John M. King Pancakes, Pyjamas and Picture Books

On February 1, the students at John M. King School kicked off I Love to Read month with some special guests. Chris Scholl from DNA Rhythms and Jamie Oliviero a storyteller and arts-in-education specialist had the entire school participate in telling a story through music and movement. 

Students were engaged and had fun creating a story using their bodies as percussion instruments. Chris and Jamie will continue to work with classrooms in the coming months building upon oral language and cultural rhythms.   

On Thursday, February 2, the staff at John M. King School held their first annual Pancakes, Pyjamas and Picture Books to celebrate I Love to Read month.

Students were encouraged to bring their families and friends to begin the morning with a delicious pancake breakfast. After breakfast, families were invited into the gym, which had been set up as a comfy reading nook for the children to share or listen to stories with their family, or a community member. Many members of the community came to help with the event and share some of their favourite stories with the students. 

A special thank you goes to Trustee Dante Aviso, Constable Garnie, Constable Dale for helping to make this event a success. Each student received a bookmark and book prizes were drawn for students to take home and keep for their personal library. Books were provided through the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. John M. King School is in their third and final year of the Indigo Love of Reading Grant.  

“A book is a gift you can open again and again,” Garrison Keillor.

The celebrations will continue throughout the month with upcoming guest readers that include Lisa Naylor the MLA for Wolseley, Mark & Dilly from Hot 100.5, WPS Constables and many more. 

Classrooms will participate in a variety of activities throughout the month that include book bingo, book trivia and more. 

“We want to continue to foster an environment where students love to read,” says Principal Mrs. Karagiannis Bell.