Row 1: Debbie Grassi Cueto, Amanda Kubista, Yer Her, Raquel Cervantez-Bethke, Maureen Seibert (Principal), Martha Mena, Laura Thielges, and Shirley Andino (NNPS Key Contact). Row 2: Matthew Ingersoll, Kathy Thompson, and Kathi Treston. Not Pictured: Kim Hwang, Karen Vavareck, Choua Her, and Lily Alibouni.
Cherokee is a diverse school, with about 40% Latino-American, 30% Hmong-American, 20% African-American, and 10% European-American families. Over 80% live below the poverty line. The ATP and Parent Involvement Committees of staff, parents, and community members meet together monthly to plan, review, and evaluate activities that are conducted at Cherokee. A school staff member and the Parent Involvement Coordinator are co-chairs of the ATP. The school strives to have team membership that represents the many cultures of our school.
Each year, the ATP reviews its One-Year Action Plan, makes changes for the new school year, and welcomes new team members. The principal attends all committee meetings and includes information on parental involvement in the school’s weekly bulletin. All involvement activities link to our School-wide Continuous Improvement Plan (SCIP) and to goals for achievement and climate.
The school is changing from a 4-6 school to a Pre-K-6 school starting in fall 2006. The ATP was actively engaged in the transition process by assisting with advertising, recruiting, the Kindergarten Roundup, and by working with the community and faith groups to get the word out about the new grade organization. Parents select schools throughout the district. The transition process helped the ATP find new ways to communicate with families and the community.
Math Night in 2006 was an important activity. Parents learned about the Everyday Math curriculum and gained ideas of how to help their child at home. Math activities and games such as addition bingo, measurement in inches, dice worksheets, feet and yards, guestimations, and tan grams were discussed and enjoyed. Teachers and community members were at the various activity stations to demonstrate and play with students and parents. The evening was very well attended and showed the connections of family involvement to math curricular goals.
Among other activities, the school connects volunteers with students on reading skills, library activities, field trips, and mentoring. Local businesses support recognition and rewards for perfect attendance. Next year, the school will increase community collaborations with Youth Farm Cooperative and Girl Scout programs and will add leaders from these programs to the ATP.
One parent wrote about the spirit of the school, which stresses multicultural values. In 2006, the school engaged students and parents in celebrations of Hmong New Year, Mexican Dance Night, and BBQ lunch, all of which increased a sense of community. She also praised the Get Ready Program that gives parents information about college financial planning and alerts parents of 4-6 graders to opportunities to visit colleges in the state.
The school is debating whether students should wear school uniforms. Parents surveys in English, Spanish, and Hmong were administered at parent-teacher conferences, with interpreters there to help. With an 80% return rate, the school learned that parents with lower incomes and Latino parents favored uniforms, while those with higher incomes had no preference. Students picked colors for the uniform. Most staff felt that uniforms would reduce disruption and competition about clothes. It was decided to wait until after the new grade levels were added to the school before deciding on uniforms. The surveys helped the ATP, staff, and principal understand parents’ views.
The ATP evaluates events to discuss “what worked” and “what did not work,” before writing the next action plan. New ideas are welcome and expected as the long-time 4-6 school becomes PreK-6.
I would say “Yes!” to any principal asking whether to join NNPS. It is an outstanding model for building family and community involvement. And, the principal should be an active member of the action team. At our school, we build mutual respect and collaboration among team members, and share ideas at team meetings that make our events successful. The information from NNPS, such as Promising Partnership Practices and Type 2, provide success stories on involvement activities. These assist us to stay focused on the meaning of family involvement.