Parents, mark your calendars for Monday, Oct. 17. That’s the day all Alabama public schools will hold Parenting Day.

While the students of all Butler County schools will have that Monday off, it will be a busy day for staff and faculty members.

&uot;We will kick off the day at 9 a.m. with professional development for our school faculties,&uot; Mike Looney, superintendent of Butler County Schools, said.

Looney said the in-service day will wrap up at 1 p.m. with fun and games to follow in the afternoon.

&uot;We have a cookout and activities planned for our school faculties, staffs and their families from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the W.O. Parmer playground,&uot; Looney said.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, games and a dunking booth are all planned for the family time, which Looney describes as a &uot;thank you&uot; to all public school employees.

&uot;They have all worked hard this year, and they are putting in a long day that day. This is a way to kick back and have fun and show we appreciate their efforts,&uot; Looney said.

School personnel will return to their respective schools from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for parent-teacher conferences and an open house.

McKenzie School Principal Randy Williams is looking forward to Parenting Day as an opportunity for more parents to get involved in their children’s education.

&uot;We want to let parents know what’s going on in our school and get them more involved in the decision-making process,&uot; Williams said.

He hopes to see more parents volunteer at the school, &uot;even if it’s only to come in and read a book to the children.&uot;

&uot;The No Child Left Behind Act mandates parental involvement and it’s something we are always working on improving,&uot; Williams said.

At Georgiana High School, Principal Keith York said his faculty will be working on curriculum guidelines for their classes during their in-service time.

&uot;From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. we’ll distribute report cards and hold parent-teacher conferences. The goal is to improve and enhance family and school communications,&uot; York said.

For more information about Parenting Day, contact your children’s school (s).