Stop, Drop and Read at Altmar Elementary School

by Submitted article | December 26, 2011 8:30 am

Snuggled in their pajamas and reading a book above are Altmar Elementary School (AES) students Anna Middleton (left), Madison Carusone (middle), and Katherine Tanner. Students at AES were invited to wear their pajamas to school on the Friday before the Christmas holiday for a day of activities that focused on reading and literacy.
Snuggled in their pajamas and reading a book above are Altmar Elementary School (AES) students Anna Middleton (left), Madison Carusone (middle), and Katherine Tanner. Students at AES were invited to wear their pajamas to school on the Friday before the Christmas holiday for a day of activities that focused on reading and literacy.

A good book and a fuzzy pair of pajamas are two things that belong together, much like cookies and milk or peanut butter and jelly. At Altmar Elementary School (AES) in the Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Central School District the pairing of pajamas and books made for a great way to spend the last day of school before the Christmas holiday.

Students from pre-kindergarten through grade four, along with all AES faculty, were invited to wear their pajamas and grab a good book for a school day that was filled with literacy-focused activities including several instances where Santa’s sleigh bells signaled the students to stop what they were doing, put down what they were working on and read silently. “Stop, drop, and read” turned reading into a fun game and got the students excited about books. AES Principal Dee Penoyer kicked off the first “stop, drop and read” of the day by sharing one of her favorite Christmas books, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, with the entire school. Subsequent “stop, drop and reads” took place every hour and each lasted about 15 minutes in length.

The Altmar Parent Group joined in on the day’s activities by delivering homemade Christmas cookies and milk to each class.

Culminating the pajama day was a community gathering in the gymnasium where parents were invited to share in the celebration. Student volunteers recapped some of the news making headlines, another student volunteer shared the five-day weather forecast and then the entire group, students, teachers and guests, sang Christmas carols. Making a surprise visit during the community gathering was Jolly Saint Nick himself, who stopped by to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.

Students in Mrs. Lynne Harper and Mr. Brad Beck’s fourth grade class at Altmar Elementary School are pictured above participating in a spider web activity during morning meeting. Student Alexis Cook is pictured above rolling a ball of yarn to a classmate after she greeted him with a “good morning” and gave him a nice compliment about how he always smiles and listens to what the teacher says. The greeting/compliment activity continues and the ball of yarn is passed from one student to the next until all students have had an opportunity to participate. The result is a web of yarn linking each student to one another. This activity took place on the last day of school before the Christmas break and the students were invited to wear their pajamas and bring a reading snuggle buddy to school.
Students in Mrs. Lynne Harper and Mr. Brad Beck’s fourth grade class at Altmar Elementary School are pictured above participating in a spider web activity during morning meeting. Student Alexis Cook is pictured above rolling a ball of yarn to a classmate after she greeted him with a “good morning” and gave him a nice compliment about how he always smiles and listens to what the teacher says. The greeting/compliment activity continues and the ball of yarn is passed from one student to the next until all students have had an opportunity to participate. The result is a web of yarn linking each student to one another. This activity took place on the last day of school before the Christmas break and the students were invited to wear their pajamas and bring a reading snuggle buddy to school.
Altmar Elementary School fourth grade student Kali Parsons reads a book from the A to Z Mystery series with her snuggle buddy Minnie Mouse during a “stop, drop and read” activity at her school.
Altmar Elementary School fourth grade student Kali Parsons reads a book from the A to Z Mystery series with her snuggle buddy Minnie Mouse during a “stop, drop and read” activity at her school.

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