Warm welcome, genuine caring, draw parents to Rhema
Friday, November 3, 2006
Like many parents, Robin Steiginga wants to be involved in her children’s education. She doesn’t want to be seen as at cross-purposes with the goals of the school and teachers. She wants to partner with them.

At Rhema, she says, she finds she can do this.

“When I’m in the school, I feel welcomed,” says Robin, whose daughter is in senior kindergarten this year. “I’ve heard that’s not always the case at schools… But here, the teachers look forward to having the parents there.”

Christine, another parent with children at the school agrees, noting that a key strength of the school is the “participation level parents are encouraged to have.”

“You see so many parents taking advantage of that, teaching classes, sitting on committees, helping out in other ways. It’s great to see.”

She refers to a recent Thanksgiving supper arranged for seniors. Although it had been organized by the Good Neighbour committee at the school, Christine says that many parents were involved in the cooking, preparing and cleaning.

“The teachers represent Christ,” says Christine. “It’s hard to put into words, but both my boys come home in awe of their teachers. They’re so patient, so compassionate… I think they care above and beyond what their roles call for.”

Christine notes that one of her sons has a severe disability and that at Rhema he receives the “compassion he needs.”

He does not have an educational assistant, like he could in a public school, but Christine says he gets all the help he requires.

“They care for him as God’s creation.”