St. John CES ignites math excitement with innovative grocery store event

In an effort to enhance math education and strengthen family engagement, St. John Catholic Elementary School partnered with a  local grocery store to bring students and parents together to explore mathematics in an everyday scenario – grocery shopping. 

“I was so excited for the event. I love to see parental engagement and a love of math come together,” said St. John CES principal Jen Wright. “This is the first time we’ve done this type of parent engagement session, and there is a real buzz in the school. It’s also such a wonderful community event. We are so blessed with our community partners.”

In total, more than 50 students participated in the event along with their parents, guardians, and caretakers. Prizes for completed math challenge sheets, as well as additional estimation games were provided by community partners such as the Real Canadian Superstore, Lansdowne Place, Dominos, and Ricarts, which added an extra layer of excitement for students participating.

Many students, including 7-year-old Charlotte enjoyed the night as an additional way to put math skills to use in a real-world setting. “Family math night was really good! I liked learning on the sheet and using a clipboard, and having Mommy help was fun!”

This event comes as St. John CES embraces its status as a priority school within the Board’s Math Achievement Action Plan, with a strong focus on improving math skills across all levels. The initiative, which originated from the creative minds of the school’s staff committee, involved families in a hands-on, fun-filled experience at the store, turning routine grocery shopping into an interactive math adventure. Each grade level received their own math challenge sheet, tailored to their own math curriculum learning levels. 

Tanya Mahoney, a parent at St. John CES, joined in on the fun while participating in the activity. “The kids are right into it, and were excited to put their math skills to the test, while running around and learning about the price of groceries,” Mahoney said. “It’s such a cool experience for them and us, the parents, to participate in.”