We had a special visitor at our FISW Library last week! Khamsa, the reading dog, spent the day enjoying some relaxing reading time with our students in the library.
With the Grade 2/3 class, Khamsa enjoyed hearing some Elephant and Piggie stories as well as talking about the wordless book A Ball for Daisy. She got some good belly rubs while listing to We are Growing!
Grade 1 asked so many good questions about Khamsa! They learned about her special skills and traits. As a Portuguese Water Dog, she loves people, she has hair, not fur (which makes her hypoallergenic), and is a fantastic swimmer with her webbed feet and strong tail.
Khamsa also visited First Steps and Pre-Primary in their classrooms, made her way to the Outdoor Learning Area to greet Grade 3 and Grade 6, and made her rounds to all the Grade 7 students during their English class. She also loved meeting lots of other students, teachers and staff in the hallways. Her day ended with some good snuggles with Grade 8.
Thanks to our Change Makers student group who organised our spirit week, including Pet Day! It made for a great occasion for Khamsa to try out her first visit to the library. We hope that Khamsa will visit the library more often next school year!
Research is growing on the benefits of dogs and pets in schools. Check out this article about some of the positive outcomes of dogs interacting with students in the classroom: Dogs in the Classroom Improve SEL, Cognitive, and Even Reading Skills.
