Maple Leaf Elementary School hosted an engaging literacy night for students and families on Thursday, March 12 after school between 4-6 p.m. Families were greeted by staff members in the foyer entrance and presented with a road map of activities offered. Once students visited each activity and received a stamp from a staff member for its completion, they earned a raffle ticket and a chance to win one of the many wonderful prizes on display, including a backpack filled with supplies. Activities were divided into several classrooms such as the word lab and mission possible, where they could review test-taking strategies for the OST assessments and challenge themselves with witty word activities.
The comprehension connection featured reading games and shared the space with “the write stuff,” inspiring students to test their skills in original poetry writing! Perhaps the most inventive space was the “chill zone,” featuring a dimmed, quiet space to unwind with a captivating title. Students had the opportunity to curl up in comfortable chairs and use finger lights to read books provided by the Cleveland Book Bank in this relaxing space before moving on to their next stop. Parents were provided with useful information about activities, games to try at home and how to cultivate the love of reading. Lining the hall leading to the activity classrooms were inviting tables filled with the vast resources available to Maple Leaf families. Communities in Schools brought in several counseling partners to provide useful information to families.
Communities in Schools is an on-site support organization committed to removing barriers and offering support to empower students to stay in school and help them thrive. The others included Ohio Guidestone, Care Source, Triumph Over Trauma, The Cleveland Clinic, and Heart to Heart. They provided light refreshments, trinkets, and even meal bags to visiting families as they gathered information about general and mental health services offered. Congratulations to the raffle winners and thank you to everyone who attended this valuable event. We are grateful for the time and talent of our staff members and administrators who made it all possible.
