In addition to signs about the Welcoming Schools efforts at Lowell, some books including “The Great Big Book of Families” and “Jacob’s New Dress” were set out on a table at the picnic. Mindy Trudell, social worker at Lowell and a Welcoming Schools facilitator, also offered rainbow-colored sprinkles to those getting a dish of ice cream at a station next to the Welcoming Schools display.
Sunny McDaniel, who was attending the picnic with her husband, Sam, and their first-grade daughter, Lulu, appreciated the Welcoming Schools display — although she would have liked even more literature examples.
Madison has long tolerated disastrous reading results, despite spending nearly $20,000 per student.