Students at New Visions School were introduced to a variety of animals as part of its Parents As Reading Partners (PARP) program kickoff event.
The event began with New Visions students speaking and reading with a group of children in Madagascar through a live Skype video call. Animal educator Erik Callender, who has authored the book titled Madagascar Live and visited New Visions for its PARP kickoff last year, was in Madagascar with the children and led a read-along on the Skype call. Animal ranger Eric Powers led the call on New Visions' side, and afterward brought out animals including a turtle, snake and iguana to speak to students about different species.
The animals' visit was directly in line with the school's PARP theme this year, "Wild About Reading," and each floor of New Visions is decorated to reflect a particular facet of the theme; the first floor is jungle-themed, the second floor is sea-themed, and the third floor is rainforest-themed.
PARP is designed to teach students the importance of reading, and the kickoff event served as a fun and educational way to encourage their participation in the program.