During the school year, the Jones County School System holds many Title I Family Engagement Nights.
One fall night this semester at Gray Station Middle School, they held a “Reading Roundup” for families to learn about literacy and spend quality time together, participating in fall-themed activities, enjoying live music, and eating dinner.
City of Gray vendors partnered with the school for families to enjoy. Food trucks, such as Sawmill and Agave Azul, were available for families to purchase dinner, and a local band, “Gray City Limits,” consisting of Jones County students, performed live music for the public.
Gray Station Middle School’s Chorus performed music, too, singing “Bloom” and When Halloween Returns,” according to Choir Teacher Amedeo Tritto.
The book fair was open for parents and students to visit and select books to read as a family. Gray Station also offered fall-themed activities, such as pumpkin decorating and a “Haunted Hallway” to entertain families and celebrate the autumn season.
Additionally, students and teachers had the opportunity to win prizes, such as a television, a bicycle, and more. The Jones County School System Literacy Specialist, Kristen Beaver, presented morphology to parents at the event, a tool teachers use to aid student’s literacy that is beneficial for parents to utilize at home.
“One of the literacy initiatives we are currently working on in middle school is morphology instruction. Understanding how words are formed helps students decode unfamiliar words, improve spelling, and improve comprehension, making it easier for them to grasp new concepts in all subject areas,” Beaver said.
Gray Station Middle School Family Engagement Liaison Kevin Noviello facilitated the event and noted its importance.
“Each year, Gray Station Middle School hosts an in-person event to bring parents and the community together to highlight and celebrate student learning and achievements. The idea is to share educational activities while enjoying a time of food, fun, and fellowship,” Noviello concluded.
