Say it with muffins
On Friday morning, the cafeteria at Westside Elementary School was filled with about 300 children and their moms eating muffins at the “Muffins for Moms” event.
Adrienne Deroide, a first-grader at Westside Elementary, clowns around with her mom, Jill, at the Muffins for Mom event Friday. The event attracted about 300 people who shared muffins and heard about important upcoming school events. KIM DAME
To help unite the school community, Westside schedules regular breakfasts with parents to encourage communication and provide opportunities to deliver important information.
Children sat with their moms at tables where “I love you because … ” cards were available for them to fill out together. “This encourages them to begin a conversation,” said Principal Carrie O’Rourke.
The event was organized by Stacy Wharton, Title 1 parent engagement liaison; and Dyleen Beach, Title 1 facilitator.
“The breakfast was an opportunity to share information about future events and invite parents to serve in leadership roles at the school,” O’Rourke said.
Keisha Steward attended the Muffins for Moms event with her son, Kayden, 7, who is a newcomer to Westside Elementary. The first-grader was pleased to show off his new school.
“This is a great thing,” said Keisha, who was impressed with the cards at the table that encouraged conversation between parents and children.
The cards are conversation starters, said O’Rourke. She encouraged parents to take them home and discuss them with their children.
Many parents, though, filled out the cards at the breakfast and turned them in to O’Rourke.
“It was great to have breakfast at my little guy’s school with him,” wrote one mother. “The look of pride on his face was a great gift.”
Parents and their children were seated at 7:30 a.m., before class began. The time was ideal for some moms because it didn’t conflict with their work schedules. And it allowed them to bond with their child at their school.
Zachery Swansinger, 7, came with her 2-year old sister, Sophia, and mom, Heather. Zachery proudly held his muffin as the family looked for a place to sit. The event was important to Heather, she said, because it gave her time with her children in Zachery’s school environment.
