Come one, come all to District 13's schools

Parents were invited to come on in to District 13’s four elementary schools Nov. 22-24 for the annual American Education Week celebration.

Wheeler Avenue School Principal Christine Zerillo said the program gave parents the opportunity to see what happens in the classroom every day. They were able to play learning games, as well as check out the technology available to students, such as SMARTBoards and a variety of educational software.

Douglas Hernandez, whose daughter Juliana is in fourth grade at Wheeler Avenue, spent time in the school computer lab on Nov. 23. He saw her PowerPoint presentation about wolves.

Hernandez said was impressed with what his daughter and her classmates are learning. “PowerPoint is pretty advanced for their age,” he said, “and they’re picking it up like they’re adults. It’s something that’s going to help them for the future.”

Stephanie Seltzer, who came in to Wheeler to see her daughter learning, said she was also very impressed with the technology that is available in the schools. “We didn’t have this when we were in school,” she said. “I wish we did.”

Fifth grade teacher Enrico Perciballi said he had students and their parents play math games together. He said he wanted to show the parents that these games are effective and can be played at home to help reinforce basic math facts and skills. “They enjoyed it,” he said.

Zerillo said it was important for the activities to be interactive so parents could participate alongside their children. She wanted parents to leave the school with a good understanding of what goes on every day, and to see how children learn in many different ways.

For the teachers, she said, it gives them a chance to share their various methods of teaching and all the hard work and effort that goes into leading a classroom.

Board of Education President Frank Chiachiere said he looks forward to American Education Week each year. “The important thing is to open the door and let the parents come in,” he said.