Waverly Park Elementary School students celebrated Pick A Reading Partner Week from Feb. 1-8. This year’s PARP theme, “It Makes Sense to Read,” connected the five senses to literacy and encouraged students to pick up a book and read in a variety of ways. 

To kick off the program, students gathered in the gymnasium for a literacy pep rally. The Lynbrook South Middle School select chorus made a special guest appearance and performed for the students. Waverly Park students also participated in a poetry assembly with author Darren Sardelli.

Among the many special activities during the week, students in grades 1-5 created bookmarks, participated in a book tasting and contributed to a PARP graffiti wall in the school lobby. Here, students wrote the book titles of what they were reading. 
 
The PARP program brought together the community in a big way as students received visits from Waverly Park alumni, staff members and community members who served as guest readers. Among the guest readers were board members and central administrators such as Superintendent of Schools Dr. Melissa Burak, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Dr. Gerard Beleckas and Assistant Superintendent for Personnel, Transportation & Student Support Services Maureen Berman.
 
In addition, Waverly Park students from all grade levels visited the Lynbrook Kindergarten Center to share their love of reading with the kindergartners. To end the exciting week, the school community gathered for a PARP wRAP Up. Prior to the presentation, students were encouraged to perform an original rap or parody about reading which they posted on FlipGrid, a video discussion platform. The winners of the contest performed for the school on Feb. 8.