Rainbow Schools receive grants to enhance parent involvement

During the 2011-2012 school year, nine Rainbow Schools will share a total of $8,210 in Parents Reaching Out Grants to support School Council initiatives to further engage parents/guardians in their child’s learning.

“The involvement of parents and guardians in their child’s education has a positive impact on student achievement and overall school performance,” said Norm Blaseg, Director of Education for Rainbow District School Board. “We commend the Ministry Education’s Parent Engagement Office for supporting these innovative parent involvement projects.”
 
While each project varies from school to school, the initiatives have one thing in common – they are intended to enhance communications between the school and the home and help to create a welcoming environment for parents/guardians.


Carl A. Nesbitt Public School

Family Literacy Activities


Parents/guardians of students at Carl A. Nesbitt Public School will participate in Back to School Nights. Parents will learn how they can best support French literacy learning at home by engaging in fun activities.  A variety of French literacy games, activities, and conversational topics will support the school’s focus on school improvement.  Who knew learning French could be so much fun!

Chelmsford Public School

Building School Community

Chelmsford Public School will continue building school community awareness for literacy and numeracy and increase parent engagement. The school will purchase additional resources for its Parent Room, including take home book bags. Guest speakers will be invited to give presentations and workshops in the evenings on topics of interest to parents.

Gatchell School

Family, Food, Fun and Fitness

Gatchell School families will come together to participate in a series of evenings focusing on "Food, Fun and Fitness". These sessions, geared to all family members, will include creating healthy menus and cooking with our children, zumba, dance and reducing stress through the use of laughter.

Lansdowne Public School

Lansdowne School Family Nights

The Lansdowne Public School School Council will host two family nights once again this year to enhance communication and build a strong school community.  Each evening will begin with a meal.  Families will then have the option of participating in an interactive family learning activity, workshop, or presentation related to a theme. All members of the Lansdowne Public School community are welcome to attend. Childcare will be provided for younger children. Transportation will also be provided, as required.

Little Current Public School

Bullying Awareness and Prevention

Little Current Public School will host an information night for parents during Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week in November.  Resources will be available and a DVD will be shown.  Parents will learn about the characteristics of physical, verbal, social, and electronic bullying so they become aware of the signs that a child is being bullied.  Parents will also learn signs to watch for when their child is bullying other children.  Parents will gain strategies to use if their child is bullied and steps to take to deal with the bullying appropriately.  The goal of this session is to improve the safety and emotional well-being of students.

Lively District Secondary School

Community Information


Lively District Secondary School will host a parent information session. Local agencies will set up displays to share information with parents and provide an overview of supports available for alcohol, drugs, substance abuse and bullying.  Parents and students will visit booths and have an opportunity to ask questions and collect information in a casual setting.

Monetville Public School

Monetville Family Nights

Transportation will be provided to Monetville Public School families to encourage parental involvement in school activities, including academic evenings, movie nights and student-led conferences.  There is currently no public transportation system in the French River area. This service, therefore, will give all families an opportunity to participate in all aspects of school life.

Queen Elizabeth II Public School

Family Night


Families from Queen Elizabeth II Public School will be invited to attend a family night offering a welcoming environment, skill building opportunities for parents and information about community partner services available to further promote student success.  Students and parents will be invited to participate in interactive workshops on literacy, numeracy and healthy living.  Families will receive materials to support student learning at home.  All school community members will be invited to attend.

Sudbury Secondary School

Promoting Teenage Mental Health

Parents will be invited to participate in workshops and/or presentations on a variety of teenage mental health issues, such as depression, stress, school anxiety, eating disorders, drug use, peer pressure, positive role modeling, nutrition, diversity and building adolescent resilience.  The event will foster greater communication between parents, the school, and community mental health partners. It will also promote positive choices and lifestyles among youth, which will further support student achievement. Hospitality and Tourism program students will prepare a pasta dinner as part of this event.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.