March was PARP (Parents as Reading Partners/Pick A Reading Partner) month at Camden Elementary School. PARP is celebrated by schools across the state. It is an annual celebration of literacy created by the New York State PTA that challenges students and families to build reading habits together at home, in hopes of fostering lifelong learning and a stronger grasp of language. Schools can choose their own time of year and length of participation in this initiative.
This year’s month-long observance at CES featured a unique twist, as Poetry was the theme of the month for a school-wide celebration. Interventionist Coordinator Kailee Petrie felt the choice of theme was an easy one this year because of the benefits a poetry study can provide.
“We chose poetry because it is something that we do not always have time for in our school day,” Petrie said. “We also chose this route because repeated readings of poetry, or any text, can help build fluency!”
Throughout the month, students learned about various types of poems such as limericks or haikus, and were encouraged to read and write poetry at home and school. Select students had their opportunity to perform their work on camera for the community to see.
The PTO has also been holding a Read-A-Thon to raise funds. Students have been soliciting sponsorship to read a defined number of pages, and the students who read the most will receive a shopping spree to an upcoming book fair.
Adding to the fun was the renewal of the “Masked Reader” video series, which featured six CES Staff members reading behind various costume masks in a similar vein to a popular television show. The videos helped students engage further with the medium as they listened carefully to see if they could guess who from the CES community was reading each poem. Those videos are linked below if you'd like to see them again!
The month culminated with a poetry celebration on Friday, March 28th. Selected students who brought in poems they wrote were invited to spray silly string at Principal Craig Ferretti and Assistant Principal Amanda Mitchell in front of a school-wide audience. The Masked Readers were also revealed to be the following staff members in a special unveiling.
Unicorn: Taylor Mulvaney
Gorilla: Michelle Williams
Grumpy Cat: Craig Ferretti
Polar Bear: Nicole Poulin
Turkey: Erin Yager
Deer: Kayla Davis
This was all done in the name of school-wide reading engagement, and Petrie believes the ingredients were there to help students unlock a love of reading and writing poetry for the long term.
"I hope that the students were able to explore and enjoy different types of poetry," Petrie said. "We had so many students bring in the poetry they wrote which was so enjoyable to read!"
Thank you to our staff and families for making this PARP month one to remember! We’re looking forward to next year!