Veazie Street Elementary School first grader Jose Mercedes and his sister, Angela, were all smiles during the school’s Community Fair Night.

The Providence School Department will host open houses for parents of eighth grade students entering high school in September. The open houses will be from 9 to 11 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on these dates:

•Nov. 27 — Hope complex, 324 Hope St.; E-Cubed, 812 Branch Ave.; Feinstein, 544 Elmwood Ave.

•Nov. 28 — Central, 70 Fricker St.; Cooley HST and Providence Academy of International Studies, 182 Thurbers Ave.; Adelaide, 155 Harrison St.

•Nov. 29 — Mount Pleasant, 434 Mount Pleasant Ave.; Classical, 770 Westminster St.

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Elementary schools

•West celebrated Veterans Day on Fridaywith the student body, faculty, staff and guests. Military troops were honored. The Korean War Veterans Color Guard and The National Order of Trench Rats attended.

•Webster’s September-October student-of-the-month lunch was held Friday. Teachers choose a student from their class who meets the classroom’s student-generated criteria. In addition to participating in the lunch, each student is recognized during announcements and receives a certificate.

Webster will host its first PTO meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the library. Parents are encouraged to attend.

Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for today from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Pparents are encouraged to meet with their child’s teacher to review and discuss their child’s progress and report card.

•Lauro will hold parent-teacher conferences from 5 to 8 tonight. Lauro teacher Linda Coloumbe received the ArtReach: Wicked Curriculum Development Grant from the Rhode Island Art Education Association, Providence Performing Arts Center and Rhode Island Monthly. The grant is a curriculum-planning opportunity for visual arts and design teachers to work outside the normal school day to develop lessons that connect visual and performing arts inspired by the Broadway musical Wicked.

Middle schools

•Hopkins would like to thank everyone who helped make its Family Night a success. More than 150 parents and students participated in activities such as math bingo, face painting and vocabulary puzzle games. An Italian extravaganza coordinated by Angelo Neri featured Italian music and pastries. Italian-speaking students served the food. Several community partners such as LensCrafters, Neighborhood Health Plan of RI, Crusaders, Providence After School Alliance and the Providence Public Library attended to inform parents of services available to their children. Hopkins thanks Sodexho, Dunkin’ Donuts under Dan’s Management in Providence and Gianfranco’s Sweet Ideas for their donations of food and drinks.

Hopkins invites all community members and parents back to the school Monday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for school report night and parent-teacher conferences.

The school will host honors night and a PTO meeting Tuesday from 6 to 7 in the library.

High schools

•Central’s Class of 2007 is reviewing the academic credits needed for graduation and becoming familiar with college admission requirements and career opportunities. In the past two weeks, seniors have been introduced to the University of Rhode Island’s Talent Development and Rhode Island College’s college preparatory programs. Both programs allow seniors to experience dorm life and other aspects of college life.

To simplify the application process, the school has scheduled a college fair for Nov. 30. Thirty New England colleges are scheduled to attend. A financial aid night and a parent night will be held later in the school year. Renee Bailey, head of the guidance department, and Vice Principal Harold Metts have spoken with seniors and answered questions about their opportunities.

•Mount Pleasant’s Book Club members recently volunteered on the Blackstone Valley Polar Express Train for two days at the request of school librarian Nancy McEnanly, a storyteller on the train. Students helped passengers find their seats, passed out goodies and helped lead sing-a-longs. They also helped Santa when he visited each car.

•Classical 12th grader Shu Wan was recently selected as a regional finalist in the Siemens competition in math, science and technology. He competed at the New England regional competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Regional winners advance to the national competition at New York University to compete for scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. Because of Wan’s achievement, Classical will receive a $2,000 award for its science, mathematics and technology programs.

Report cards were distributed to Classical students yesterday and parent-teacher conferences will be tonight from 5:30 to 8:30. Parents are invited to meet their children’s teachers.

•PAIS seniors spent the weekend at the University of New Hampshire in a program for prospective freshmen. Ten students were selected from Rhode Island, nine of whom were PAIS seniors.

This week, PAIS is hosting International Education Week. Presenters and events include a Bryant University celebration of International Business Day and International Education Week, Culture, Excellence and Family, dance performances, an international music showcase by PAIS dance students and a musicians’ awards ceremony, Stakeholders/Partners’ Appreciation Breakfast (PLAN USA, Bryant University, URI, Watson Institute, Global RI, Crusaders, VIPS, Johnson and Wales, CCRI and invited partners), PAIS Family Center grand opening and an international music showcase and food sale.

•Cooley will host the International Institute of Rhode Island’s question-and-answer session — Immigration and Citizenship Issues for Students and their Families — with immigration attorney Carl Krueger tonight from 6 to 8 at the Juanita Sanchez Complex, 182 Thurbers Ave. Food and refreshments will be served. For information, call Ted Rao at (401) 784-8615 or e-mail trao@iiri.org.

The Providence Schools Activities column is compiled by the Communications Department. Contact Maria Tocco, senior communications officer, at (401) 278-0592 or maria.tocco@ppsd.org.