Exploring Strategies for Encouraging Family Engagement Kristin Smith and Kerry Read ENL Teachers Franklin Elementary School

Kerry Read Kristin Smith Teaching for 15 years Taught on West Side and North Side Worked with all grades including college levels. Enjoys fitness, tailgating, and spending time with family Kristin Smith Teaching for over 20 years Worked in a variety of settings Have experience teaching at all grade levels Enjoys family time and spending time at my cabin in the Adirondacks

Language of the Day: Question: How is parent involvement encouraged at your school? Answer: At my school parent involvement is encouraged by ________________________.

Essential Questions: How can our school communities encourage and increase family engagement? How can family events be structured so that parents and guardians feel welcome / comfortable in the school setting?

Language Objectives: Content Objectives: Listen and orally participate in a collaborative discussion to share tips and tools to help plan events that are both inviting and comprehensible for families. Write to reflect and brainstorm ideas of how they can plan successful family engagement during the upcoming school year. Content Objectives: Develop an increased awareness of ways to successfully plan family events that encourage family engagement and meet the needs of the populations served by the Syracuse City School District.

Fliers with visuals to make what will happen at the event to come to life. Photographs of the teachers and kids in action in classrooms. Promoting the event a couple weeks before it is going to take place.

Personalized Fliers

Promote events when meeting and greeting students and parents daily. Get the students excited and have them promote the event with their families. If you have a large ENL population ask the more proficient parents and elicit help from them to spread the word. Use the ENL website to create translated documents for available languages. If you have a large ENL population and will need interpreters do so at least 4-6 weeks in advance

http://www.syracusecityschools.com/districtpage.cfm?pageid=1602

Request Interpreters for ENL Families The Superb SCSD Nationality Workers Each of these workers speaks at least two if not more languages. They are extremely valuable resources. The district also reaches out to other sources for the interpreters from other agencies as well. You must put in requests at least a week in advance.

Requesting Interpreters http://www.syracusecityschools.com/districtpage.cfm?pageid=7995

Prepare a welcome agenda to pass out to families when they arrive.

It takes many people in a school community working together to plan and implement family events.

Successfully Implemented Family Engagement Newsletters Robo Calls Curriculum Nights Student Performances and Displays of work: Choral and Band Concerts, Dance, African Drumming, Enrichment Parent Teacher Conferences Home Visits by Staff

in our ENL Program as well as events in the regular classrooms. Newsletter Format Our newsletter has helped with promoting and increasing parent involvement in our ENL Program as well as events in the regular classrooms.

Parent Teacher Conferences It can often be very challenging to get parents in for conferences. Here are some strategies we have found successful: Picking a parent a week and inviting them in to meet with you. At conference time classroom teachers hang sign up sheets outside their classroom doors. Teaming up with classroom teachers. Using translated versions conference slips for languages available. Reaching out for the assistance of interpreters when necessary Creating personalized reminder notes.

Time for a Slideshow Parents, students and teachers enjoying time together at Franklin Elementary School.

Now we would like to give you some time to think about some ideas and you might have for planning for family engagement during the 2017-2018 school year.

Let’s share some of the ideas and goals that you have in mind now.

What is one thing from our presentation today that you plan to implement to help plan successful events that engage families? What is one suggestion you would give to us to help with planning for successful events that engage families? How could we improve the way in which we share our ideas for engaging Families in the school community?