Parents and family members recently joined their students and teachers from
Pinedale Elementary's Pre-Kindergarten Department for the Third Annual Azar Sausage End of Year Celebration and Cookout held at Ringhaver Park.
Parents, grandparents and siblings were invited to interact with each other, enjoy lunch and celebrate the school year as their children enjoyed the park’s playground equipment. The students were from the Title 1 Pre-K class, as well as the hearing impaired and developmentally delayed classes.
For the parents who have children with special needs, the activity provided them with the opportunity to see their children playing, interacting and smiling with their peers in a school environment.
According to Pinedale teacher Kirk Altman, many parents of special needs children, for one reason or another, are not able to let their children have the same type of experiences that children without special needs are able to have.
"Throughout the year, we try to host several activities that allow these parents to see what we as teachers see, their children running around, sliding down slides, swinging on swings, playing with other kids, and to really see their children being children," said Altman.
The annual event also allowed the parents of many different backgrounds, nationalities and languages to come together and interact with each other.
Discounted sausages and hot dogs were provided by Jacksonville's Azar Sausages, and parents provided fruit drinks.
For more pictures from the End of Year Celebration, visit the
DCPS' flickr photostream.
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