A Dad's CelebrationMadison Junior High School Naperville, Illinois Work demands and travel obligations often hinder fathers from developing stronger ties with the school. While brainstorming ways to increase father participation, the idea of A Dad’s Celebration emerged. The parent involvement team wanted an informal interactive event that would encourage fathers and their children to experience aspects of school life. More... Sally L. Pentecost, Principal (630) 420-6400 Type 3 | Middle Grades | Climate of Partnership |
Calling All Class ParentsRoyal Orchard Public School Thornhill, Ontario Canada As part of the School Plan for Continuous Improvement, Royal Orchard Public School enhanced the two-way communication between home to school and school to home by establishing a Class Parent Representative Program. More... Rosalie Selick, Principal Principal 905) 889-6272 Type 2 | Elementary Grades | Climate of Partnership |
Issues that Junior High Students FaceKennedy Junior High School Lisle, Illinois Early in the school year, some Kennedy Junior High School students behaved inappropriately at a party. The parent community asked the school for guidance on how to help their junior high students make better choices. The Parent Involvement Team responded by addressing the topic at a special meeting open to all parents. Two new initiatives came from that meeting. More... Maureen Dvorak, Action Team Chairperson 630) 420-3220 Type 1 | Middle Grades | Climate of Partnership |
Let's Play BallThe Pennsylvania School for the Deaf Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf faced a dilemma a few years ago about how to involve students’ fathers more in school events. As in many schools, fathers rarely attended the daytime school meetings or classroom activities designed for parent involvement. Five years ago at a regional one-day conference for school-family liaisons, a staff member learned about a golf fundraiser that one school sponsored every year to promote the involvement of fathers. Since the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf has primarily an urban population, the staff felt that a golf fundraiser would not be very interesting to these families. However, a basketball fundraiser might be something that the dads would enjoy. More... Tina Pakis, Action Team Member (215) 951-4765 Type 3 | Elementary Grades | Climate of Partnership |
Plans Responsive to Parents' NeedsCottonwood Elementary School Cincinnati, Ohio Like many schools, Cottonwood Elementary School has a group of hard working parent volunteers that always supports school programs. This same group of parents typically participates in PTA, attends school functions, helps their children with homework and school projects, and attends parent-teacher conferences. The challenge is to reach the greater population of families who are not typically involved at the school. More... Laura Barret, Action Team Co-Chair (513) 729-5172 Type 5 | Elementary Grades | Climate of Partnership |
Project ConnectChaska High School Chaska, Minnesota Chaska High School developed Project Connect to promote violence-free, safe schools, families, and communities through building meaningful interpersonal relationships. The project responded to district goals to increase student achievement and to strengthen the sense of community. The project coordinators felt that recent violent acts perpetrated by young people had a common denominator: a lack of a sense of connectedness to peers and adults. More... Jim O’Connell, Principal (952) 556-7115 Type 6 | High School | Climate of Partnership |
Reach Out and Touch SomeonePark Avenue Elementary School Danbury, Connecticut Park Avenue Elementary School developed the Neighborhood Representative Program to encourage Park Avenue families to communicate with other one another and share information about school-wide events. The Fun Connection Team (part of the school’s comprehensive Action Team for Partnerships) aimed to promote a feeling of community by asking volunteers to call people who lived on the same street and inform them of school activities. More... Nancy Miller, Parent Outreach Coordinator (203) 797-4763 Type 2 | Elementary Grades | Climate of Partnership |
Spirit ClubKennedy Junior High School Lisle, Illinois Go, team, go!! Athletes love to hear the crowd cheer as they are about to score a goal or cross the finish line. The School/Family/Community Partnership – Parent Involvement Team at Kennedy Junior High School created the Eagles’ Spirit Club during the summer of 1998 to increase school spirit. In previous years, student attendance at after school and evening events was minimal. Since the Spirit Club has been initiated attendance has skyrocketed. More... Maureen Dvorak, Action Team Chairperson (630) 420-3220 Type 3 | Middle Grades | Climate of Partnership |
The Clothes StoresBuffalo Public School #18 Buffalo, New York The School #18 community worked collaboratively to coordinate a clothing drive for students and their families. What started as a kind gesture to help a new family in the school who moved from a much warmer climate, developed into a clothing outlet with racks, boxes, and displays located in the Parent Room. More... Terrence Jenkins, Supervisor of Parent Involvement (716) 851-3642 Type 1 | Elementary Grades | Climate of Partnership |
Transportation and Babysitting ProvidedMagnet Middle School Stamford, Connecticut Magnet Middle School instituted practices to meet the challenges of families who want to come to school events, but who do not have transportation or a babysitter. The magnet school draws students from all areas of the city. Unfortunately, there is very limited public transportation available to service the different neighborhoods. As a result of these challenges, the Action Team recommended that transportation be provided so that parents could attend school events. The team also recommended that babysitting be provided to those who needed it. More... Dr. Linda Fine, Action Team Chair (203) 977-4350 Type 1 | Middle Grades | Climate of Partnership |
Turn Off the TV WeekMonica Leary Elementary School Rush, New York The Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) at Monica Leary Elementary School involved families in school activities during its annual Turn Off the TV Week. The TV-free family events held in the evening included a Kindergarten PJ Story Night with music and guest readers, and a Family Skate Night. Two strategies worked to make the Turn Off the TV Week’s events successful. More... E. Sue Mills, Principal (716) 359-5460 Type 4 | Elementary Grades | Climate of Partnership |
Volunteer NetworkOrchard Hills School Milford, Connecticut Schools implementing Type 3—Volunteering practices face the challenges of recruiting a large diverse group of volunteers and providing them with adequate training to perform volunteer duties. Orchard Hills School has met this challenge by developing the Volunteer Network, a practice designed to increase parent involvement in the schools and improve the quality of volunteer experiences through training. More... Kathleen Murphy, Principal (203) 783-3566 Type 3 | Elementary Grades | Climate of Partnership |
Welcome VideoWestlake Elementary School New Carlisle, Ohio During the 1998-1999 school year, the Westlake Elementary School Action Team analyzed the results of the Starting Points Survey and determined that the team needed to find an unconventional way to connect with the hard-to-reach families in the community. The Westlake Action Team decided to produce a video that introduces families and community members to the learning opportunities available at Westlake Elementary. More... William Gruber, Action Team Member (937) 845-8215 Type 2 | Elementary Grades | Climate of Partnership |