Young Hadley leaders inaugurated
Parents, teachers and family members attended the Hadley Student Council’s first ever inauguration ceremony Thursday night. Guest speaker State Representative Sandra Pihos referred to her own experience in student council, describing it as 'a very important part of my education. The skills I developed helped me succeed as a teacher, counselor and state representative. If not for my leadership experience while I was in school, I wouldn’t be standing here tonight.'
After the Student Council officers and members were sworn in and received their pins, Principal Dr. Christopher Dransoff commented, 'Isn’t there a lot of enthusiasm and anticipation in these young leaders? Some of you may not know what you’ve gotten yourselves into!' The Student Council has a number of ambitious projects on its plate, many of which are service oriented and align with the school’s focus on the Six Pillars of Character in the Character Counts program. The activities, which are student-led, include a spirit week in October culminating with a pep rally, Pumpkin Pennies for the Pantry fundraiser, a November toy drive for Glen Ellyn Junior Woman’s Club, a Candy Cane fundraiser, pairing with seniors at a retirement home for games and correspondence, and Valentines for Seniors.
SERC highlights family-school communication
At its first meeting of the year, the PTA’s Special Education Resource Committee (SERC) hosted speaker Nancy Brown, right, from Project Choices (a state-funded entity that supports special education initiatives). Brown, a mother of a special education child herself, mixed personal insights with professional experience to examine how family-school communication can support student success. 'Each child is on a quest, a difficult journey through unknown territory,' said Brown.
Productive, child-centered communication between family and school is essential to support the quest, said Brown, who led the group through a number of activities, including an analysis of a communication breakdown in a hypothetical situation between a teacher and mom regarding a child who was having trouble in school. Participants identified communication blockages, such as rigidity and lack of knowledge about how to use resources, and examined how a child-centered approach might have improved the situation.
SERC welcomes all parents to its meetings, regardless of whether they have a special education child.
Here is a schedule of upcoming SERC meetings.
