Glen Cove schools celebrate reading week

Joan Beset, chair of Glen Cove Beautification, held a trash picker in one hand, and a bucket in the other hand while explaining to first-graders at Deasy Elementary School that keeping the environment safe and clean is important to wildlife.
“There’s all sorts of terrible danger to animals from the plastic and other debris” Beset said, referring to the plastic that holds together a six-pack of soda cans. “If you don’t cut them apart animals put their head inside and then they grow around that and then as they get bigger and bigger their necks get stuck on them.”
The presentation comes at the close of Pick a Rearing Partner week, held at the four elementary schools within the Glen Cove School District — Connolly, Landing, Deasy, and Gribbin.
Themed “March Madness” and generously sponsored by the PTA, this week-long celebration, organized by the district-wide PARP committee, aimed to ignite a passion for reading among students. As part of this initiative, the read-a-thon is currently underway, with students encouraged to collectively read 40,000 minutes across each building.
Throughout the PARP period, students were treated to activities designed to promote literacy. Highlights of the PARP festivities included celebrated guest author and illustrator, John Sazaklis, known for his contributions to over 100 children’s books, including the beloved Ben 10 series. He engaged students with his inspiring presence at Landing and Connolly Schools.

At Deasy School, renowned children’s author Alyssa Satin Capucilli captivated students with readings from her acclaimed Biscuit series, offering insights into the world of book creation. 
Gribbin School was delighted to welcome Claudia Marra, a teacher within the district who also happens to be the author of heartwarming children’s books.
Beset later mentioned that often children develop habits in their early years that set the precedent for their lifestyle as adults. Teaching children how to take care of the environment and foster a love of reading when they’re young will help instill a belief system that is good for the environment and good for their future.
“The earlier you learn about anything, the better it is for society in general,” she said. “I always compare recycling to the anti-smoking campaign, and look how few people smoke these days. “
Susan Poulos, the district’s coordinator of social studies, said the program is part of the district-wide initiative to help encourage each student to become better global citizens.
“This is so important for our students to learn because they have to learn how to give back and protect our Earth,” Poulos explained. “So being a good citizen, and helping our students give back and take care of our earth and others is really at the heart of the social studies curriculum.”