By By Lisa Tindell- news editor
Brewton City Schools and Escambia County Schools won't be teaching students Oct. 20. Instead, they will be teaching parents as both systems hold annual Parenting Day activities.
Magaline Marshall, parental involvement coordinator for the Escambia County School system, said each school in the system will be observing the day in a variety of ways with plenty of activities and information for parents.
Marshall said although the day is set aside primarily for parents, this year's theme is one that will include more than just a mother or father.
Marshall said events throughout the systems will help to strengthen many areas for schools, parents and students.
Brewton Elementary School will be offering parents opportunities to learn more about special programs at the school, Principal Saundra Ellis said.
Ellis said those special sessions will allow parents to learn more about the program that will allow them to be better prepared to help their child.
Parent/teacher conference times can be scheduled through the Brewton Elementary School office or with teachers directly. Conferences will be held at the school from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
W.S. Neal Elementary School will teachers and staff will host a variety of learning opportunities for parents throughout the day.
Parent/teacher conferences will be held in the afternoon beginning at 3 p.m. Conferences will be held in 10 minute sessions until 6 p.m.
Other activities planned at W.S. Neal Elementary include a Scott Foresman Reading Workshop at 9:15 a.m.; Smartboard Training/STI Assessment Training at 10 a.m.; Data Review for parents and continuous improvement plan at 11:15 a.m.; and a school website demonstration at 1 p.m.
From 2 to 3 p.m., a variety of classes will be used for meetings and informational session for all interested parents. Topics covered will include demonstrations in the school's computer lab; a review of Dibels assessment; a make-n-take workshop opportunity; booklets and fliers; and discussion and review of ARMT/Stanford 10 test scores. The day will conclude with an open house from 3 to 6 p.m.
Pollard-McCall Junior High School will open their facility to parents beginning at 8 a.m. The school's Title 1 parent center will be open from 8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and will house a continuous presentation on the school's improvement plan. Pamphlets and free materials will also be made available at the center. Beginning at 9 a.m., a special education process overview will be presented followed by a 10:30 a.m. presentation of Project M.A.D.E. Sessions will resume at 1:30 p.m. with a presentation on dental education opportunity. Sessions also being held in the 1:30 p.m. slot include curriculum and assessment data workshop and the reopening of the Title 1 parent center. Parent/teacher conferences will be held from 3 to 6 p.m.
W.S. Neal Middle School will also be presenting opportunity for parents with a variety of discussions and presentations. Among presentations scheduled are an informational meeting concerning the federal guidelines for Title 1 and other programs at 9 a.m.; a presentation by Larry Smith addressing being drug free, computer safety and violence in school beginning at 10 a.m.; a presentation on the Scott Foresman Reading Workshop at 11 a.m.; with a discussion on interpreting state test results at 1 p.m. Parent/teacher conferences will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Brewton Middle School will also be recognizing the day with parent contact opportunities throughout the day. Parents and guardians are invited to schedule conferences with individual teachers. These one-on-one conferences will last about 20 minutes and will afford an opportunity to communicate with teachers about specific subject areas. Conference times are available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Target conferences will also be available from 2 to 6 p.m. This time is set aside for grade-level meetings with parents of students who are struggling academically.
W.S. Neal High School has scheduled parent/teacher conferences as well as information and learning opportunities for parents. Beginning at 8 a.m. a presentation on drug abuse and juvenile probation will be presented by John Robert Fountain followed by a discussion on suicide signs and preventions with a representative of the Mental Health Association. At 10:30 a.m., Administrators will lead a discussion on school improvement reviews as well as pride surveys. Presenters will be Phillip Ellis, Patty Frazier and Gwynne Shell. Dr. DeFranciso will lead a discussion on accountability for parents and teachers beginning at 1 p.m. followed by departmental meetings and a review of CIP status with Ellis and Frazier serving as presenters beginning at 2 p.m. Parent/teacher conferences will be held from 3 to 6 p.m.
T.R. Miller High School will recognize the day by providing parent-teacher conference opportunities from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The conferences will be held in 15-minute intervals. For scheduling, call the school at 867-8430.