February is the month of love – a time for Valentine's Day and celebrating the loved ones in our lives.
It is a tradition at Compton Elementary School to host an annual Friends and Family Day in February. Usually, students invite the special people in their lives to join them at school for a memorable luncheon and the opportunity to share in learning opportunities in their classes.
Due to COVID, this year’s event had to look a little different, but the fun and learning with loved ones continued. The focus of this year’s event was literacy.
Teachers prepared packets of fun learning activities for families to work on together and then sent them home with face to face students. Pick-up times were arranged for virtual students as well. The event was scheduled for one of the District’s Instructional Support Days when all students learn from home. All students and families were invited to join a Zoom session through CTLS with their class. 
In kindergarten, families used sidewalk chalk, pipe cleaners, tic-tac-toe boards, and other materials. Teachers shared games for everyone to play together, such as Tic-Tac-Toe Sight Words and Sight Word Swat. These games reinforced early reading skills.
In second grade, teachers offered packets with chenille sticks, magna doodles, and more. Using these creative tools, everyone practiced building words in a fun, collaborative way.
Fourth graders and their families dissected text structures and took part in a Bingo game to determine things like cause and effect and problem and solution. Throughout the day, everyone enjoyed lots of creative ways of embracing important literacy standards.
The popular school event allows teachers to share learning strategies in an engaging way.
“It was phenomenal to see the participation and excitement of our students as they participated in meaningful literacy activities with their teachers, friends, and family today,” said Compton Principal Beth Lair. “At Compton, we work all year to build important school and home connections for our students – but this day was a special day to showcase our learning!”
