Students and fathers from the Becker Primary School are having a Kids Pizza Night Dec. 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the primary school.
The event is to kick off the Watch D.O.G.S.® (Dads of Great Students) program, a fathering initiative of the National Center for Fathering. The program began in a single school in 1998 and has since grown to a national program with Watch D.O.G.S. schools in every state.
“Watch D.O.G.S. is the opportunity to not only make a positive impact on your child's life, but on the life of others as well,” said parent Todd Schuster.
The Watch D.O.G.S. program has been recognized by t he United States Dept. of Education and the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services and has been involved in the U.S. Dept. of Education’s P.F.I.E. (Partnership For Family Involvement In Education) and the Department ’s Safe School Summit. The Watch D.O.G.S. program is a founding member of National PTA’s M.O.R.E. Alliance (Men Organized to Raise Engagement).
Also, the program has been recognized on the floor of Congress as a program that “can be a great tool in our efforts to prevent school violence and improve student performance because it can increase parental initiative and involvement in their children’s education.
Each school year thousands of men volunteer to work at least one day in their child’s school through the Watch D.O.G.S. program. These men work along side the educators to help as crossing guards, supervise student drop off and pick up area, hallway monitors, library assistants, lunchroom helpers, classroom and homework tutors and playground/gymnasium coaches. The possibilities are endless. Every school year these men have a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids.
The program benefits are as follows: 1). Students gain positive male role models; 2). Schools gain an extra set of eyes and ears. The presence of a father or father figure will provide an additional deterrent to bullying, enhance a sense of security in the building, and will help to create an environment conducive to learning;
3). Fathers get a glimpse of their students’ everyday world and learn about the increasingly complex challenges and decisions today’s youth are facing. As a result, they can learn to relate better to their student and hopefully connect with them; 4). Fathers gain a greater awareness of the positive impact they can have on their student’s life in three critical areas including: academic performance, self -esteem and social behavior.
For more information, email watchdogs@fathers.com or visit www.fathers.com/watchdogs. If you would like to help support this program in Becker schools please contact Becker Primary Principal Dale Christensen at 763 -261-6330.
