CAYON, St. Kitts – THE staff and students of Cayon Primary School are inviting the community to join in the festivities as it celebrates its first-ever week of activities.

Held under the theme “Developing positiv  attitudes through reading”, the week will feature myriad events aimed at enhancing the literary capabilities of the school’s students. According to organiser Jocelyn Pinney, the activities are inclusive of the entire student population and would help generate increased community interest in the school’s endeavours.

“We want the children to realise that reading has a lot to offer. They can become more knowledgeable of things going on in the world, and get a better idea of how to behave accordingly in situations,” the Grade Five teacher explained.

The activities kick off today (Nov. 3) with a Reading Comprehension Workshop for parents of kindergarteners to grade two students. Members of the Cayon community will visit the school on Wednesday (Nov. 4) for story-telling exercises with each class.

Students will get a chance to show off their public speaking acumen during Thursday’s (Nov. 5) Elocution Contest. Grades three to four and five to six will pit their poetry skills against each other, with the winners receiving trophies for their efforts.

Activities will conclude with a march through Upper and Lower Cayon on Friday (Nov. 6) in which both students and teachers will dress up as their favourite storybook or television characters.

Pinney expounded on her hopes and goals for the week, and highlighted her intentions to make it an annual event.

“Reading seems to be one of the problems the school has, and this may be evident throughout the entire community. Even though many of our students can read orally, they cannot comprehend and make sense of what they’re saying.

“If we can get parents and the wider community to assist children in their reading and comprehension skills, then both children and staff members will benefit,” Pinney stressed.