The love of reading is paying off for kindergarten students in the Meridian Public School District. Over 170 MPSD kindergarten students scored 605 or higher on the Star Early Literacy Test and now they get to visit the Wildcat Wagon.

“Today and Monday (February 6), we have the Wildcat Wagon, we are bringing it out to the schools and all of our elementary students who scored 605 or higher on the Star Early Literacy Assessment will get to go on board the bus and pick out a book,” said Shelia Radcliffe, MPSD Pre-K-2nd Grade Early Literacy Coordinator. 

The bus made stops at Crestwood Elementary, Oakland Heights Elementary, and Parkview Elementary. It will visit Poplar Springs, TJ Harris Lower, and West Hills on Monday, Feb. 6 to complete its tour of all the MPSD Elementary Schools.

Radcliffe talked about the district’s mission to promote and support early literacy and the Wildcat Wagon's role in making that possible.

“Meridian Public School District prides themselves on supporting and promoting literacy and the Wildcat Wagon is the tool that helps us do that,” said Radcliffe. “On the bus, we have tons of books, things that they can do, activities that they can do and it’s all around reading.”

Monica Topcik, who teaches Kindergarten at Oakland Heights, had all her students score 605 or higher on the assessment.

“We read every day, that’s important,” said Monica Topcik, Kindergarten Teacher at Oakland Heights Elementary. “I read to them, we choral read, we echo read, then they read independently to me and to each other. They have to be engaged with text. Every day we’re engaged with text, that’s the most important thing — see the word, hear the word, read the words, and bring meaning to the text. That’s what we do every day to instill the love of reading.”

The Meridian Public School District’s Wildcat Wagon will complete its stop by every MPSD elementary school on Monday, February 6, 2023.