Parish Elementary School Celebrates Reading Partnerships

Submitted by the APW School District

March was national People As Reading Partners (PARP) month, a nation-wide initiative designed to encourage reading partnerships while also fortifying the necessary link between home and school in a child’s education. In honor and celebration of the importance of PARP, Parish Elementary School (PES) kicked off the month with a “Book a Trip for Reading Adventure” campaign and hosted a family-focused literacy event.

An annual event at PES, Literacy Night reinforces the enjoyment and academic benefit that an entire family can get from reading together and also provides the school with an opportunity to share with parents some helpful hints and strategies that they can use at home to help their child become successful readers. Some of these strategies include helping a child create pictures in their mind of what they are reading, encouraging a child to ask questions about what they are reading, and asking young readers to make connections between a book they are reading and the world around them. Many of these strategies were incorporated into the variety of educational and reading-based activities at the literacy event. For example, and in keeping with the reading adventure campaign, was the exploration of the heritage, culture and customs of five different countries. At the activity station dedicated to the country Brazil, the students and their parents read about the significance of the rainforest and created liana vines representing the leaves, flowers, butterflies, caterpillars, snakes, and other life indigenous to the region.

Other educational-based highlights from the evening include a visit by an inquisitive monkey named Curious George. Curious George brought with him some of his favorite books to share with the students, a helpful sheet for parents titled “How to Raise a Curious Reader,” and information about how to sign up for a library card at the local library.

Students in attendance were once again able to select a free book to take home courtesy of the Parent Teacher Group and the gymnasium was filled with educational games and a reading nook area was set up for those wishing to enjoy their new book immediately. Providing entertainment for the evening, in an inaugural performance, was the PES fourth grade band.

For more information about People as Reading Partners or the helpful reading hints and strategies that was shared with families at Literacy Night, call Parish Elementary School at 625-5270.

The Dalin family, dad, Dan, along with brother and sister, Bailey and Olivia, play a game of Silly Sentences at the Parish Elementary School Literacy Night. Bailey is a first grade student at Parish Elementary School and was joined by his parents and sister for an evening of literacy-focused activities in celebration of national People As Reading Partners month.

Curious George stopped by the Parish Elementary School Literacy Night and brought with him some of his favorite stories to share with visitors. He is pictured above with Parish Elementary School third grade student Zach Johnson. For his complimentary book, Zach selected the ‘Beware, The Snowman’ book from the series of Goosebumps novels written by R.L. Stine.

Parish Elementary School first grade student Jadyn Allen and her mom Stephanie hold a liana vine that they made together during the school’s recent family literacy event. Indigenous to the rainforest, Jadyn and Stephanie decorated their liana vine with leaves, flowers, butterflies, and caterpillars.

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