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Pastries for Parents

Many schools use the opening weeks of school as the occasion for holding special Pastries for Parents days. Since Grandparents Day is the second Sunday in September, this month is also a great time to hold a Goodies for Grandparents event or a Grandparents BBQ. The Grandparents BBQ, held on a Saturday, is a big hit at Bennion Elementary School in Taylorsville, Utah. In addition, the school presents monthly Parents and Pastries events. "Parents read to the children and the children read to their parents," principal Donnette McNeill-Waters told Education World. "We have also called this event Doughnuts for Dad in a specific attempt to get more fathers involved."

At Hendrix Elementary School in Boiling Springs, South Carolina, "we always plan our Muffins for Moms and other pastry events around a short daytime program the adults can stay and attend," said principal Dawn Neely. Connect confections to a student display or performance -- or simply to an opportunity to visit students' classrooms -- and you're sure to have a real crowd pleaser.

At Tincher Preparatory School in Long Beach, California, Dad's Doughnut Day is a very popular event. Fathers and significant men in children's lives attended a coffee-and-doughnut breakfast in the school cafeteria. Then the "dads" stay and visit the classrooms of their children. The event has drawn 500 or more fathers and significant others, said principal Bill Vogel.

"Photographs are taken of each father and his child," Vogel told Education World. "The teaching staff structures activities that include the fathers. Writing exercises, science experiments, hands-on math, and technology lessons were among those activities."

This is one of many activities at Tincher that promote a strong community and school-parent bond. Others events include Mom's Muffin Morning, Grandparents Day, and a Power Lunch.

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
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