A lesson on using Google Apps and a tour of the Effingham College and Career Academy highlight the final 2014-15 installment of Parent University-Effingham.
Parent University is set for Saturday at Effingham County Middle School. The entire program is free of charge.
Registration and breakfast will begin at 8 a.m., followed by a general session for everyone at 9. Participants will then take part in three informational sessions, from 9:40-10:40, 10:50-11:50 and noon-1 p.m.
Parent University is offering a new class on Google Apps for education. Using a free Google account, parents can monitor their child’s work at school.
“This class will teach and share with parents how they can embrace Google Apps from home in real-time,” said Franklin Goldwire, dean of Parent University-Effingham.
The Google Apps session will be offered at two different times to give more people the chance to take it. The course will be led by Effingham County School System staff members.
“It’s going to be presented by people who deal with this on a day-to-day basis and can give all the ins and outs and nuts and bolts on how to embrace the Google Apps application with success and with ease,” Goldwire said.
Another new offering is a tour of the Effingham College and Career Academy. Parents will learn about the different programs ECCA offers to help students develop workplace skills while earning high school credit. The campus tour will last for two session hours and include a look at the welding and logistics labs.
“We just wanted to provide another opportunity for parents to really learn the value of (ECCA) and how their children can benefit from the program,” Goldwire said.
Popular courses being offered again this spring are a first aid certification class and an overview of the Civil Air Patrol. Classes also will cover topics such as everyday ways to help develop reading skills, symptoms and causes of depression, and discipline mistakes parents make and how to correct them.
While the adults are attending sessions, Parent University will provide the “kids academy” for children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and youth leadership classes for students in grades six to 12. Each child in attendance will take home a free book.
In addition, various vendors will be on hand during the day. Lunch will be served following the final session.
Saturday’s program will conclude Parent University’s third year in Effingham. The classes are designed for parents or caregivers of children in all grade levels of Effingham County schools, but any interested member of the community can attend.
Parent University-Effingham is sponsored by the Springfield Central High School Association and the Effingham County Board of Education. Many current and former educators are involved in teaching the classes.
“We have a group of excited people who are involved with this program,” Goldwire said. “They have a vested interest in Parent University and they see what a difference it can make, and the difference it has made with a number of folks.”
To register in advance, visit www.parentuniversityeffingham.org. For more information, call 661-5290, 772-3885 or 978-0769.
