Hasson Heights Elementary School in Oil City will begin using some of the $4,000 stipend it received from the state to put on its family night on Thursday.
The pre-K to grade three prototype stipend was awarded to the school in September through the Department of Education’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning to help increase family involvement.
“We want to bridge the gap between community agencies, school officials and parents,” said elementary principal Tracy Delmonaco.
Delmonaco said the district was eligible for the stipend because it partnered with Child Development Centers two years ago on a Community Initiative Grant.
The funding will be used for multiple events throughout the school year, including Thursday’s family night from 6 to 7 p.m.
The event consists of students and their parents visiting various stations spread out in the school.
“It’s just so they can have some down time with their parents and to foster communication with staff members,” Delmonaco said. “We want to work as a team so we can show the importance of education.”
Another event in the works is a district-wide training for teachers and staff in April.
Delmonaco said community agencies and Child Development Centers have been invited to participate in the session, which will deal with the re-education principles of dealing with children and adolescents displaying significant behaviors.
A speaker will be brought in from Cleveland for the event.
Delmonaco said the district’s kindergarten staff is also discussing programming options for students coming in next year.
“We just want to make the transition one less anxiety ridden thing,” Delmonaco said. “We want to be prepared for our students and get to know the families before the first day of school next year.”
