NATCHEZ — “Come in. Learn. Take out. Share with your children at home.”

Natchez-Adams School District Director of Federal Programs Marilyn Turner said that’s the mission at the heart of tonight’s Parent University.

“Parent University is where parents have the opportunity to come to school.

“Parents will have the opportunity to sit in the chairs in which their students are sitting and actually get the same skills that students receive during the regular school day so they can go out and teach those skills to their children,” Turner said.

Tonight at 5 p.m. parents and guardians of students in kindergarten through 12th grade will file into the auditorium of Natchez High School to learn more about important areas of academia such as mathematics and reading and how to create an environment of continued learning within their homes.

Students are also welcome to participate in the evening’s classes.

Participants will begin the evening with a general assembly meeting and then will go on to attend two 45-minute breakout sessions with each grade having specially designed classes tailored to its students’ learning levels.

Turner said this set up will allow parents and students to attend sessions focusing on all subject matters being covered within their academic classification.

But Turner also said parents of high school students can expect a different breakout session experience as teachers covering grades 9-12 will be focusing on important skills that are set up to prepare students for graduation.

“At the high school level, they’re actually targeting Subject Area Testing for English II, Biology I and Algebra I. We definitely want parents and high school students to be in those sessions.”

Turner said she expects at least 550 people for what will be the first Parent University of the 2009-2010 school year.

With that many people expected to be in attendance, room has been made to accommodate all learners, young and not as young.

Turner said there will be a total of 18 classrooms in use with teachers from all over the district leading sessions in each one.

Aside from using classrooms and the high school’s auditorium, the school district is also utilizing Natchez High’s library and cafeteria.

A light dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. and a concert will cap off the evening’s activities.

“We will have young students from Frazier Primary (singing.) These are first and second graders, and they do an excellent job.”