Are you familiar with reading a book and suddenly finding yourself traveling through an alternative world with unfamiliar characters? Well, elementary students in Port Washington are. The Port Washington Union Free School District’s five elementary schools—South Salem, John J. Daly, John P. Sousa, Manorhaven and Guggenheim—recently launched a Read-A-Thon, an initiative to fundraise while promoting student literacy.
Students enrolled in the district’s Elementary Virtual Learning Platform (EVLP), a fully virtual learning environment, grabbed their favorite books and were responsible for logging the number of minutes spent reading. In exchange for the students’ time spent reading, local sponsors, family and community members, made generous donations as a means to encourage the students to read. The end result was an opportunity for the students to raise money without taking time away from their learning. The initiative was paired with a reward system, serving as motivation, where the top fundraiser in each grade level was rewarded with a virtual donut breakfast in the company of the district’s five elementary principals. Congratulations to kindergartener Victoria Collins (1,640 minutes), first grader Kyla D’Arrigo (1,840 minutes), second grader Terrance Smetana (910 minutes), third grader Veronika Collins (1,625 minutes), fourth grader Cole Marro (2,725 minutes) and fifth grader Alexa D’Arrigo (2,530 minutes).
Collectively, Port’s EVLP raised a total of $3,360.16 which will be applied towards supplies for enriching activities throughout the program. This initiative is one of the many innovative ways the Port Washington Union Free School District aims to instill positive habits and a love for literacy and learning among its students, regardless of the learning environment.
For more information about the Port Washington Union Free School District, visit the district’s website at www.portnet.org and like their Facebook page: @PortWashSchools.
—Submitted by the Port Washington Union Free School District
