For most, elementary and intermediate school is where children first begin to learn lifelong lessons. It’s the place where children start to learn how to add, subtract, read and write and, for parents, it’s also their daily break.
On Thursday, Oct. 24, at the Eleanor Rush Intermediate School, teachers, students and parents gathered for Cinnaminson’s Math and Literacy Night from 6 to 8 p.m. The snow-themed event featured various activities such as Reader’s Theatre, scary stories with Mr. Fries, Spooky Sounds with Ms. Kelly and Mrs. Sigmund as well as a book fair, among other activities.
“Math and Literacy is an opportunity for Rush school to bring the families and community together to celebrate reading and math,” said Rush Reading Specialist Hollie Helman. “It’s a way to see math and reading outside of a classroom, but still in a classroom way to keep it fun and exciting.”
“We give them strategies that the children can take home and share with their family to practice,” Helman continued. “It’s also a way for the children to see their teachers outside of the normal hours of school.”
According to Helman, at this age reading and math is a little more challenging than in years prior because, instead of just learning how to read or do math, the children are learning how to apply it to everyday life. This is why during events like Math and Literacy Night, the school has the Reader’s Theatre and similar activities where students can work on reading fluency, as well as math games that work with addition, subtraction and estimation.
“All of the parents and families come out and we get to not just do school stuff, but we get to have fun,” said Rush School Teacher Michelle Reismann. “We invite other community leaders out to set up a table and encourage children to see reading and math in a different light. It doesn’t have to just be associated with school.”
One of the community staples that the teachers of the Eleanor Rush Intermediate School invited to Math and Literacy Night was the Cinnaminson Library. The children’s librarians were on hand to further drive home the joy of reading. Students were able to sign up for library cards in order to check books out for free.
“I really enjoy this event because I enjoy just seeing the students come and getting to meet their families,” said Helman. “It’s nice to see the students in a lighter sense than the regular school setting.”
