First-graders at Nightingale Elementary School are getting a head start in their reading skills.

The Hesparian Masonic Lodge No. 264 of Santa Maria donated reading materials to 120 first-grade students at the school through the Operation Outreach-USA program.

The program gives books to children, lesson plans to teachers and guides to parents to help further student interest in reading. Funds are donated by hundreds of businesses, foundations, civic groups and individuals throughout the country, according to the Operation Outreach-USA Web site.

Each child receives two books, one to use in class and the other to read at home. The books range across a variety of interesting subjects, such as animals and the environment.

The Masonic Lodge has been participating in the program for six years, said Chairman Norman Enoch.

Enoch said the first-grade teachers are enthusiastic about the program, noting the member who got the lodge involved in the program was a former teacher.

He said the Masons have received cards and pictures expressing the children's appreciation for the books.

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The cards thanked the Masons for helping the students to become better readers, Enoch said.

First-grade teacher April Hearst received her program materials Nov. 20.

Her students will be reading “Jonathan Jasper Jeremy Jones” and “The Lost and Found Puppy.”

She said the program is really beneficial to students who have a limited supply of books at home, and the topics cater to the students' interest. “The themes are centered on pets and animals,” she said. “That's a hot topic for the first grade. For them, the books are a wonderful gift.”

Kimberlina Rocha can be reached at krocha@santamariatimes.com.

Nov. 27, 2006