Mount Vernon Parents Get A Taste Of Student Life At Involvement Day

In an effort to demonstrate how children learn in the classroom on a daily basis, nearly 1,000 parents went back to school throughout the district, joining their children and Superintendent Kenneth Hamilton for speeches, meetings, activities and lessons.

Around the district, each school’s Parent Involvement Committee developed a day’s worth of activities, including presentations from district leaders, classroom visits and games.

Hamilton, who spoke to parents and students at the Columbus Elementary School cafeteria before starting the day’s tours, said that this is an important interaction for parents, as the district stresses learning in and out of the classroom.

“Bringing our district’s parents into the classrooms and having them engaged with their children creates an educational opportunity for all involved,” he said. “It will only help our students achieve greater success in the classroom and in life.”

Michelle McKitty-Bromley, the district’s Family and Community Engagement Coordinator echoed Hamilton’s words, adding, “the more involved parents are, the more academically successful students are.”

Columbus Elementary School Principal Colleen Seivright-Crawford said that the activities served to help parents gain a better understanding of what their children experience each day before heading home.

“Parent Involvement Day is meant to both foster relationships between home and school and can create an opportunity to model to parents the structure of teaching in the classroom,” she said. “(Our activities) are very helpful tools for parents to bring home and use there as well.”

Erika Roman, who has a son in fourth grade, said she took the day off from her job managing a hospital in Manhattan to participate in special event.

“I wanted to see what his day was like. I don’t often have the opportunity to see him at school, because I do not drop off and pick up,” she said. “I’m hope to see how he does with reading and I like to see the amount of time it takes for each subject.” 

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