LONG HILL TWP. - In an effort to further engage community members, Superintendent Edwin Acevedo has scheduled a series of parent night events to keep parents and guardians in touch with what their children do on a daily basis.
The parent nights, two of which have already occurred, cover a variety of topics.
The first event, “How to talk to your child about drugs and alcohol," was held on Thursday, March 30 at Central Middle School. The second was a “K-8 Math Night," held on Monday, April 3 at Millington School. Each event lasts for about one hour. The superintendent is to hold three more such events into June.
The event format came to Acevedo upon speaking to parents and community members when he joined the district last year.
“When I first arrived in Long Hill, parents expressed an interest in understanding how math is taught today, and they wanted to ensure that our students were well prepared in this area,” he said. “Our staff this year has participated in year-long professional development training in math, where they have gained greater hands-on activities and insights to further engage and assist our students. I felt it was important to have our math trainer, Nancy Schultz, share some of those strategies, which can be also be transferred to the home.
“Also, social media plays an important part of our students lives. In conversations with administrators, teachers and even students, I felt that the school district needed to assist in providing students and parents with strategies to keep our students safe and responsible when interacting on social media.”
The superintendent will address the impact of social media with a screening and subsequent discussion of the documentary, "Screenagers," on Wednesday, May 17 at Central School. There will also be a separate "Screenagers" event for grades five through eight on Tuesday, May 16.
Other parent night topics include a "Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB)" night at Central School on Monday, May 1, and a "Raising Resilient Children" night on Thursday, June 8 at Millington School. All events begin at 7 p.m.
“In my conversations with parents and observations of various meetings in the district, I felt that having worthwhile topics for parents would increase parental engagement in our community,” said Acevedo. “I believe that educating our children requires a holistic approach; one that will address the academics as well as the social and emotional issues that our youngsters face today. It is my hope that by bringing the school community together, the school district will be able to strengthen the home and school connection and, most importantly, educate the whole child.
“As educators, we need to provide a safe and nurturing environment where our students feel loved and challenged academically, while also giving parents and children the tools needed to navigate the complexities of living in an interconnected world.”
Acevedo said he hopes to have a good turnout at the events, and is to receive feedback from parents at each event with a brief questionnaire.
“My hope is that parents will be able to attend some or all of the meetings that are relevant to them," he said. “I anticipate that we will have more of these events next year.”