A Week Chock-full of Family Engagement

As the Take Your Family to School Week (TYFTSW) chairperson for Euper Lane Elementary PTA, I am happy to report that we had a fantastic week this year! This is the third year that I’ve enjoyed working together with teachers and staff to put on a week full of family events for TYFTSW. Our local paper, The Times Record, even wrote a full page article on the event! Our teachers, staff, and parents make being part of PTA such a great experience.

Euper Lane began this year’s TYFTSW with the One School, One Book program. Each family received a copy of “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by Kate DiCamillo, as well as a bookmark and reading schedule. We asked all families to read about 10 minutes each night and to keep track of their nightly reading. To keep families motivated and on track, we offer trivia and prizes each day! To celebrate reaching the end of the novel, we are partnering with our local public library to host a family event this March.

Tuesday, we hosted a Family Technology Night. Teachers and students paired together to showcase how technology is used in their instructions. Students also were able to showcase projects they completed. The Morgan Nick Foundation joined us to talk with families about internet safety. Title 1 Parent Involvement,  BYOD, and e-books were made available for parents to access. Cox Cable was also there to share information about their Connect2Compete program. We had English to Spanish translation available for our attendees. At the end of the evening, our PTA handed out 190 boxed to-go dinners for each family to enjoy a meal together. We also sent a survey home with each family on the event. The night was a great success with great feedback!

Wednesday, we started with a Donut Drive-Thru, a fun and special way for our PTA to thank all of the families who safely transport their students to school. We handed out roughly 300 donuts by 8:05am! We invited families dropping off students to come inside and read the first chapter of our One School, One Book reading selection, “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,” with their student’s class. Edward Tulane even made a special appearance!

Thursday, we had a Kindergarten Grandparent’s Luncheon with drawings for door prizes to add to the fun.

On Friday, we had Valentines parties in each classroom. The PTA provided refreshments and parents were invited to attend.

The 14th Annual Variety Show was the grand finale of the week. The students put on quite a show with over 35 acts in this year’s event. The participation was fantastic!

I am very much looking forward to planning next year’s TYFTSW! If you’re not already involved in Take Your Family to School Week, I encourage each PTA to participate in this great National PTA program! Family involvement truly does lead to student success!

Jill Flanary is the Take Your Family to School Week Chairperson at Euper Lane Elementary PTA in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

 

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