Reading Takes Center Stage at Kensington Parkwood’s Literacy Day

Literacy Day is an annual event at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School, designed to celebrate the joy of reading in all students. The event was organized and coordinated by reading specialist Merna Fam.

The day included an opening assembly, Joe Ramano’s “Dreams and Magic.” Each grade level designed their own block activity, which included:

• creating their own comic strips, characters or posters.
• a “Book Tasting” to share their favorite books, complete with red and white gingham tablecloths and bookmark-making.
• a “Book Walk” to see sidewalk posters enticing readers to choose their next read.

Other fun parts of the day included “Paws and Pages,” where students took turns reading to a therapy dog. During “Camp Out and Read,” students bring towels or blankets and enjoy quiet time reading in a tent or canopy outside. Some chose to camp out in the gym on cushions with flashlights! 

The final part of Literacy Day is based on the popular TV show, “The Masked Singer.” Staff members, including Principal Candace Ross, Assistant Principal Jessica Moon, administrative secretary, counselors and others donned inflatable dinosaur, unicorn, penguin, bunny and other costumes and read stories to the students. Their faces were not visible and their voices were masked. Students had to guess who was in the costumes. Videos and clues were shared leading up to a school assembly, where their identities were revealed to enthusiastic cheers. Classrooms voted and the classroom with the most correct votes won an ice cream party!