‘We miss our kiddos’ | AES creates summer connect events for students, families

A three-month break from school is always an exciting time for students as they head into the summer.

But for teachers and staff, the phrase “three-month break” sometimes invokes a different connotation — sadness.

“Summer lasts a long time, and we miss our kiddos,” said Acton Elementary School Principal Maggie Walton.

To allow students and teachers to spend time together over the summer, Walton came up with the idea to host a few campus-wide Summer Connect events.

"We were brainstorming and it was just something I came up with,” Walton said. “One of our big goals for this last year is to connect and engage with our families more, so we wanted to throw a few different opportunities to engage during the summer too. It was an idea that I had randomly, and we wanted it to be inexpensive for our families, as well.”

The first Summer Connect event was held at the DeCordova Bend Estates pickleball court on June 15, bringing about 50 students in attendance.

"I was surprised that we had quite a few who came who didn’t live (at DeCordova),” Walton said. “We let parents drop off, but some parents stayed and I loved that just as much. The parents were able to engage with one another and engage with us.”

The second Summer Connect event was held at Cinergy Cinemas on July 11, for a $2 private screening of “Hotel Transylvania 2.”

“So many kiddos and families, they opened up a third theater for us," Walton said. "It was so good seeing so many of our precious students."

On Tuesday, Aug. 1, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., another AES Summer Connect event called Popsicles with the Principal will be held at the school, allowing students to spend some time at the playground and enjoy a frozen treat.

“We advertise Popsicles with Principals to new incoming kindergarteners or families who have moved here and are new to Acton,” Walton said. “It gives them an opportunity to meet up and socialize, and it gives them a first really good encounter before August when they’re new students at the school.”

Walton said an additional Summer Connect event is also in the works for the end of July at the Granbury City Beach Park, but the plans are currently still being discussed.

“We've had a lot of really good feedback on (these) so far,” Walton said. “For us, summer is a long time to go without seeing the kids, so it’s just our way of staying connected as much as we possibly can with our families.”