Photo By Courtney Pollock | NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (April 19, 2023) Parents sign their children into the kids...... read more read more
At the end of the morning announcements that echo through the classrooms of Rota Elementary School each day, the students end with the phrase, “Developing Great Futures.” This phrase swaps the acronym DGF, which stands for school’s namesake David Glasgow Farragut, to something that the students, teachers and administrators can aspire to each day.
In keeping with this intent, the school hosted a family night for social emotional wellness, April 19, 2023.
The event included dinner, breakout informational sessions for parents, a kids’ zone, and community resources. The event drew over 50 families totaling 150 participants!
“It exceeded my expectations,” said Marla Echols, third grade teacher and event coordinator. “I was filled with so much joy to see the community coming out to be a part of the event. The community, base and school support were phenomenal from the planning to the execution. I say and stand by working together works. Our village came together!”
The village Echols is referring to is Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota leadership, Child & Youth Programs (CYP), Educational and Developmental Intervention Services (EDIS), Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC), Military Family Life Counselors (MFLCs), School Liaison Office and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) in addition to school leadership, guidance counselors and teachers.
Families were greeted by Echols, NAVSTA Rota Commanding Officer Capt. Teague Suarez and Rota Elementary School Principal Kenneth Kirk who thanked them for their support before releasing the families to drop their children at the kids’ zone and head to the breakout sessions.
There were two 30-minute breakout sessions by community experts on mindfulness, quality vs. quantity, screen time, age appropriate sports, communication, and more. In the hallway before sessions started, many parents were seen trying to decide which session to attend.
“There are so many great options,” said one parent. “I want to go to them all!”
The sessions went quickly with parents and presenters enjoying the engagement and topics.
“I really enjoyed talking with the parents and learning ways that they ‘speak’ their children’s love language,” said Laura Davis, a counselor at Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC) Rota.
By having the event focused on parents, Echols hopes it will create a ripple effect within the family dynamics and relationships.
“For instance, the mindfulness in action session gave parents techniques that support them to develop strategies when stressed, need to calm down, etc.,” said Echols. “In turn the children will benefit from learning the strategies and also ability to see how parents respond.”
The feedback from parents on the event was overwhelming positive, with many asking when it would happen again. Many parents were excited to incorporate the actionable items provided by the presenters.
“It was great that it wasn’t only geared towards kids, but also as adults that we can use in our daily life,” said one parent.
When reflecting on the event, Echols kept echoing one word, “excitement.” It was felt on all levels – teachers, parents, kids, presenters, and community members – everyone was there and excited to learn, grow, and be part of this community. Most importantly, the Rota village was working together to develop a great future for its students and families.
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2023 09:11 |
| Story ID: | 443477 |
| Location: | ES |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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