Nishuane School continued its literacy outreach project, Pennies for Pages, in which students read and raised funds for the Montclair Public Library. Every book read by a student during this initiative, in school and at home, earned one penny to donate towards the library.
Pennies for Pages began on Dr. Seuss’ birthday during Read Across America Week in February. The students took part in different activities that showcased a love of books and sparked an interest in reading. To celebrate Dr. Seuss during kick-off week, students wore their pajamas to school (
I Am NOT Going to Get Up Today), completed a random act of kindness (
Horton Hears a Who!), wore their clothes inside out, backwards, or mismatched (
Wacky Wednesday), dressed as their favorite Dr. Seuss character, and wore silly socks (
Fox in Socks).
Throughout the month of March, students participated in a “Book Swap.” Children brought in books from home, which were then organized into categories such as grade level, nonfiction, chapter books, etc. The students were able to “swap” their book with a different book from another Nishuane student. Many students were able to read and enjoy “new” books.
In April, Nishuane School had a visit from Ariel Bernstein, author of the series Warren and Dragon, who shared a chapter from one of her books. She taught the students about the different categories of characters and how she creates her story characters. The students then got to create and enact their own story characters. They also participated in a school-wide “Read-In.” Classes were paired together to read and discuss books on Autism. Each student earned a penny towards their classroom jar.
To reveal how much money the students earned for the Montclair Public Library, Nishuane had a Pennies for Pages Celebration on May 23. Students listened to a story read aloud by Lisa Sedita, the Youth Services Supervisor for the Montclair Public Library. Nishuane then presented Sedita with a check for $570.54. The students read a total of 57,054 books! “Through this initiative, the students imagined, invented, studied, laughed, enjoyed, and learned,” said Principal Jill McLaughlin. “Nishuane School was thrilled to partner with the Montclair Public Library to instill a love for reading in children.”