Parent Involvement
At Crescent Park, learning is viewed as a collaborative process that occurs when the perspectives of parents, caregivers, children and educators are equally shared, valued and respected. As the child’s first teacher, we value your insights and wisdom and will seek to learn more about your family in an effort to honor the cultural background, values and belief systems that influence and guide you in your child’s development. In turn, we know that you have a keen understanding of our Values and Beliefs and that this is the foundation for our common interest in optimizing your child’s experience at Crescent Park.
We know that open communication between school and home contributes to the strength of each child’s success at school. At Crescent Park, parent communication is supported in a variety of ways:
Casual conversations at drop off and pick up time with educators and point teachers.
Blog posts that showcase learning moments
Your child’s portfolio that contains a detailed history of his/her learning experience while at Crescent Park.
Learning Stories emailed to families as unique learning moments arise and highlight a deep learning moment for your child. These are captured and documented by educators and parents are encouraged to reply and share their perspectives which are also placed in the child’s growing portfolio.
Welcome interviews that occur during your child’s first couple of months at school
Parent/teacher conferences that take place during the first quarter of each calendar year
Attending a pedagogical meeting with your child’s teaching team to join us in reflective thinking and planning
Parent Roundtable events where specific topics of interest are discussed
Coffee and donuts in the Park (during the spring and summer)
In addition, Crescent Park has a rich heritage in building a network of what we call an “extended family” support system. This system helps families meet others who are like-minded, may want to have occasional play dates, or who are interested in learning more about different parenting approaches. Field trips are always attended by most parents and we frequently ask for parents to share their special hobbies or cultural celebrations – whether cooking, storytelling, music or just simply coming to read a special book to a small group of children. Taking on small jobs to support the school such as repairing library books, tidying up classrooms or cubby areas or serving on a special events committee - all parents are welcome and encouraged to participate.
Most importantly, there are many wonderful community building events including Back-to-School Night, the Annual Silent Auction, and our Harvest Festival Potluck that you won’t want to miss!