PARP Brings Flower Hill
Community Together
The Flower Hill community is known for its tight school-home connection, but this year's Parents as Reading Parents program made for an ever closer bond between the two essential components in a students' education.
PARP is a statewide PTA literacy initiative. Flower Hill embraced the program for two weeks. Families were encouraged to "Read around the World" and to "let a book take you on a journey."
"The goal was to have the children read for a minimum of 15 minutes a day and work together with classmates to exceed last year's total amount of school reading minutes," said Maureen Starr, who coordinated the program with fellow Flower Hill parent Bianca Beck. "Not an easy feat!"
Flower Hill youngsters were given PARP packets to take home, including a "boarding pass" reading log, activity calendar, at-home activity and "question of the day" worksheets, a sign-up sheet to participate in the third grade story hour fundraiser, as well as a sign-up sheet for an adult to come into the class and be a "mystery reader."
Organizers worked hard to keep a high level of excitement among participants throughout the program's two-week run. The youngsters received a globe key chain and teachers were supplied with reading wrist bands to acknowledge the extra efforts of their students.
The Flower Hill reading campaign incorporated a variety of theme-based activities to encourage students to read and be enthusiastic about PARP. "We had a school-wide book swap, take home travel word searches, run-read relays in gym class, guest mystery readers and more," Mrs. Starr said. "The students were encouraged to read because they knew that if they achieved their goal, they would be recognized with a reward."
The more individual students read the greater chance they had of winning a raffle prize at the end of the program. Principal Marlon Small and Flower Hill teachers also instituted grade level and school-wide rewards.
Two PARP highlights at the school included a third grade story hour that benefitted the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Suffolk and a family activity at the Huntington Public Library on Main Street in Huntington village.
The story hour was coordinated by teacher Tracey McManus. It raised over $200 for Make-A-Wish and featured 38 third graders visiting classrooms and reading to Flower Hill students on all grade levels.
On a Saturday afternoon during PARP's two week run, students, parents and teachers gathered at the Huntington Public Library for two hours and engaged in the "Passport to Reading: Navigating Your Local Library" scavenger hunt. Students filled out a "passport" that required a drawing of themselves. The passports included questions and clues about different sections of the library. Once the children found that section and answered the question, they received a stamp. By completing the scavenger hunt and filling out the passport they earned extra reading minutes.
"The event had a wonderful turnout and not only did the children have a great time, but they learned more about their local library," Mrs. Starr said. "We are so appreciative of the support and enthusiasm the library provided for us."
PARP concluded at Flower Hill with a general assembly where grade level results were announced and raffle prizes were awarded. The prizes consisted of bags of books, including many volumes donated by teacher Jim Lauter.
"The students are always so excited to hear the results of their hard work and this year was no exception," Mrs. Starr said. "Their enthusiasm for the program was clearly heard at the assembly with cheers and applause for all they accomplished. We know the students of Flower Hill are a group of special, hardworking children, but this year they out did themselves. Not only did our students exceed last year's total number of reading minutes, but they did so with leaps and bounds!"
Flower Hill students read for a total of 123,767 minutes or the equivalent of 2,063 hours, a 55 percent over last year. "This program was a success not just because the students worked hard, which of course they did, but because everyone came together to support their efforts: family members, Mr. Small, our teachers and support staff, the PTA and its volunteers, and our local community library," Mrs. Starr said. "Thank you to everyone who supported this effort!"