OLM School Celebrates Reading Week With Creative Activities
During the week of April 9 through April 12, students and staff at Our Lady of Mercy School celebrated a Reading Week that was overflowing with excitement and enthusiasm, thanks to the efforts of OLM Library Teacher Christie Cambio and her committee of teachers and parent volunteers. The group was committed to taking a very creative approach to this year’s celebration by bringing reading to the forefront of each school day with a variety of engaging activities, guest performers and readers. Mother Goose visited Pre-K3 – Kindergarten students; “Piggie and Elephant” from the beloved Mo Willems books performed Readers’ Theater skits; fourth graders performed scenes from Charlotte’s Web and created County Fair games for the third graders to play and finally Huga Tuga entertained the entire school to wrap up the week. Students created their own t-shirts, inspired by their favorite books, to wear to Huga Tuga’s performances. The committee’s energy was contagious as individual teachers joined in the spirit of the week in their classrooms. They invited parents and guests in as mystery readers, created puppets and provided students with the opportunity to act out stories, creating appealing displays of literature and most importantly, made the effort to put reading FIRST.
Mrs. Cambio believes that “setting an appealing scene creates excitement and buzz for any learning experience. Rather than transforming the library, the committee decided to spruce up the rarely used stage in the cafeteria/gym and it proved to be a big success.” She added, “Since all students grades K-8 visit the cafeteria daily, they were amazed to see the stage that had been set for them for “Open Mic/Poetry Slam” opportunities during their lunch periods. There were students as young as Kindergarteners taking the mic, reading aloud to their classmates and peers. On Wednesday, tablecloths and poems adorned the lunch tables, the lights were set low, and music played in the background for a special “Literacy & Lunch” experience.”
Cambio’s favorite quote, “A book is a gift you can open again and again.” G. Keillor – is epitomized in her enthusiasm for her work not just during reading week but throughout the whole school year. In addition to all of the activities during the week, the OLM community, in living out the school’s mission, collected hundreds of books for children and adults to donate to McAuley Village.
With a tradition of excellence in Catholic elementary and middle school education since 1951, Our Lady of Mercy School offers its students an opportunity to pursue excellence in academics, athletics and the arts on their journey as young saints and scholars. Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Pre-K through Grade 8, co-educational Catholic school located in East Greenwich provides a nurturing, values-driven environment built upon the teachings of the Catholic Church.
