Learning night brings parents into Dayton school

Hundreds of parents and students are expected to gather tonight at Dayton Elementary School for Family Learning Night.

Teachers expect between 300 and 400 to attend the annual event which allows parents and their children to learn together.

Third-grade teacher Delane Pennington said this year's learning night has expanded to add health and reading to the usual math and science.

The program features a free hot-dog dinner and includes several student presentations.

Teachers, parents and students start the night at 5 p.m. with an early literacy meeting.

"It's designed to help parents work with their children in reading," she said.

Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m. and, during the hour when everyone is eating, students will put on plays and read poems.

At 6:30 p.m., Eagle Valley Middle School science teacher Eric Anderson will speak about learning science and how it can be fun.

After the speech, the school has a learning center set up along either side of the main hall where parents and children can work together in math, reading, science and health.

"We'll have a body like those in the doctor's office set up for the health portion," Pennington said. "The state department of minerals is also bringing rock samples. We'll have the annual book fair."

In previous years, Dayton Elementary has hosted different kinds of learning night.

"Each year we would do a different learning night," she said. "But this year we decided because we have so many things. We'll have giveaways for those Dayton Elementary students who attend.

"We do this as a learning experience for the parents and the students and as an interactive activity parents where parents can work with their children," she said. "The hands-on portion can really be fun. We are all really excited about it."

Dayton Elementary School's teachers and staff donate their time to the learning night. The Dayton Elementary Booster Club will be serving the dinner, with food donated by Kmart.

"It is a schoolwide activity and all the teachers have graciously donated their time and expertise," she said.

What: Family Learning Night

Where: Dayton Elementary School

When: 5 p.m. Wednesday