Monfredo: Parent Expo Coming May 2, Great Event!

Saturday, April 25, 2015

John Monfredo, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

The most important ingredient for a successful school district is the involvement of parents. Parents are the child’s first and most influential teacher and schools must engage parents in the educational process.

Thus it’s fantastic to see that the Citywide Parent Planning Advisory Council (CPPAC) of the Worcester Public Schools in collaboration with the Worcester Educational Collaborative (WEC) and the WPI will coordinate the 5th annual Parent/Guardian EXPO at the WPI college campus, Harrington Gymnasium at 100 Institute Road. This event will give parents the opportunity to discover and learn about a number of programs and services that are available in the community and the Worcester Public Schools.

The EXPO is a one-stop shopping event for all school programs, after school-programs, day camp, arts and culture, and supports the needs of the community with over forty representatives from the school and the community displaying their programs to the public. The event will connect parents, guardians, principals, teachers, guidance counselors, and realtors with schools, community agencies and other organizations to inform the community about children’s activities and programming.

CCPAC is urging parents and community members to see what is available in our community with our students. As a special treat there will be performances by students and community groups throughout the morning with special raffle prizes and snacks taking place.

The best part is that this outstanding venue is FREE and is open to the public. Bus passes for public transit and limited translation services are available upon request. Just send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 508 757-5631 extension 222 or 252. There is also free parking at the Salisbury Street/Park Avenue garage at WPI next to the Harrington Gymnasium.

A little about CPPAC… this parent run organization is an advisory council to the Worcester Public School Administration and School Committee. CPPAC is made up of parent/guardian representatives of their children’s schools with a goal of creating and maintaining a means of communication among parents, teachers, and administration. It also attempts to promote an environment of understanding and common purpose so that the best education may be offered to all children. In an effort the achieve its goals the group meets monthly at the Worcester Public Library and discusses issues that have “city wide” significances’ on the system. The meetings are open to the public and CPPAC also attempts to involve representatives from all the schools in the system as well as those citizens interested in public education. Parents interested in representing their school at these meetings should contact their school principal.

Anyone interested in additional information should go to the CPPAC Facebook page, send an e-mail to CPPAC at [email protected] or visit http://cppac.worcesterschools.org and the http://www.wpsweb.com. You may also contact parent Dan Micher of the CPPAC at 508-615-4017.

Please consider attending PARENT EXPO for you will find the event a most beneficial resource for you and your child. Hope to see you there and be sure to stop and say hello.