LINCOLN ELEMENTARY

PRESENTATION ON PARTNERING WITH FAMILIES AND THE COMMUNITY

STACY WILLIAMS, CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL

I am a kindergarten teacher here at Lincoln Elementary. I have been working with little-ones for fifteen years and very much enjoy watching your children grow and develop. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to work with your children and learn about the Hispanic culture in this community. What follows are some ideas about how to partner with the school for the success of your children.

WHY IS A PARTNERSHIP IMPORTANT?

I am very interested in creating a partnership between the school staff and the parents of this school, as well as the community, in order for all of our students to be successful. When we create a network of strong support for the children of the community, our return will be happy and confident children who successfully grow up to be adults that are well-adjusted and productive. The future strength of the community depends on the bond that we create while these children are young. Parents who are in frequent contact with the school send a message to their child about the value of education, (Berk, 2013, p. 647). By forming this partnership, the school will benefit, but the parents and the family will also benefit. These benefits will spread throughout the community, making us better able to work together as a group in supporting your children on their path to success.

BONFENBRENNERS ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM

From this picture, you can see that the biggest influence on a child happens within the Microsystems and Mesosystems. It is important to us, as the people educating your children, that the microsystem is positively influencing your childs growth and development. However, the main focus of this presentation is the Mesosystems. When the home, school, and neighborhood (or community) create a partnership to support childrens development, children can achieve success, developing confidence and competence. You, as parents, the school, and the community are interconnected and have influence on each other. By working together, we can have a positive impact on each of your childrens development. (Education Portal, n.d.).

PARENTING
It is our intent to support you as parents in creating a positive home environment that will support your child as a student. A lot of parents in this community live with a large family and have extra support when it comes to raising children, however, it is not always easy to keep healthy food on the table. We will be sending home information about programs that can assist you with nutrition, health, and other services that you may need. (Epstein, n.d.). This information is in English and Spanish, and there are people of various languages that can help with getting you connected to the help you need. We are also going to start a community garden in the back field of the elementary school to supplement healthy nutrition for all of our students and the community.

COMMUNICATING
When parents understand what is going on at school and how their child is progressing, the child also gains a better understanding of their progress and becomes aware of what they need to do to improve or just maintain grades. The child also becomes aware of their important role in keeping the lines of communication open between school and family. It also helps you, as parents, be able to see when issues arise and best support your child in dealing with these issues. (Epstein, n.d.). There is an interactive website that can be viewed in English or Spanish, and has information about each classroom, what information is currently being taught in that classroom, as well as any special events that are going on in the school and community, along with an area to send comments or questions directly to your childs teacher. There will also be monthly newsletters that are sent home with the children to inform all parents about upcoming important dates and current goings-on about the school.

VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering is an important part of the partnership between the school, the parents, and the community. When you volunteer for the school, your child will be more aware of the talent and skills you possess to help others, which can be very inspiring. You will also benefit by having a better understanding of the job your childs teacher is doing and you will be more comfortable in our educational environment. (Epstein, n.d.). We want you to get involved and be a true partner in developing success in your children. We have many different needs, so parents with work schedules can still be of help. There is a questionnaire under your seats, one side is English and the other side is Spanish; please fill this out and leave it on the table in the back on your way out. This will give us information about your availability to volunteer so someone can contact you about it and you can get started right away.

LEARNING AT HOME
In order to help your child with homework, it is important for you to understand what is being taught, what your child is expected to learn each year, and how to best help your child achieve success. A lot of this type of information is available on the interactive website and in the monthly newsletters. There will also be a homework log that you can keep at home outlining homework that will be assigned each quarter. This will ensure that you know what needs to be done each evening and allow you to encourage your child to complete assignments on time. This will help your child have a positive attitude toward school work and let them know that their teacher and their parent are on the same page. (Epstein, n.d.).

DECISION MAKING

There are a lot of decisions that need to be made when running a school and partnering with a great community. Since you know your children and their interests and talents, you could help us in so many ways, like through the PTO, committees, school councils, being a parent leader or representative, and other parent organizations. When you get involved, your child can rest knowing that someone they love and trust is involved in school decisions. They will feel that their rights as a student are being protected by a close partnership between the people that love them most and the school. This will also help them understand that the school has their best interest in mind too. (Epstein, n.d.).

COLLABORATING WITH THE COMMUNITY

As a school, we are linked with the community in many different ways. Our school social worker is in constant communication with all sorts of community organizations that have the same goal as we do, to see you and your family happy and healthy. The community garden is being sponsored by the Ag Group because they are interested in you and your children being healthy. The local YMCA is offering a family discounted membership to all students in the district so your family can remain active. The school will also be setting up a trip to local nursing homes each time the students put on a musical program, so the children can perform for the elderly people in the community. By participating in community activities, your children will be able to experience different career possibilities, as well as increasing their talents and skills through these experiences (Epstein, n.d.).

References Berk, L. E. (2013). Child Development, Ninth Edition. Pearson Education Inc.: Upper Saddle River.

Education Portal. (n.d.). Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory of

Development: Definition & Examples. Retrieved from http://educationportal.com/academy/lesson/bronfenbrenners-ecological-systems-theory-ofdevelopment-definition-examples.html Epstein, J. (n.d.). Epstein's framework of six types of involvement. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Types_of_Inv olvement(2).pdf