Each year, National Read Across America Day is celebrated on March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. The day is designed to encourage reading and is fostered in schools all over America.
In celebration of the day, Marietta Primary and Elementary Schools hosted a Dr. Seuss reding night in the school cafeteria.
The event featured pizza, games, and door prizes for students and parents, along with other family-friendly activities promoting reading.
“We always encourage parents to be involved in their children’s education,” said Elementary Principal Dana McMillin, “and this was a great way to have a parent involvement night to correspond with Dr. Seuss Week and Read Across America.”
To begin the evening, students were fed pizza and had the opportunity to play on the playground under the supervision of their teachers, most of whom were dressed in their Dr. Seuss finest.
Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, parents heard from representatives from the Oklahoma Parents Center, a state and federally funded center that provides services to families, children and schools at no cost. OPC reps shared parenting strategies and techniques, as well as information about the services they can provide.
Later on, parents and students came together in the hallways of the classroom buildings to participate in reading activities that were set up by grade level. In celebration of Dr. Seuss Week, students and parents learned about the Dr. Seuss Reading Challenge, a sort of fun scavenger hunt of reading where students are asked to read in different environments. Other activities included Dr. Seuss Mad Libs, Green Eggs and Ham Rhyming, Sight Word Hop Skotch, and many others.
“Reading is the most important skill children learn,” said Primary Principal Ann Rutledge. “Statistics show that students who read just 14 minutes per day make accelerated gains, but they also show that more than half of American children don’t get enough daily practice.
“With this literacy night, we want to emphasize to parents that the role they play in developing their children’s reading skills is vital.”
A full parking lot illustrated the event’s success, and teachers were grateful.
“This gives us the opportunity to bring parents to school so they can see the types of activities we use to help their children learn,” said fifth-grade teacher Shari Hallum, “but even more importantly, it gives our students an opportunity to have some fun, family time reading together.”