Joliet school has holiday-themed math night
By Tony Graf tgraf@stmedianetwork.com December 7, 2012 10:22PM
Updated: January 10, 2013 6:35AM
JOLIET — Edna Keith School began the holiday season with a Family Math Night that attracted more than 300 people, students and parents, working together to improve skills.
Last year, the school hosted a successful Family Reading Night, and Principal Michelle Coleman is planning another reading night in the spring.
Coleman discussed the parent and staff collaboration behind the Nov. 20 event, which had a Thanksgiving theme titled “Nibble on Numbers.”
“We had several teachers to volunteer, along with parents, to set up classrooms where they are focusing on certain strategies, all dealing with numbers,” Coleman said. “But they had a little twist to it, and it was a Thanksgiving-themed twist.
“For example, on the program we had things like ‘Lemonade to Wash Down the Turkey,’ and it was a story about lemonade for sale and graphing. ... It was a wonderful turnout,” Coleman said.
Teachers, the family night committee and the University of St. Francis in Joliet used their creativity to make math fun. The program lists themed events including “A Fist Full of Feathers,” “Appetite for Algebra,” “Base 10 Basting” and “Turkey Technology.”
“When we all got together, we began to come up with fancy titles to involve the parents, so the parents can assist the students with math homework,” Coleman said. “Sometimes when you think of math, there’s this big notion, like, ‘I can’t do it.’ But we wanted to make it fun, and let (parents) know that it’s really easy to learn. And they can assist students.”
The night also included entertainment, featuring both students and teachers, Coleman said.
“We wanted to actually surprise the audience by having the staff open up the evening, and so they put together this little division song. To see the staff dancing up front was really interesting, and it was wonderful for our students to see our teachers in a different light,” she said.
The night also included raffle prizes and a recognition of honor-roll students.
Coleman credits Andrea McNair, president of the parent-teacher organization, for her work on Family Math Night, describing it as a “huge success.”
