After a disappointing turnout of just 19 parents at last year’s Family Literacy Celebration at Donald Young School in Emo, organizers have made some changes in hopes of boosting attendance.
Hosted by the Rainy River District School Board, similar events also were held in Fort Frances and Rainy River to provide parents with strategies to help their children be successful in school.
“We learned some things from last year, so we thought let’s just go a different route—do an evening session, have a meal with it, because it usually brings people out,” noted organizer Diane Carlson.
“People get together and it’s a little more relaxed. And that was the approach we took this year, a little more casual,” she added.
Instead of holding the event on a Saturday afternoon, this year’s celebration will take place in the evening of Thursday, Jan. 25. The organizing committee also scheduled it earlier in the year.
“Parents say it’s easier to give up an evening than it is to give up a whole day on Saturday and we thought having it earlier in the year would help, as well,” Carlson remarked.
“When we had the one last year . . . things were almost starting to wind down for the year, so especially being early in the new year maybe they’ll be gung-ho to participate,” she reasoned.
Carlson noted this year’s celebration will begin with a supper at 4 p.m., followed by a presentation from guest speaker Joe McLellan.
“We’re hoping he’s going to be a drawing card,” she said. “He’s an author and illustrator of children’s books. He was in Rainy River last year for their celebration and he was a big hit down there.”
After McLellan’s talk, parents then will attend workshops on a variety of themes.
“The sessions are only going to be offered one time,” explained Carlson. “Last year we ran sessions two or three times each and then they were small sessions.
“We thought we’d run each one time only and people can make their choice and sign up.”
The name of the celebration also has changed. Instead of being a Family Literacy Celebration, the event now will be dubbed Families Learning Together.
“There’s more of a math focus this year,” Carlson said. “We do have some language workshops going on, but a big math focus this year, which is also probably a drawing card for parents because I know for a lot of them their big question is ‘How do we help our kids in math? Math is so different from when we were kids.’
“So a lot of the workshops are really hands-on and offering tips on how they can help their kids with math.”
Community displays also will be set up during the event providing information on an array of available services.
“Just so parents are aware of what services are out there in the community and things other than school-related that they can have their kids involved in,” Carlson explained.
For example, there will be a 4-H booth to give parents an idea of extra-curricular things their kids can get involved with.
Carlson also said child care will be available that evening.
“This year we’ve tried to improve on this, as well,” she remarked. “We’re going to have it set up for two different age groups because last year we had all the kids together.
“So hopefully that will work better, too.”
Parents are invited to take a look at the event brochures, which are being sent out, to see what workshops will be offered.
“We will welcome walk-ins, but we’d like to have people pre-register so we know how many people to plan for,” Carlson noted, noting the organizing committee hopes these changes will be more appealing to parents in the area.
“We’d really like to get more people on board and I think after some of the talk last year of the sessions, people were thinking they’d attend another year,” Carlson said.
“So hopefully that will happen.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
