Row 1: Emma Perez, Mary Ann Parra, Carla Lobos (Principal), and Josette Mendoza .
Row 2: Tatyana Polyukh, Bertha Rodriquez, Sami Savage, Laura Rudeen (NNPS Key Contact), and Angie Meiners. Row 3: Angelica Sotelo, Sue Dahl, Vida Zuljevic, and Karen Lamberton.
Row 4: Phillip Warnick, Sharon Minor, and Bethany Olson.
Meeting the challenge to involve more families
Robert Frost, a school rich in diversity, wants all families to be aware of the school’s activities and their children’s learning. The Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) and other partners developed the Super Science Symposium to connect reading, hands-on science activities, and language skills to increase students’ science attitudes and achievement. The symposium was advertised extensively in multiple languages to increase families’ participation.
The school’s ATP, science teachers, a high school science teacher, and high school students in advanced placement courses conducted experiments with the elementary school’s students and their families. The experiments ranged from making ice cream, building motors, and exploding soda pop, to looking at the stars. Community support was also recruited. Among other community partners, LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) brought lasers, weather equipment, and model tornadoes to show and share. The Police Department demonstrated dusting for fingerprints. Master Gardener’s, a Washington State County extension program, taught students about the life cycle of a pumpkin seed and gave families an opportunity to plant their own pumpkins. Every student who attended the symposium received a book for their home library. This event provided a great variety of resources, learning opportunities, and excitement about science for students and families.
Reach results for student success in school
To meet the goal of improving student behavior in school, the ATP distributed the school mascot’s Cougar Paws to recognize students’ positive behaviors and decisions. Families were able to celebrate their children’s good attributes and constructive choices such as: doing your best, solving problems, showing respect, making decisions, and helping others. When students were “caught” in these good behaviors, they received a Cougar Paw to take home to share with parents. A copy of the accomplishment was entered into a daily drawing for prizes and a monthly drawing for students to participate in an Ice Cream Social.
At the fall Parent/Teacher Conferences, teachers discussed with parents the importance of recognizing and celebrating positive behaviors and good choices in the classroom. One parent stated that she has proudly collected and displayed each Cougar Paw earned by her child, thereby reinforcing the goals that teachers and students are working on in school.