In celebration of a love for reading, LHA held its annual
Book Fair this week. In preparation, scholars watched a video of authors
stressing the importance of books and describing the literary process. Afterwards,
they shopped around the shelves looking for their favorite superhero, animal,
celebrity, or just a fantastic story. If students were unable to afford a book,
Ms. Sergio – who organized the Fair – encouraged them to pick their favorite
and write it down as a “wish.” Who knows, maybe some generous benefactor will
make a wish come true!
The week culminated at LHA’s Open House on Wednesday night.
Coinciding with the event was a Health & Wellness Fair.
Ms. Carolyn Trask organized the event, bringing in seven health providers for
parents to learn about. “The mission,” she explained, “was to show our parents
that there are services out there for them in the community.” She intends to
organize another such Fair before the holidays. Next time, scholars will be
invited to receive free health services right on campus.
Wednesday night also drew much attention to the Dreamkeeper Garden, just finishing its recovery from Hurricane Isaac. Amy Zellweger,
Lead Garden Teacher at LHA, shared information with attendees about the
benefits of fresh, healthy food. She is also spearheading a project to provide
school-grown produce to the families of Langston Hughes Academy. This Family
Supported Agriculture (FSA) will offer a portion of food grown at the school to
families for free. Already, seventeen
families have signed up to receive the produce from 1300ft of garden space planned
for this year. “Production is ramping up,” says Edible Schoolyard NOLA Network Gardener Denise
Richter.
Tonight is the first of many Family Connection
meetings, a space for the parents of LHA to become involved in their children’s
education and to learn about available opportunities. This year will bring with
it many adult education initiatives, designed to improve the lives of our
community members and to strengthen the parent organization throughout
FirstLine Schools. Make sure to be there for the next meeting!
Questions? Leave them in the comments and we'll get back to you!
Jason Lacoste is the AmeriCorps VISTA K-8 Outreach Coordinator for FirstLine Schools.
No comments:
Post a Comment