The Lower School was buzzing with excitement during the week leading up to spring break. It was no ordinary week—it was the highly anticipated Book Fair Week, culminating in the beloved Beasley tradition of Reading, Writing, and Running, Too! Day. Parents and students alike were treated to a delightful picnic lunch before settling into classrooms where the young students showcased their reading and writing skills.
First-graders transformed into mini-teachers imparting their knowledge of the «Fundations» program to their parents. They showed them how to «mark up» words, construct sentences, circle trick words, and scoop sentences. Meanwhile, the Junior Kindergarteners and their parents listened to a riveting tale about rain before illustrating and writing their own books about the start of spring.
As part of their poetry unit, fourth graders collaborated with families and classmates to write Haikus, create Found Poems, and even enjoyed a few rounds of Boggle! Everyone was encouraged to flex their creative muscles by writing cinquains, limericks, sonnets, and free verse poems, using a gamified approach for topic choices such as «What’s That Smell?», «The Invisible Dinosaur in my Shower,» «Uncle Ebert’s Red, Red Nose,» and «Recess Woes.» The result? A hilarious and enjoyable afternoon filled with laughter and learning.
In third grade, parents enjoyed reading final drafts of student-created informational books before launching into interview sessions with questions like, «If someone wrote a book about YOU, what would the title be? Where is your favorite place to read? What do you do when you don’t understand something you’re reading?»
After the reading and writing session, the students were pumped up and ready to head to the McDonnell Athletic Center (The MAC) for the «running» portion of the day. Lower School P.E. Teacher Jim Lohr said, «It was the first time since 2019 that we could have parents join us for the gym activities. It was so awesome to welcome our families back to this event.»
Fun, exercise, and teamwork were at the core of the experience. Students sprang into action with the time-tested favorite, the Pizza Box relay, and other relays with beach ball croquet, fishing, tacos, and giant cup stacking.
What a great day of community, learning, and fun!