Four area elementary schools are participating in a pilot project aimed at improving communication and collaboration between schools and families to better support student learning.
The Parentastique initiative, which was launched at the start of the school year by the Centre de Services Scolaires de la Vallée-des-Tisserands in partnership with three elementary school principals and the department of Educational Resources Services, encourages parents to become more involved in their children’s daily life at school.
The project is currently running at the École Jeunes-Riverains in Saint-Anicet, École Notre-Dame-de-L’Assomption in Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka, as well as the École Sacré-Coeur and École Saint-Eugène in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.
According to the three principals involved in the program, the Parentastique project was initiated three years ago as part of a collaborative effort to meet the needs of their respective school communities.
“The close relationships between our school teams and our students allows us to better understand family realities and adapt our communications accordingly. These communications are evolving and are continually adjusted to the needs of the children and families we support,” said the three principals, in a press release issued by the CSSVT.
The project offers parents tangible and accessible tools, such as themed podcasts and information sheets on topics such as screen time, sleep, school lunches, homework, and routines. The content is distributed throughout the year as part of a monthly calendar, posters in daycare centres, social media posts, and student agendas.
“This initiative offers concrete actions to promote student success by strengthening collaboration between schools and families, all while highlighting the essential role parents play in the educational journey of their children,” said CSSVT director general Susie Vranderick. (SR)