Drop everything and read

Beginning February 1, MPA will kick off a campus‑wide tradition designed to build stronger readers and a stronger community: Drop Everything and Read.

Twice a day — ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the afternoon — our entire campus will pause, settle in, and read silently. Everyone on campus will join in. When the announcement comes on, we will truly drop everything and open a book that interests us. We are looking forward to this time to read for pleasure.

This simple routine creates a calm moment in the day, helps students grow their vocabulary and confidence, and shows that reading is something we value together. For our newcomers, it’s also a safe, low‑pressure way to build language skills while seeing adults model the joy of reading.

Whether it’s a graphic novel, a chapter book, a news article, or a bilingual text, every choice counts. What matters most is that for those twenty minutes, the whole MPA family is reading.

At MPA, we don’t just talk about the importance of literacy — we practice it, every day, side by side.

📚 Tips to motivate students to read

• 🌟 Offer choice – Let students pick books that match their interests.

• 🎮 Gamify reading – Incorporate family challenges or friendly competitions.

• 🗣️ Model reading – Let children and teens see you reading.

• 🌍 Connect to Real Life – Allow students to choose texts that reflect their culture or hobbies.

• 🤝 Family recommendations – Encourage students to share book reviews or “book talks.”

• 🎨 Make It Creative – Pair reading with art, movies or family outings.

• 🕒 Set Aside Time – Provide daily independent reading moments at home.

• 🎉 Celebrate Progress – Recognize milestones with praise or other incentives.

• 📱 Use Technology – Try e-books, audiobooks, or reading apps for variety.