Reading, Writing, and Running, Too! Day in the Lower School isn’t just any other day; it’s an eagerly awaited Beasley tradition that sets the stage for celebrating literature, creativity, and camaraderie. Lower Schoolers look forward to this day when they showcase all the hard work they’ve completed in their reading and writing skills and cap it off with fun and games in the gym. To add to the fun, it was also Scholastic Book Fair Week, with festive dress-up days and many opportunities to shop for new reads.
The festivities kicked off with a delightful picnic lunch, where families enjoyed each others’ company before immersing themselves in the classrooms to learn about their students’ reading and writing projects.
In classrooms buzzing with enthusiasm, Lower School Teacher Jen Van Dyken shared, “Fourth-grade parents and students kicked things off with a game of Boggle, then wrote Haikus and Found Poems, which, shortly after, were shared with the group via a fancy microphone. They also played a rousing round of the fast-paced spelling game Sparkle.”
In third grade, with the help of Lower School Coordinator of Instructional Technology Robyn Williams, students prepared early in the week. They learned how to interview themselves about their reading habits using WeVideo. Then on Reading, Writing, and Running, Too! Day, students used WeVideo again to interview their parents about their reading habits. Students and family members then collaborated to create videos highlighting their commonalities and differences, expressing their unique creativity through slides and music.
After exploring the world of reading and writing with each other, it was time to shift gears for the “running” portion of the day. Led by Lower School P.E. Teachers Jim Lohr and Susan Orlando, families eagerly descended upon the McDonnell Athletic Center, ready to unleash their last-day-before-spring-break energy.
Orlando shared, “Fun, exercise, and teamwork were at the core of the experience. Students sprang into action with the classic Pizza Box relay, the Bobsled relay, the Fishing relay, the Duck relay, and a March Madness cup stacking relay. We even had a “trip” to spring training featuring Big Hotdogs, Cardinal Jerseys, and Fredbird, the St. Louis Cardinals mascot. This event is always a fun day for the students and their parents and a great send-off for spring break!”
Thank you to all who contributed and joined in this festive celebration of community and learning.