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Family Literacy Sessions
SAN ELIZARIO, TEXAS – Good communication keeps families in the community involved in their child's education. Especially now during such a difficult time while going through a pandemic. Santa Garcia, the parent liaison at the Garcia Enriquez Middle School (GEMS), informs parents of all events taking place at school and the district through several means of communication. For example, Blackboard, a system that includes phone calls, text messages, e-mail messages, Facebook, and Twitter. The campus Newsletter, which are all events taking place within the school weekly.
Among other informative meetings, parents attend monthly Family Literacy Sessions in partnership with librarian, Idania Rodarte. Some of the activities include Virtual Bingo for Books. Parents love this type of activity. One parent said it helped relieve stress while having to stay home more during the pandemic. This activity is something they can do at home with their children to help improve vocabulary. Parents can pick up free books after the event to add to their home libraries. Traditional Literature was another Virtual Family Literacy Session which consisted of a read-aloud of the story, "La Llorona" (The Weeping Lady): a Hispanic American Folklore. Parents enjoyed the read-aloud and served as a reminder that reading with their children never gets old. Even on a road trip, it is a great way to engage everyone in reading. During this session, parents worked on a hands-on activity and created a bookmarker out of a piece of paper, something simple yet useful. Dichos / Idioms was another Virtual Family Literacy Session. This session consisted of a read-aloud of the book, "Que Cosas Dice mi Abuela?" (What is my Grandmother saying?). This story was about how people used idioms or dichos as an educational tool. Librarian Rodarte expressed this activity included great discussions about dichos like "Buenas palabras y buenos modales abren puertas principales" (Nice words and good manners open great doors). Parents enjoyed this session because they could relate to it when they were younger. Santa Garcia states, "It is important for parents to understand the importance of reading and instill it in their children for them to be successful in their education."