To the editor:
Attending a recent Parent-Teacher Organization meeting
at West Parish School, I was impressed with the level of parental
involvement and the quality of educational experiences offered to
students here.
About 40 parents and teachers attended the meeting led
by PTO president Lisa Groleau and Principal Jean Perry, which featured a
visit from Mayor Carolyn Kirk.
I was reminded again of what a great school community this is.
West Parish is bustling with interactive enrichment programs offered through the PTO and library volunteers.
A reading contest with prizes is in progress, for
example, organized by Sherri Lewis. Kids fill out a slip for each book
they read and stuff slips in a special collection box. Sherri daily
posts results and it's fun to see the kids study the rosters to see
where they stand in the competition.
A book swap is also underway, organized by Tricia Reed
using donated books. Kids can take a book for each one they bring in or
can buy books for a quarter each. Teachers also have vouchers they can
hand out to students, good for one free book.
All 411 students get to choose one to keep. They pore
over the bin selections sorted by genre and reading level. Older
students thoughtfully choose books for their K-1 reading buddies or
younger siblings at home.
These kids are engaged readers. They seem to love their
school library, which the volunteers keep open for them every day — up
to 20 hours a week. The volunteers also display seasonal titles and have
special exhibits and readings for Authors of the Week and Classics of
the Month, based on authors' birthdays.
Upcoming events include authoring workshops for student
authors, scheduled for March. Student and class books will be barcoded
and cataloged as part of the regular library collection. Poetry Month
(April) will feature poetry readings by teachers and students in the
library, and students doing morning announcements will read short poems
over the PA.
Also this spring, classes can see an interactive slide
show on the History of the Book, which traces changes in books and
printing in historical context from the earliest writing to the present
day. Optional related projects include paper making, writing on clay or
wax tablets, writing scrolls, marbling paper, laying out pages,
printing, binding, and designing covers.
There's more. Kindergarteners recently participated in
the Stone Soup classroom theater production, based on the folktale about
community sharing, performed by Lara Lepionka and Emily Cox. And soon
students will be sprouting vegetable and flower seedlings on their
classroom windowsills for transplanting to the school garden.
Students will learn about soil and worms and plant life
cycles, and will spread compost, weed, and mulch. As in the past,
volunteer families will water and tend the garden over the summer, and
in the fall students will enjoy the fruits: a harvest festival,
vegetable appreciation tastings, sunflower fun, and a visit to Beacon
Street Farm.
I'm grateful to have had a chance to contribute to the enrichment program, and bit by bit, it all pays off.
I see a lot of excitement at West Parish among the kids
about being in school and about doing challenging work, reading, and
relating what we learn to where we live. I also see a dedicated and
talented teaching staff.
I'm glad my grandchildren attend and that the community
has been so supportive of our efforts to not just think the best, but
to do the best we can — for them.
MARY ELLEN LEPIONKA
Hammond Street, Gloucester
