Students and staff of Gulf English School (GES) celebrated Reading Month with a number of activities to promote reading, including different reading themes and a “mad hatter's tea party”. Students who read the most from each year group were rewarded with a book token while the class who collectively read the most were given a party.
Events began on the 19th of February when visiting authors Chris White, Saleh Ghareeb and Mohana entertained and inspired the students. Parents were also invited to come to school and join in the fun by reading with their children at the Reading Coffee Mornings.
On 2nd March, students and staff dressed up as a book character and staged a parade of their costumes. The judges compromising Ms Mona El Helbawi, Hind Al Kayed, Ina Gerrard and David Frame had the very difficult task of choosing the best-dressed boy and girl from each year.
Later during the week, a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party was held in the library so that parents could come and read with their children. This event was a huge success, as hundreds of parents came to share a book with some tea and cake with their children.
One of the highlights of the month has been shared reading and stories between the classes. Students from Infants, Juniors and Secondary visited each other to read together or share a story.
GES also commenced the Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) initiative and will continue with this activity throughout the year. This is aimed at encouraging the students to read during the day for five minutes. So, as soon as they hear the music for DEAR, the students will start reading.
