Yes, parents, you are right up there in the top three. But what does parent involvement mean? The research indicates that the most effective forms of parent involvement are those that engage parents directly with their children on learning activities inside the home. Things like reading to or with your children, supporting their homework, and tutoring. Similarly, research finds that more active forms of involvement produce greater achievement than passive ones. Specifically, children whose parents attend parent teacher conferences and school activities, chaperone field trips, and read communications from school, have greater achievement than those whose parents don’t. Meaningful parent involvement is about the little things that happen every day more than some grand commitment.  Take 15 minutes to read, take 10 to review homework. Take a personal day  to chaperone a field trip. Clear out the backpack each night to see what is happening at the school. Those simple steps can make a difference. And you know what? If  you haven’t been doing it, it doesn’t matter. Start today. Start by giving yourself a gold star for each time you can engage with your child and have a learning opportunity - something as simple as comparing prices while at the grocery store can be such an opportunity. To that end, PTA is sponsoring a parent workshop on March 7 at 9:00 in the cafeteria. The topic is “Dollar Store Math.” You must register for this workshop. We’ll take the first 30 parents because we’ll have demonstrations of the games. We may offer it again if we get a big enough response. Email president@mycentralpta.org or call (410-956-1804) to get registered.

If you want to help Rescue Recess, click on the above banner, complete the form, and send in a sealed envelope to school to the attention of Denise Lundberg, Volunteer Coordinator.