U-46 to host sessions for kindergarten parents

Elgin Area School District U-46 will host informational sessions starting this week for parents and guardians of the district's more than 2,500 full-day kindergarten students this year.

The 90-minute U46Engage sessions are designed to help parents navigate their child's educational pathway through graduation in 2031 at the state's second-largest district.

Parents will learn about the various academic offerings, services and opportunities, such as gifted and dual-language programming, as well as ways to support their child's education at home and at the school and district levels.

Sessions will be at 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday in English and Tuesday in Spanish in the library of Elgin High School, 1200 Maroon Drive, Elgin. Free child care will be provided. Parents must RSVP for the session they would like to attend at goo.gl/Zd7Xtm.

A panel comprising a U-46 parent, student, principal and school board member will share tips, experiences and expectations followed by a roundtable discussion.

Students Kiersten Larsen, of South Elgin High School, and Isaiah Mercado, of Ellis Middle School, will sing during the Thursday and Tuesday sessions, respectively.

Parents are encouraged to fill out the Parent Volunteer Promise to be involved with their child's education.

During the 2017-18 school year, more than 1,000 kindergarten parents (41 percent) submitted a completed pledge agreeing to be involved in their child's education for at least five hours during the school year through activities, such as reading at home with their child, participating in parent-teacher groups or a district advisory group. The document is available online in English and Spanish.