Earlier this week students from Stewart Valley School presented to the Chinook School Board with ideas that they have used to engage students in literacy.

Some of the ideas that the Stewart Valley School presented to the board was their reading cafe, where students share in front of the school, writing notebooks for the students to write all of their ideas in, and also have a writing anthology where the school can showcase the best works from the students.

Brad Robinson, is the principal of the Stewart Valley School and said that he thinks due to only having 36 students they are able to have their students share in a comfortable environment.

"I think with our size it caters to engaging kids in a way that they are able to share," he said. "Sometimes when you have a bigger setting I think sharing can be a bit too large and kids feel like it's not a place to be. In our school, we are involved in writing daily. Our kids write many different forms and themes and I think having an opportunity to share on a monthly basis for the whole school allows them to kind of get the feeling of confidence."

He added that he feels that in bigger centres kid lose the ability to share with a whole school there are just too many people to share with.

Robinson said that their writing anthologies are really what he is proud of and was excited to share with the school board.

"With our writing anthology that our SCC has put together it really shows and kind of highlights the great things that are going in our school," he said. "I just want to continue doing writing cafe's so that kids have an opportunity to share as much as they can."

Kathy Robson, the curriculum coordinator for Chinook School Division, said that they have been seeing all of their schools showing creative and unique ideas on getting their students engaged in literacy like the Stewart Valley School.

"I would say all of our schools have done a really great job since we've been focusing on writing for the past two years," she said. "We've seen a lot of really creative ideas in our schools around celebrating writing and promoting writing with students."

Ideas like author visits where students get to meet an author and ask questions, writing displays, poetry cafe's where students can share writing with parents, and family writing events are just some of the ideas that Robson said she has seen in schools.

Robson said that one of the great things about having schools come in and present is that it gives the school board a chance to pass on some of the things one school is doing to other schools.

"One of the great things about sharing with the board at the board meetings is then the ideas are publicized throughout the division and all the schools get to see what everyone is doing and they get to share some of those great ideas," she said. "Once a school sees what another school is doing then they think 'Hey that would be a great idea. Let's try that with our community'. I think by sharing them at the board meeting they are able to be shared throughout the division."

Robson added that these creative ideas they have seen more engagement with literacy and that it is making a positive impact.