By Edwina Harder

Southgate Elementary School principal

One distinguishing characteristic in America is our system of education. The Boston Latin School is the first public school opened in the United States. Founded in 1635, it remains the nation’s oldest public school. Early public schools focused on the virtues of family, religion, and community. By the mid-19th century academics became the sole responsibility of public schools. Education in America has gone through many transitions over the years. I thought it might be interesting to give an overview of what the day in a life of a Southgate Elementary School student looks like in 2016.

Students receive instruction in math, reading, writing, science, and social studies. In addition to these core areas they are taught about important topics such as nutrition, safety (i.e. bus, stranger danger, bullying …), and technology. Children attend gym and music classes twice a week and art classes once a week. Lunch is always a favorite time of the day, and the children get about twenty minutes of time daily for recess. Assemblies and field trips round out our year, and we work to have them tie to our curriculum.

Students have many opportunities to be involved in activities while in elementary school. We have an after-school academic club we call “Gator Club” that is held two days a week. Math and reading skills are practiced in this time to help students meet grade level standards. We also have something we call “work crews”. These before school jobs are ways for students to develop leadership skills as they fulfill important roles in our school. Third and fourth grade students have the opportunity to participate in the after school choir run by MacPhail. We also have a school play where fourth graders get the opportunity to try their hand at a drama experience. School safety patrol, student council, and Robotics are other leadership opportunities that students can take part in.

There are many opportunities for parents to be involved in their child’s education. At the elementary level we have open house/conferences three times a year. These meetings are important times to learn about how a child is progressing academically and behaviorally, and ways we can partner for their success. Each school has a parent organization. Our PTC meets once a month and works to provide opportunities for students that are above and beyond what the school can support alone. We hold monthly parent meetings in Spanish as well to keep our Spanish speaking families updated as to what is occurring in the school and how parents can support their students. We also have family fun nights that have different themes. These nights provide an opportunity for families to come to school to participate in activities together. Examples of family fun night themes we’ve had in the past include math game nights, family bingo, and reading beach parties. We love to see families attend our school-wide events such as monthly assemblies, walk-a-thon, the school carnival, the Halloween parade, and Tree Trust.

As you can see, schools today do much more than the early schools in America. The needs we see our students coming to school with continue to grow. Our teachers work incredibly hard to meet the many needs they see each day. Schools work best when families partner with them. We are incredibly blessed to have a community that supports the work of our schools. Thank you for your support!