Oak Knoll’s Lower School students in kindergarten through second grade traded in their uniforms for their pajamas during an Encanto-themed Family Literacy Night on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Children gathered in the Mother Mary Campion Center for the Performing Arts and dining hall on campus with their parents, and teachers to celebrate literacy.

The night celebrated literacy, family, and the gifts children, their families, and their teachers share with each other. Teachers began the evening by reading aloud two books, “El Don de una Familia: The Gift of Family” by Susana Illera Martinez, and “Antonia’s Amazing Gift” by Naibe Reynoso. “El Don de una Familia” was read in Spanish and English.

Children and their families then journeyed to the dining hall for a fun-filled evening of making crafts that supported the books that were read with their parents. They enjoyed making Maribel’s glasses, a magic candle, and writing and illustrating their own magic book. The children experienced a mindful moment with candle gazing, breathwork, and then holding up their magic candles and acknowledging the unique gifts within themselves, and the gifts of others. They also enjoyed hearing and singing their favorite Encanto songs.

The evening concluded with a raffle where Vincent Rubino, first-grade parent, author, and illustrator, raffled off his original book “Mrs. Wishy-Washy in the Mud.”

“Literacy Night is important for children and their families because as a community we celebrate the importance of reading, writing, speaking, listening, drawing, and all the different ways we communicate with each other,” said Cristina Iribarne, Oak Knoll’s Reading Specialist.

“It is through communicating with others we understand not only characters in books better, but we get to know our friends, members of our families, and others who we may not know so well. Everyone has a story to tell. When we acknowledge and get to know these stories, we grow compassion and kindness,” she said.