Fire Captain Joe Viramontez shows a Capri third grader how to use his new dictionary.

Campbell Celebrates the Love of Learning with Dictionaries FEBRUARY 12, 2009—Today, more than 860 third graders will receive a special Valentine�s Day gift: personal dictionaries. During the district�s third annual �Love of Learning� Dictionary Day, third graders across Campbell Union School District will receive English and Bilingual dictionaries of their very own. Research shows that third grade is the crucial time to capture and focus excitement and curiosity about words and language. With more vocabulary, research shows, students are more likely to engage in discussion regarding higher education and more likely to want to attend college. With Dictionary Day, Campbell Union School District, with the Assistance League and other partners, reaches out to children early to promote a love for words and learning and foster a college-going culture among students. Dictionary Day presenters included Superintendent Johanna VanderMolen, Campbell Councilman Don Furtado, San Jose Councilman Pete Constant, Assistance League President Susan Schneider, California Dictionary Project President Elizabeth Rhein and many other professionals from the community. The volunteers wear items from their college alma maters as they lead activities with the students to demonstrate how to use dictionaries to look up interesting words. To make a donation or to participate in Dictionary Day in Campbell Union School District, contact Blesilda Ilano-Tenorio at btenorio@campbellusd.org or 408-364-4200 ext. 6458. From preschool to eighth grade, Campbell Union School District's teachers focus on high academic standards and achievement for every student.  More than 7,300 students attend our 12 award-winning schools, which serve the communities of Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, San Jose, Santa Clara, and Saratoga. In addition to traditional educational programs, our district offers a parent participation school, a dual language immersion school and home schooling. ###