PHOTO BY SABRINE BRISMEUR
BY SABRINE BRISMEUR
With the commencement of a new school year comes Cooper City High School’s Open House, this year falling on Tuesday, September 6th.
Serving as an opportunity for parents to learn about their children’s classes, and for teachers to accurately explain their curriculum, attending Open House is encouraged by faculty and administration alike. The night begins with a ten-minute opening address video at 6:45, and ends at around 9:25. Parents will follow in their children’s footsteps as they participate in a mini-school day and visit each of their child’s teachers.
“I go through the class with them, what the kids will be going through, and what the expectations for the class will be,” geography teacher Christopher Hinely said. “It’s a great way to let parents know what’s going on.”
Yearbooks will be available on sale for $70 in the cafeteria from 5:30 to 6:30, and parents will be able to register their juniors for the PSAT in guidance at a cost of $15. CCHS’ new cafeteria manager will be answering questions the same night.
“Open House is a busy night, but it’s fun to interact with the parents and a really nice way to show off a little bit, because they only hear what their kids say about the class,” biology teacher Jason Scarlatelli explained. “It’s a chance to give parents a taste of what it’s like for their son or daughter to be in our class.”
Students received an Open House letter on Friday, complete with a school map and empty schedule. The intention is for CCHS students to fill out the schedule with their own classes, and highlight the room numbers on the map in order for parents to quickly find their children’s classes. An alternative is for parents to log onto their child’s Pinnacle account in order to find their schedule.
“Open House is very helpful for us parents, since it gives us a better understanding of what kind of courses our kids are taking, and shows us the environment they learn in,” parent Hanit Siso said.
Daughter Danielle Siso agreed.
“It gives my parents a better understanding of how rigorous some of my courses can be,” Siso said. “The teachers are very welcoming, and want to assure parents that their kids are in good hands.”
Though some teachers prefer to introduce their course with a PowerPoint or general notes, science teachers tend to take advantage of their Open Houses differently by having parents participate in the same lab activities their children work on in class. Scarlatelli plans on doing an introductory water property lab with parents that he usually does with his students, instead of a PowerPoint.
“I always get a little nervous about Open House because it’s like the first day of school for teachers, only with parents,” Scarlatelli added. “But it’s always fun to point out when parents are doing something wrong in a lab activity.”
