On Thursday, St. Michael's Elementary School hosted a new event designed to engage parents and improve the readiness of its Kindergarten children.
All Kindergarten students and their parents were invited to the school for an evening session with staff and special guests titled "Road Trip to Learning."
Grade 1 French Immersion teacher Sherrie Malinowski based the idea on a literacy event she recently heard about in another school, but she expanded the project's scope for St. Michael's.
"We're working through all different aspects of the child," Malinowski explained. "Physical development - gross and fine motor skills - social development, spiritual development, numeracy, oral language, and reading."
Over the course of an hour and a half, parents and their children rotated through tables set up in the school's auditorium, each one hosted by a staff member who taught strategies to encourage the child's learning in one of the above categories.
Malinowski hoped that by the end of the night, the parents who took part would have a better idea of what their children are learning in school and how they can encourage that learning at home.
"Really, it's empowering the parents to know how they can help their child," the teacher said.
