The Joy of Reading: Parents as Reading Partners Mornings

Throughout the month of February, our Lower School classrooms buzzed with excitement as we welcomed parents for Parents as Reading Partners Mornings. These special events provided a wonderful opportunity for families to step into their child’s learning environment and experience our dynamic reading curriculum firsthand.
We believe that strong partnerships between parents and educators are essential to student success, and these visits allowed families to see how foundational reading skills are developed, nurtured, and refined at each grade level. By spending 45 minutes immersed in their child’s reading world, parents gained valuable insight into the curriculum, instructional strategies, and the individualized approach our teachers take to meet every student’s unique learning needs.  

A Look Inside the Classrooms  
Each grade level, from Kindergarten through Grade 5, showcased the engaging and research-based reading practices that help students grow as confident, thoughtful readers. Parents were not just observers—they were active participants, reading alongside their children and practicing the same techniques students use daily.  

In the younger grades, parents joined in phonics and early reading lessons, repeating blends, tapping out individual sounds in words, and helping their children apply these skills to independent reading. It was heartwarming to see parents and children working together, celebrating small victories in decoding and comprehension.  

Grade 2 students participated in a mini lesson on similes with their grown-ups relating to their study of the Pinkney author family. They discussed similes used in Sam and the Tigers and wrote their own similes with parents in their Pinkney journals. Then, kids read together with their grownups, practicing Grade 2 reading skills like “scooping” syllables in multisyllabic words, an essential skill for reading longer, more complex texts. 

By Grade 5, students were engaging in higher-level thinking, reading short nonfiction passages with their parents and making meaningful inferences and connections between the text and classroom discussions. These moments highlighted the depth of understanding our students are developing, as well as the thoughtful conversations that drive their learning.  

Strengthening the Home-School Connection  
The Parents as Reading Partners initiative not only reinforces the importance of reading but also strengthens the home-school connection. When parents see the strategies teachers use in the classroom, they are better equipped to support their child’s learning at home. These mornings were filled with enthusiasm, collaboration, and plenty of “aha” moments for both students and parents alike.  

We are grateful to all the families who joined us for this enriching experience, and we look forward to continuing our shared mission of fostering a lifelong love of reading in our students!