October 28, 2020

Family engagement in schools has the ability to positively impact the academic, social, and emotional growth of students.  As Shanna Putnam Dibble, Elementary Learner Advocate, noted, “During ‘typical’ years, our schools work hard to invite families into the buildings for a variety of family engagement opportunities.  However, we are unable to have extra people in our buildings at this time, and we miss seeing our families, volunteers, and community members in person as we greatly value our partnerships and the support of our students and staff.”

Dibble continued, “We can’t be together in person as much as we would like right now, but we can still find ways to engage our students, families, and community as we learn and have fun together.”  Over the past month, all preschool through second grade students in the community had the opportunity to participate in the Pumpkin Project.  Families read a favorite book together and received a pumpkin to decorate in a way that would represent their book.  This project was a huge success with over 130 participants. The district extends their gratitude to the students and families for participating as well as to the sponsors for this event: Decorah Parent Teacher Organization, Decorah Public Library, Pinter’s Pumpkin Patch, and Cardboard Robot.  Dibble concluded, “Together we can learn, have fun, and spread joy during this challenging time!”