With the new school year underway, Freeport Primary School is encouraging parents to become more involved in their children's education.

"Research has shown that students whose parents are involved in their children's education perform at a much higher standard than those whose parents are not involved," principal at Freeport Primary School, Barbara Thompson said.

The school is hosting a symposium on Sunday to provide a forum to sensitize parents of the necessity of playing an active role in their children's education.

"We are hoping that parents will take advantage of this opportunity to come out and listen to our presenters who are dynamic persons in the community," Thompson said.

She said the topics to be addressed are critical to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of children.

The symposium, Effective Parenting Strategies, will be held at the Foster B. Pestaina Center at Pro-Cathedral Christ the King from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Thompson said parents of students from Freeport Primary School and persons within the wider community should attend.

School guidance councilor Mary Gray said presenters will include clinical psychologist Dr. Pamula Mills, a representative from the Department of Social Services, and several others.

Topics to be covered include Caring for the Physical Needs of the Student, The Importance of Establishing Family Rules and Consequences, How Parents Can Build the Self-Esteem of Their Children, Effective Praise and the Use of Rewards and Helping Your Child to Succeed in School.

"All of these are topics which we have put together because many of our parents actually have expressed the desire to receive more information on how they could better assist their children, so all are really urged to come out and listen," Gray said.

Ashton Brown, Boys Club leader at Freeport Primary School and a minister at Calvary Temple who will be presenting at the symposium, said there is a lack of follow-through with young men and there are no consequences for inappropriate behavior.

"One of the things we want to do is make parents more aware and talk to them from the perspective of follow-through and consequences from actions because that's important for the deterrence of the repeat behavior as far as behavior that is not correct for the young boys that are growing up," he said.

The Boy's Club has been at the school for four years, and Brown said he has been involved for one year.

Brown said he thinks the program makes a difference in the lives of the male students.

"Our motto or our feeling is as long as one child is impacted it's been a success because one child has been deterred from problems – probably jail or a change of their mindset towards issues and we've had continual interactions and I could see the gradual turning of the mindset and the behavior of the boys," he said.