Family University engages both students and parents

MILLBROOK — The Millbrook Central School District is striving to make the educational process a family affair through programs such as Family University, which allows students and their parents to learn together at school. On Thursday, Nov. 3, the district held its second session of Family University at the high school. Students and parents engaged in workshops that covered a variety of topics facing students and their families.The evening began with a speech from keynote speaker Jeanne Tribuzzi, the director of English Language Arts and English as a Second Language in the West Seneca Central School District. Tribuzzi travels around the nation working with teachers and schools on curriculum and literacy. Tribuzzi discussed the importance of reading and how it prepares students for higher education.“Kids should be reading what they like. We need to set time aside for them to read,” Tribuzzi said. “It has to be text that’s not too hard and that they are interested in, because the more they read the better they are going to get at reading. Then they are going to be ready to take challenges as they move to middle school and high school.”Tribuzzi told parents and students to use their public library as a free resource. Children can find out about themselves in the library as far as what type of books they like to read.She said that the way our society reads is changing as more people utilize Kindles, computers or iPads. Tribuzzi said it’s important to always make time for reading with children at home, even if it’s on the computer or an article in the newspaper. “So if you can carve some time out to read at home and have that expectation that they are going to read at home, then it’s going to help them in school,” Tribuzzi said.After the speech, students and parents were able to choose among multiple workshops to learn about a variety of topics.There was a workshop on social networking and student behavior presented by Sasannah Renzi, an educational resource specialist with Dutchess Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). This workshop helped parents and students better understand the benefits and risks to social networking. John Blakley, a Millbrook High School faculty member, gave a workshop for an introduction to iMovie, and how to make movies using Apple technology.There was also an expert from Master Barley’s Karate who gave a presentation on self-defense. The presentation was meant to empower people by teaching them skills and tactics for dangerous situations.Samantha Bopp and Joann Hobson from Elm Drive Elementary School gave a presentation entitled, “Understanding the Readers Workshop Model.” It was an interactive session going through a reader’s workshop lesson.Hershel Lessin, medical director and director of clinical research at the Children’s Medical Group, gave a presentation on understanding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Josh Strattor, from Edward Jones Associates, gave a presentation on how to financially prepare for college.Jennifer Leggett and Ruth Ackert, both speech therapists from the Millbrook Central School District, gave a presentation on speech and language development for early learners.Lastly, John Rogers, also from the Millbrook school district, gave a presentation on how to maximize a student athlete’s potential. “Parents and students enjoyed Family University,” said Christine Ackerman, assistant to the superintendent. “The feedback is always positive. However, this year attendance was not as strong. I think it has to do with the weather because it was right after the power outages.”Presenters at Family University where chosen based on feedback from last year’s event and input from parents at Board of Education meetings. Ackerman, who organizes Family University, said she wants parents and students to learn together at least one night out of the year, and that’s the driving force behind the program. Superintendent of Schools Lloyd Jaeger praised the event and Ackerman’s efforts.“We want to create a sense over time that Family University is a part of life in Millbrook,” he said.