Parents invited to school at NP

Saturday, November 15, 2008

North Putnam High School parents are invited to spend the day at school with their student on Tuesday, as part of a celebration of American Education Week.

The 87th annual American Education Week (AEW) sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA) spotlights the importance of providing every child in America a quality education from Kindergarten to college. And, it emphasizes the need for everyone to be a part of making public schools great.

This year, AEW will be celebrated Nov. 16-22. Students and staff at North Putnam High School have a week full of activities planned.

The celebration will kick off Monday when the student council provides breakfast for faculty and staff at 7:30 a.m.

Student Council members obtained baby pictures of the NPHS staff. These will be displayed for students to identify and a prize will be given to the student who names the most pictures.

Tuesday is Bring Your Parent to school day. Students are invited to bring one parent to school to attend classes and eat lunch.

"This is a big event and one that parents and guardians are invited to spend a fun-filled day at school, including lunch with their student," said NPHS Student Council Sponsor David Basan.

Instructional Assistant Appreciation Day will take place on Wednesday as each assistant is presented a rose bud and note. Teachers will also exchange classes with one another on this day.

Substitute Educators Day is Thursday. Substitute teachers will receive a coupon for a Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut from student council members. Faculty and staff members will also receive a pizza lunch from the student council.

Fantastic Friday offers students an opportunity to compete against staff members in a volleyball game. Students will sign up to participate and 12 names will be drawn to create the team. Cheerleaders will pep up the crowd and will be giving out prizes throughout the game.

The NEA was one of the creators and original sponsors of American Education Week.

Distressed that 25 percent of the country's World War I draftees were illiterate and 9 percent were physically unfit, representatives of the NEA and the American Legion met in 1919 to seek ways to generate public support for education.

The conventions of both organizations subsequently adopted resolutions of support for a national effort to raise public awareness of the importance of education.

In 1921, the NEA Representative Assembly in Des Moines, Iowa, called for designation of one week each year to spotlight education.

In its resolution, the NEA called for "an educational week … observed in all communities annually for the purpose of informing the public of the accomplishments and needs of the public schools and to secure the cooperation and support of the public in meeting those needs."

The first observance of American Education Week occurred Dec. 4-10, 1921, with the NEA and American Legion as the cosponsors. A year later, the then U.S. Office of Education joined the effort as a cosponsor, and the PTA followed in 1938.

Other co-sponsors are the U.S. Department of Education and national organizations including the National PTA, the American Legion, the American Association of School Administrators, the National School Boards Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the American School Counselor Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National School Public Relations Association, the National Association of State Boards of Education, the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

American Education Week is always celebrated the week prior to the week of Thanksgiving.

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