National Network of Partnership Schools
Johns Hopkins university
partnership award
winners – 2004
WEBSITE SUMMARIES
2004 Partnership SCHOOL AWARD
WITH SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Highlands Elementary School, Naperville, IL
Lisa Trychta and Jessica Jozwiak, Co-Chairs; Susan Stuckey,
Principal (Naperville
District 203)
 |
| Row 1: Suzanne Jorstad and Susan Stuckey (Principal). Row 2: Anna Fattore, Kim McCue, Judy Neace, Becky Fox, Diane White, Jessica Jozwiak, Kris Bykerk, Lisa Trychta, Jane Wernette, Debbie Whang (NNPS Key Contact), Eric Nelson, Amy Vanderveen (NNPS Key Contact) and Ann Vitek. |
Highlands
Elementary School joined the National Network of Partnership Schools in 1996.
It is a
four-year
Partnership School Award winner. Despite
changes in principals and Action Team leaders, the school has sustained and
improved its program over time. The
School, Family, and Community Partnership team (SFCP), with representatives
from every grade level, meets every other month for 1¼ hours. From 25-40 teachers, parents, and
administrators attend each meeting.
Leadership for involvement activities is shared. Each scheduled activity
is guided by two or more parent co-chairs and teacher, staff, and parent
colleagues. Plans and progress are
reported to the Building Leadership Team.
SFCP team leaders are chosen one year ahead to “shadow” and learn from
the present team leaders.
This year, the
school is working to strengthen the links of family and community involvement
activities to the School Improvement Plan, using an SFCP Planning Guide. An added goal in 2004 was to improve the
Social Emotional Health of the school to reduce bullying and to improve student
behavior. Family and community
involvement activities were added to support this goal.
New parents with
children entering kindergarten or transferring to the school are oriented to
the partnership program at the beginning of the school year through the school
newsletter, Highlands Happening, at a New Parent Coffee conducted
both in the morning and evening, and on the school’s website (www.ncusd203.org/Highlands).
A popular
activity was the Dad’s Breakfast, attended by over 500 students, dads,
and other father-figures. They met the superintendent,
principal, teachers, parent volunteers, and community partners. Activities included the local police showing
how a radar gun could clock how fast students threw a baseball. One result was that many dads volunteered
for other school activities, including Olympics Day.
SFCP conducted
activities for all six types of involvement linked to Highland’s school goals
for student success. These included Family
Math; Reading Workshop; Ozzie’s School-wide Reading Program;
first grade take home math backpacks; and Family Art Night. SFCP also sustained and strengthened the
school’s Parent Resource Center, updated its Volunteer Data Base,
and collaborated with many community partners.
For example, the school purchased museum passes to two local
museums. The passes are kept in the
Resource Center and can be checked out and used by any Highlands family free of
charge. Another activity, Bass in the
Class, conducted with a community partner, helped students raise a fish to
maturity to release it to the wild. One
parent noted that the SFCP team at Highlands “exceeds the expectations of
many parents… (with) activities scheduled in the evening and on weekends… This
is a huge advantage to the majority of us …who work . . . or have younger
children at home.”
The SFCP team for
partnerships works closely with the Home and School Association (the school’s
parent organization), which funds many SFCP activities. One evaluation in 2004 showed that parents
valued this connection, and so the Home and School Association sustained
funding for SFCP activities. The SFCP
team conducts exit surveys, documents attendance, and conducts other
evaluations of family involvement activities throughout the year. Responses to the Reading Workshop
prompted the team to plan a Study Skills workshop for fall 2004.
ABOUT NNPS: What Highland’s
Leaders Say to Other Schools . . .
NNPS provides a framework for a school to plan its
program of partnerships. NNPS’ website
has a wealth of information on the results of research on involving parents,
school, and community in children’s education.
It also gives helpful information on the No Child Left Behind Act that
can benefit elementary through high schools.
One benefit of having an SFCP team in your school is that you can
attract … parent volunteers who work during the day and who are …more
interested in curriculum-related involvement than in social aspects of
school. Together, the activities of the
SFCP team and the Home & School Association (or PTA/PTO in other schools)
would ensure . . . a perfect balance of activities for producing well-rounded
students.
See
Highlands Elementary School’s history of Partnership District Awards from 2001
to 2003 and examples of Promising Partnership Programs on the website, www.partnershipschools.org, in
the section In the Spotlight.