"It is important to me that parents know they are a very significant part of their child's success in school," says Elizabeth Ussatis, a fourth-grade teacher at Washington Elementary School in Valley City. Guided by this aim and in collaboration with her team teacher, Mrs. Ussatis was able to secure a grant to implement "Science and Math Understanding Reaches Families." The program provides students with take-home "paks" that bring parents and children together to undertake week-long activities that are followed up by parents' nights at the school. Another initiative of Mrs. Ussatis is the Elementary Science Olympiad for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students. The two-day competition, staffed in part by parent volunteers, includes a variety of academic events and culminates in a celebration of student team achievement. In 1995, Mrs. Ussatis received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching from the National Science Foundation.
1965 Valley City State University, Other
