Garden City Public Schools

On Nov. 18, Garden City Public Schools hosted its Elementary Literacy and Mathematics Family Fun Night at Stratford School, offering families an evening of hands-on learning throughout academic activities and exploration. The event featured 12 teacher-facilitated workshop sessions in literacy and mathematics, along with opportunities for families to visit the Scholastic Book Fair.

Mathematics workshops included “Factors and Fraction Fun,” where students practiced fractions and multiplication through a competitive “Five in a Row” game with family members; “Multiplication Squares,” a fun and creative twist on the traditional “Dots and Boxes” that challenged participants to roll dice, generate multiplication expressions and complete the board strategically; and “Building with Base Ten Blocks,” which invited families to explore place value, addition and subtraction while designing towers, patterns and houses.

Literacy sessions offered equally enriching experiences. In “Word Stack,” participants used 10 letter-labeled cups to build as many word towers as possible, and in “Sight Word Bingo,” students sharpened essential reading and writing vocabulary through an interactive game format. In “Literacy Rotation Stations: Content Area Book Talks and Vowel Team Fun,” families moved through a series of hands-on activities including bookmark-making, reading informational texts in science and social studies, and practicing vowel team word mapping to connect sounds to letters.

Throughout the evening, families also visited the Scholastic Book Fair, made possible through the partnership of Garden City Schools, the PTA and PARP. Students browsed a wide selection of books, discovered new stories and celebrated a shared love of reading.

“It was great seeing the enthusiasm of our students and families,” said Dr. Kusum Sinha, Superintendent of the Garden School District. “Students enjoyed sharing books and exchanging ideas about how they can continue reading with their friends. It truly felt like a gathering centered on the joy of reading.”

The event highlighted the district’s commitment to bringing families and educators together in support of student learning while supporting literacy and mathematics growth across all elementary levels.