Pulaski Students and Staff Share the 'Wonder' in 2015

Photos courtesy of Riverhead Central School District

As the fifth and sixth grade students at the Pulaski Street School returned to school on Monday, Jan. 5, they passed through a waterfall of blue and white streamers to see a Pulaski Wonder World.

The entrance marked the official building wide kick off to the read-aloud of ’Wonder’ by RJ Palacios during the month of January.

‘Wonder’ is the fictional story of August Pullman, a 10-year-old with a very different-looking face—the result of a chromosomal abnormality and an illness—and his personal journey from homeschooling to his entry into private school now that he’s entering fifth grade.

R.J. Palacio is the pen name for first-time author Raquel Jaramillo, a book jacket designer in New York City.

She launched an anti-bullying campaign called Choose Kind in connection with her book for National Bullying Prevention Month.

In the spirit of the book’s message and in addition to participating in the reading of ‘Wonder’, everyone in the building is also being encouraged to make a resolution for the New Year—and to make a “Pledge to Choose Kind”.

The precepts shared in the book ‘Wonder’ have been posted throughout the building and will serve as a guiding theme to this emphasis on kindness throughout the New Year.

Literacy Coach Amy Brennan sent this message to the faculty and staff at Pulaski, “I love how so many of your are embracing this campaign and coming up with so many creative ways to carry out this campaign, especially those connected to helping our students make a difference in their world, guiding our students to study about something and then take social action that makes a real world difference is so powerful.”

All members of faculty and staff received copies of the book to read, so everyone in the building shared a common language with the students around this book and it’s theme.

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