PARP (Pick A Reading Partner)

Someday, we’ll find it…

“The Reading Connection:

The Readers, The Dreamers, and Me”

Our year-long PARP (Pick A Reading Partner) program, The Reading Connection: The Readers, the Dreamers, and Me will conclude this month with three exciting events:

In celebration of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, PARP and the PTA Legislation Committee will co-host a virtual read-aloud of the book “How Big Are Your Worries Little Bear” on Thursday May 6th at 7 PM with Ms. Michelle Vincent, school social worker at Stewart and Stratford Schools.  The event is open to all students in grades K-5.  Zoom registration information is available on the PARP website.  After the presentation, Ms. Vincent will do a brief craft activity with the children.  We hope you can join us for this calming event! 

Throughout the month of May, all students in grades K-5 are invited to participate in our PARP Book Club!  The Book Club selection for primary students and their reading partners is “The Story of Ferdinand,” and for elementary students it is “Stuart Little.”  Both books have well-loved companion movies, which the children are encouraged to watch after finishing their book.  All participants will be invited to share their responses to their book and movie on Flip Grid.  Stay tuned for more information!

Finally, from Friday May 14th through Friday May 28th, we will hold our traditional PARP Reading Tracking!  All readers in grades K-5 will track their weekly reading minutes, which will be combined with their classmates’ minutes.  This year, we will be tallying reading minutes via Google Forms.  Parents will be emailed a Google Form link at the beginning of the week and forms should be completed each Friday so that the child’s reading minutes can be added to their grade’s weekly total.  Our district-wide goal is to surpass last year’s total of 800,000 minutes read!  At the end of the tracking period there will be a special reward at each school to celebrate our reading successes this year!

Pajama Literacy Night is a favorite PARP tradition that our primary students look forward to each year.  In the past, K-1 students and their parents/guardians were invited to gather at the Middle School to play literacy games and listen to stories read by some of their favorite primary teachers- all while wearing their pajamas!  This year, we have reimagined Pajama Literacy Night to be an at-home family event.  On Tuesday, March 16th, students in all grades are invited to participate in PARP At-home Pajama Literacy Night.  It will be considered a district-wide Family Connect Night, and no homework will be assigned on this night!

Below are ideas and resources that you can incorporate into your Pajama Literacy Night.  Classic board games, such as Scrabble, Boggle, and Bananagrams, are great, or choose any game that your family enjoys.  Many early childhood board games encourage literacy through reading and following directions, sequencing, and cause and effect.  If you want to try something new, we’ve also included printable resources and ideas for virtual literacy activities.  

So put on your coziest pajamas, play a favorite game or try something new, and take some time to read a poem or story aloud.  Most importantly, HAVE FUN together!  It’s going to be a great night! 

Thank you to all students in grades K-5 who opted to participate in our first ever PARP Pen Pals program. We had over 270 participants and kept our neighborhood mail carriers very busy! Students were matched to pen pals in the same grade from different Garden City schools and “connected” by writing and sending handwritten letters to one another. We heard from many students and their families that they truly enjoyed writing to and receiving a letter from a new friend in the mail.