TURNER AND BELSHAW elementary schools were part of Jumpstart's Read for the Record, an international campaign to bring children and grownups together and to read the same book on the same day in communities all over the world.

Julia Surges, Dallas Butterfield, Jordan Hoyle and Nick Novero from Antioch High School participated in this year's reading day, held Oct. 8. The quartet, along with Principal Louie Rocha, visited both Antioch schools.

At Belshaw, they read to the kindergarten students of Debbie Chin, while Antioch Mayor Jim Davis read to Kathy Farrell's kindergartners. "It's always nice when somebody new comes to the class," Chin said. "The kids were interested and engaged. It was a perk."

Jumpstart's Web site states: "We know that reading aloud with children lays the groundwork for strong literacy skills and future success in school and in life." Last year, 700,000 readers shared the classic children's tale "Corduroy." This year's selected reading was Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." For information on the program, visit www.readfortherecord.com.

PIONEER HAPPENINGS: I hadn't heard from Pioneer Elementary recently, and now I know why — it's been busy. Last month, the Brentwood school held its sixth annual spaghetti feed, a night for family socializing.

Kudos went out

Shortly after that delightful dinner, the school held its Beautification Day with great success. Held on a Saturday, students, families and staff gathered to plant many flowers, plants and trees, thanks to the donations of Ace Hardware, Lowe's and Perez Nursery and Landscaping.

WORD UP: Antioch Rotary recently made a big impact on local elementary schools with a donation of dictionaries. As part of the club's local literacy focus, members handed out more than 700 books to seven Antioch schools: Belshaw, Carmen Dragon, Fremont, Kimball, Marsh, Mission and Turner.

Rotary members Dan Garcia, Lindy Willie and Christine O'Brien spearheaded the project. Club president Allen Payton said the group hopes to expand it to all third-graders in Antioch next year. The purchase of the full-color, illustrated books was made possible thanks to the Rotary's annual spring golf tournament.

This is the sixth year Belshaw has received the dictionaries, and Principal Bill Bolio said the students are always excited. "Many of them have never had a (dictionary) of their own. It's very special."

One parent called to thank Belshaw and ask about the dictionaries. She said her son was taken with the gift and had been "reading it for over a half hour."

According to its Web site, the Rotary has a little more than 1 million members in more than 30,000 clubs. The main objective of Rotary is service in the community and workplace. For more information about the club or to help, visit www.antiochrotaryclub.org.

TIP-TOP TEACHERS: The Brentwood Unified School District recently hosted an award reception for its finest teachers. Held at Excelsior Middle School, those honored were Erika Parlog and Julie Clarke from Discovery Bay Elementary, Jonnie Silman from Timber Point Elementary and Stacie Maslen from Excelsior, the district's Teacher of the Year.

TIP-TOP STUDENTS: Discovery Bay's Timber Point Elementary named its students of the month for September. They are: Hannah Vreeland, Alex Rizo, Marvin Gutierrez, Kayla Brown, Shilpa Sharma, Isabel Dunkin, Xiamara Hernandez-Leypon, Adrianna Martins, Michaela Paolini, Trinity Torgersen, Taylor Gray and Cade Talmadge.

TREAT NIGHT: Iron House Elementary hosts its fourth annual Harvest Carnival from 5:30-8 p.m. today. The event features plenty of games, including ring toss, fear factor, mummy wrap and a sucker tree, in addition to foods like pizza and cake.

The Oakley school, at 4801 Frank Hengel Way, will also have two giant slides and a jumper. Admission is free, and games are 50 cents. For more information, call 925-625-6825.

BANK SHOT: Belshaw Elementary was pleasantly surprised with a recent $1,000 donation from Wells Fargo bank. The local branch wanted to help area students, and the Antioch school benefited. The school will use the money to buy books for its Accelerated Readers program, which encourages reading and rewards top performers with prizes and awards.

THE NEXT MILESTONE: Antioch Unified School District is letting eighth-graders know it's time to think about high school. Specifically, the district's Pathway Programs, which include Dozier-Libbey Medical High School, Delta Academy for the Performing Arts, Deer Valley Law Academy and Antioch High's new Engineering and Design Academy.

This year, the district has 600 students participating in these programs. According to AUSD, the curriculum at these Pathway Programs prepares students for "success in college and careers. The career theme will be integrated throughout most subject areas."

The schools include hands-on, project-based instructional activities. The programs also feature some job shadowing, guest-speaker presentations, guided study tours of industry facilities and colleges and internships based on area of study. There will be options to earn college credit and, in some pathways, to pursue certificate programs.

Applications are available during parent orientations, at middle schools and at www.antioch.k12.ca.us. They are due Dec. 11. Students will be chosen by random lottery drawing. A parent or guardian must attend one orientation meeting for each academy you are applying to, as a requirement of the application process.

School Bell is compiled by Trine Gallegos. If you have news you'd like to share in the column, e-mail her at trineg@att.net. You can also reach Judith Prieve at jprieve@bayareanewsgroup.com.