Stories are at the very core of what we do at Great Hearts Irving. While great stories certainly delight us, they offer much more than simple diversion. Stories teach us about the world: about the way things are, the people that live in it, and the consequences of the choices we make. Stories take the stuff of the everyday world we inhabit and imbue it with meaning, destiny, and transcendence, transforming our imaginations and making them able to see the True, the Good, and the Beautiful not just in the imaginary worlds of the stories, but in the real world they imitate.
On Friday, October 25, the Lower School will host our fifth annual Storybook Festival in celebration of our shared love of stories and the worlds of wonder and beauty to be found between the covers of a good book. Each grade level has a unique schedule of events planned, but we will all spend the day listening to, reading, and participating in activities drawn from some of the best children’s stories.
October 25th is an early-release Friday; drop off and pick up will not be affected by Storybook Festival.
Hallway Decorations
Have you ever stepped through the wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia? Visited Wonderland? How about the Land of Oz? Every year for Storybook Festival, our amazing parents help us decorate each of our grade-level hallways to give the day an extra dose of magic for our students.
We’re looking for teams of parent volunteers to take each grade level’s traditional literary theme and run with it! We have some basic supplies available at school (staplers, tape, butcher paper etc.) as well as some decorations saved from years past. We may also have some funding available to purchase additional decorations. Please sign up if you’d like to be on the team of decorators for your child’s grade level.
Sign Up to Help Decorate the Halls
Costumes
For Storybook Festival, students are allowed to come to school dressed as their favorite character from works of classic children’s literature, such as our list of Classics to Keep. Since students will be wearing the costumes during the school day, there are a number of guidelines that we will ask you to follow. Click here for detailed instructions on what is and is not permissible to wear.
Little Sibling Story Corner
Calling 3- and 4-year-old siblings! Every year, as part of Storybook Festival, younger brothers and sisters of current Lower School scholars are invited to school for a story hour just their own hosted by our Reading Interventionist, Mrs. Morey. Special storybook read aloud and more await!
While we wish we had room for everyone, Little Sibling Story Corner has a limited capacity and is on a first come, first serve basis. Please do not select more than two spots per family. Those who sign up will receive additional details of when to arrive and meet in the library. Space is limited for this exclusive event, so act quickly. We hope to see you there!
Food Permission Slips
During the day, our classrooms will be visited by a special guest and served a themed snack. If you have not returned your child’s annual food permission slip, be sure to sign and return that before Storybook Festival so your child can participate. We understand that things like this sometimes get lost on the way home, so you can also download and print from the link below.
Students with dietary restrictions may bring an alternate snack.
For questions about Storybook Festival, please reach out to Charles.Brogan@greatheartstxschools.org.
