Teachers Cindy Young and Whitney Hutcheson share information with parents about how to enhance academic success for their first graders.

When education is a team effort, student academic achievement will be higher. That’s the message Phil Campbell Elementary School wanted to share with moms and dads during Thursday’s Parent Expo.
“This is the key: we have to work together as a team,” said Principal Jackie Ergle.
Sessions were led by teachers and outside experts throughout the day on math and reading strategies, adult education, bullying, home resources and more.
In a reading and math strategies for first grade session in the library, for example, parents commiserated over common core woes and learned about the components of the reading assessments their children will undergo this year.
“In first grade, reading is going to be one of the most important things they learn this year,” said first grade teacher Cindy Young.
Parents were able to read a sample of a story first graders will be expected to know how to read, as well as the nonsense word they should be able to read on sight.
Dozens of parents took advantage of the expo, which offered daytime as well as afternoon/evening sessions in an effort to be flexible and fit parent schedules.
“Parents love listening to the teachers and learning,” Ergle said. “(The expo) seems to reach a lot of grade levels.”