Oct. 20, 2022 -- Parents and guardians across the district spend time in classrooms meeting their children’s teachers and learning about their classes during annual Curriculum Nights each fall. But this year at Rox Middle, they decided to do things a little differently. In an effort to build community and make middle school feel like a more family-friendly affair, teachers and staff scrapped the traditional format and offered a Curriculum Carnival instead.
Students gathered outside on the front lawn to play games, receive airbrush tattoos and enjoy frozen treats from an Icee truck. While indoors, teams of teachers had created booths with tri-fold displays describing their subject area, classroom policies and plans for the year ahead.
Lia Radke, an AVID teacher at Roxboro, said the event was “energetic and positive. I heard that a lot from parents.” She was especially excited that the 8th grade WEB leaders were given leadership opportunities as they created and led games and activities for their classmates. WEB stands for Where Everyone Belongs.
In addition to teachers, there were tables for the PTA, social work and counseling, Invitee Campus and the 21st Century-grant funded after-school program Roxboro Connect. There were also representatives from Open doors Academy, MetroHealth, Lake Erie Ink and other partner organizations.
While some parents prefer the more traditional format “because you can get more information,” others appreciated the opportunity to have informal conversations with their children’s teachers and described this as “upbeat and supportive.” All agreed that their kids had a blast and keeping the student activities is a must.