"One Read"

Parish readers are amazing! Every year we have a "Hillcrest One Read." Jake Drake, Bully Buster by Andrew Clements was this year's pick. This book is not only a fun to read series, but the subject (bullying) makes for some great discussion. Eighty four...yes, 84 first and second graders and twenty six faculty and staff signed up for this after school meeting/celebration. Students and teachers had about three weeks to read the book, and we met in the library at the end of the school day this Wednesday. After stowing the backpacks away, we headed to the gym for "Bully Buster Cake." Next, two teachers teamed up with small groups of seven or eight readers to enjoy book related activities and to talk about the book. There was some excellent and enlightening discussion in these groups! We all met up in the library to end the afternoon with an unforgettable "Super Bully" performance co-starring two of our most talented friends from the Midway campus assisted by our amazing lower school counselor. I LOVED this celebration of reading, the excitement leading up to the event, the laughter, and the learning. I LOVED hearing teachers say to each other at the end of that l...o...n...g day, "I like doing this. It's fun!"

One Read-Aloud

Ask anyone in kindergarten, first grade, or second grade about the book that they are listening to at read aloud time in their classrooms, and you'll hear all about a little boy's quest to rescue a baby dragon from Wild Island. Everybody's reading My Father's Dragon, the 1949 Newbery Honor Book written by Ruth Stiles Gannett. Having a common read-aloud at the beginning of the school year is really a fun way to build excitement and encourage conversation about reading. Does anyone know how chewing gum, toothpaste, and hair ribbons helped the boy get closer to the dragon? How could the boy use SIX magnifying glasses? Be sure to ask a Panther reader!

One Read

Parish readers proved that books have the power to bring people together. NINETY FIVE first and second graders and twenty nine teachers and staff signed up to read and stay after school to talk about 7 X 9 = Trouble! by Claudia Mills. The meeting and celebration began on the playground with an ice cream cone similar to the ones that the book's characters enjoyed. Loads of book talk, fun, and reflection took place in small group breakouts.

We gathered together in the library with one of our extremely talented and beloved Parish seniors for a fantastic storytelling.












We unveiled an incredible new reading poster created by one of our amazing eight graders that will hang in our library.
The afternoon ended with a very special video created by author, Claudia Mills, just for our Parish readers. She congratulated them on their reading and gave them some of the background for writing this book. She also described the upcoming sequel.

Books have the power to bring people together. A community of readers and thinkers...that's what we are!

"One Read"

Our third annual "Hillcrest Reads One Book" is underway! This year's title is 7 X 9 = Trouble! by Claudia Mills. All first and second graders are invited to join the fun. We'll meet from 3:15 - 4:30 on Wednesday, April 28. Last year's book club had over 70 students and 25 faculty. I'm hoping that we're even bigger this year! We'll snack, meet in small groups to talk about the book, and celebrate our community of readers. The library will have several copies of our book, but they are also available for purchase at Barnes and Noble. Sign up in the library, and happy reading!