of it as something they have to do but something they want to do."

In the book, Amy Wu loves making bao – a type of steamed bun – with her family but she gets frustrated that her bao always seem to turn out wrong. They are never “perfect” like the bao her father, mother or grandmother make. She has an idea and modifies the bao-making process so she can create bao that are perfect for her. She cuts the dough into smaller pieces so it is easier for her smaller hands to fill and shape the bao. After steaming and eating both her “perfect” and not-so-perfect bao, she realizes that they taste the same.

“Reading is fundamental to a child's development as it builds crucial language skills, enhances vocabulary and fosters comprehension,” said Brooke Kalnbach, SAISD director of curriculum and instruction. “All of these are vital for academic success. By reading to our learners, we hope to develop a greater love of reading, to encourage lifelong learning.”

We would like to thank our friends and supporters of public education Atmos Energy for their generous gift of books for our first graders. “At Atmos Energy, we have a strong belief that reading grade level by third grade means everything for the future of these children,” said Mrs. Blakemore. “It is a true honor to be able to help the communities that we are in, and to participate in the future of these kiddos.”

For more information on how to join San Angelo ISD in championing literacy, email us at communications@saisd.org. To stay up-to-date on San Angelo ISD, please visit the SAISD website at www.saisd.org and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and X. Keep Reading, San Angelo! #SAISDReads #SanAngeloREADS

San Angelo READS!

The San Angelo Reads! community-wide literacy initiative was founded by the District in 2020 to promote and encourage reading and the SAISD future-ready learner profile attributes among SAISD students and the greater San Angelo community. The goal of the literacy initiative is to increase awareness of the importance of literacy and to inspire a love for reading. This exciting initiative is driven by statistics which show how vitally important literacy is to providing all students with the opportunities to succeed at a young age. Children and teenagers who read for pleasure on a daily or weekly basis score better on reading and writing tests than infrequent or non-readers.

SAISD kicked off San Angelo READS! on December 9, 2020 with the first annual San Angelo Reads! Day, a day when literacy was celebrated at every SAISD elementary campus with literacy fun like read-ins, unveiling book vending machines and a gift of a book to all SAISD 3rd graders compliments of the San Angelo Area Foundation. SAISD is focused on building literacy skills that create students who are prepared for future successes, inside and outside the classroom and beyond their time in our hallways.