Livingston Parish Public Schools (LPPS) held their first ever district level open house September 1st, inviting parents and students to attend to discuss grade level curriculums with department heads and discover the resources available to them at the Literacy and Technology center located at 9261 Florida Blvd, Walker LA.
The event included panels discussing the curriculums for grades elementary through high school as well as what resources LPPS offers for special education, early childhood, child nutrition, transportation, technology, and family engagement.
The Literacy Center’s Family Intervention Library was one such resource the event wanted to emphasize since it allows students and parents to check out educational learning materials and also offers educational and family engaging workshops throughout the year.
For the panels, the elementary grade table gave out early learning picture books while offering tips and tricks for fostering math proficiency and literacy growth for the new year. Reflex, an online, game-based program, was one of the sites they highlighted for parents to help students develop fluency with basic math concepts. Additional flyers gave tips for establishing literary habits, emphasizing the importance of starting a reading routine, setting reading goals, discussing books together, and creating a safe space to read at home.
The table for high school grades included a list of potential tutors, the subjects they cover, and their hourly rates as well as times and details for future assessment testing. They also included a section for “Table Talk,” offering a set of questions that help encourage students and parents to communicate with each other openly over meals and around the dinner table.
The child nutrition table discussed the scheduled breakfasts and lunches for the month of September while also discussing the recipe for the fresh strawberry smoothies that they made at the open house using their “Rock the Bike” blender bike. Additionally, each table had baskets of healthy snacks and some candy for students while a popcorn machine churned out bags of fresh popcorn for anyone interested.
Ultimately, each table offered their own resources, helpful guides, and advice from the department heads with the goal of educating parents and students on what help and resources are available while also setting students up for success with the new school year.
While open houses have been and will continue to be available for schools around the parish, this district level event seeks to create a safe space “where parents have a time to come in, and if they have questions regarding curriculum, or if they have questions regarding transportation, or technology, child nutrition, they can speak directly to those departments and ask those questions,” Livingston Parish School Board Superintendent Jody Purvis noted.
Purvis also explained that, if this event saw a successful turnout, future district level open houses may show up again in the future.
“Offering opportunities that help our students grow and also support our employees and the families [is crucial] to have a great, successful year,” Purvis noted.
“So far, we’re off to a great start, and we’re looking forward to continuing that momentum.”
