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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Literacy Night at Market Street Elementary also included a place to sign up for a new library card and register to vote. They had the school's Sholastic Book Fair set up in the cafeteria for families to purchase books and reading materials.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Market Street Elementary had a Literacy Night at the school on Feb. 8. The event allowed parents and children to come to the school so that the parents gain a better perspective of their children's everyday experiences in their language arts class. Pictured, guest reader Alex George read to young students and their families.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Market Street Elementary had two groups of families go to different classrooms for different stations. The families of the higher grade students had test preparation, and the lower grade students had a story time. Both groups had technology, vocabulary, reading and writing stations. Pictured, kindergarten student Fiona Maloney showed Mary Gould her skills on the school's Chromebooks.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The parents at Market Street Elementary's Literacy Night learned a number of new strategies for helping their children succeed. Pictured, teachers Tara Alberti and Kendra Baltes went over some guided reading techniques.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Market Street Elementary sent the families into different stations throughout the night. They had a group of families in the kindergarten and first-grade stations and another in the second-, third- and fourth-grade. Pictured, students listened to teachers Lisa Ebie and Laurel Sanders talk about preparation for standardized testing.
By ZACK SHIVELY
Market Street Elementary School invited parents and students to the school on the night of Feb. 8 to show the parents what their children learn in their language arts classes.
The school began the event three years ago to help parents better understand what the students do during the school day and to learn how to help their children in language arts. Reading Center teacher Julie Kamenitsa led and organized the event.
They split the parents into two groups, one for parents of children in kindergarten and first grade and another for the parents of children in grades second, third and forth. They made this distinction because the higher grade levels work on concepts that the younger students would not understand as well. Both groups rotated between five stations.
Some of the stations were the same between the two groups. They both had a word work station that focused on vocabulary, a writer’s workshop to improve the students’ writing skills and a guided reading station designed to increase the students’ reading abilities.
Both groups also had a technology related station. The kindergarten and first-grade parents got to use the Chromebooks that students use throughout the school. The other group met in the school’s technology room, where they showed the parents some of the skills they have learned there.
The other station for the kindergarten and first-grade families was a story time featuring a guest speaker, Alex George of WKBN. The other families had a test preparation station that got families and students ready for the standardized testing that begins in third-grade.
The school had the school’s Scholastic Book Fair in the gym during the night. The book fair lasted all week, but the night provided students with a good opportunity to talk to their parents about the books they wanted. Jennifer Eynon, the chairperson for the book fair, set up two preview days and three days of purchase for the students.
The money raised during the book fair will be spent on books and materials for the school library and the teacher’s individual class libraries. They also plan to buy a book for each student at the end of the school year for them to read over summer.
The school also gave snacks and water to the attendees. The families could also register to vote in the school’s cafeteria. The Boardman library set up an area in the cafeteria to sign up for a library card. They had merchandise from YSU, which sponsored the event.
Market Street Elementary has had their Literacy Night for three years, but this year will be the first year that the other elementary schools will have their own Literacy Nights. In addition to the Literacy Night, Market Street Elementary plans to do a math night later in the school year.