1. Graham’s Journey: Building a Partnership with our Latino Community

2. Our Journey... the big questions?
Who are we?
What do we believe?
What is our moral compass?
Over the last four years we defined who we are and what we believe ..

3. Our Journey...our identity defined
I Belong
Pursue Knowledge
Take Pride
Together We Can
Do No Harm
Essential Elements
Our Core Belief system....Our Essential Elements
The next step was figuring out how we institutionalize them...
Welcome Week and Revisit Days
Model, Model and Model
Walk the talk
Every communication is through the Essential Elements
We are not where it is just how we operate and think totally, but we are getting close
We still need to get to the point were we all say including our students...
Hey we don’t do that here
...Our Charter

4. Our Journey continues...our course
Do No Harm
Together We Can
Pursue
Knowledge
Take Pride
I Belong
Whatever It
Takes!!
CCSS
ELL
Collaboration
Quality Instruction
All students being
successful
E.E.
Our Journey continues...our course
Our Journey...the ship
A Graham ship with sails that proudly display our beliefs and the bigs ideas we are all working on.
ELL
USS Graham
USS GRAHAM

5. We were all working together to sail our ship....
This week we hope to define this...
Where were we going?

6. Our Dream… our North Star
To build partnerships with our Latino families
To unite all our parent groups
Improve student achievement
Close the achievement gap

7. Bit of History…6 years ago
Toxic School Environment
2-3 people came to ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee meetings
Our English Learner families were not involved with the school
Our ELL students not engaged in their own learning

8. Our Crew Teachers and classified staff
Joey Ordonez, Community Engagement Facilitator (new position)
Lisset Tellez, At Risk Coordinator
Parents
Students

9. How did we get our Latino Community Involved?
Inspiring trip to Overfelt High Latino Role Model Career Day
We decided to host our own College Career Day with a focus on Latino speakers
Invited a few of our Latino moms to help with the food….the rest is history
Planning the fiesta…decorations, food, working side by side
Earning their trust

10. Next Step…Parent Education…PIQE
More Latino parents coming to ELAC meetings
Some Latino parents wanted to bring PIQE training (Parent Institute for Quality Education) to Graham
They insisted on fundraising to bring PIQE to Graham

11. Garage Sale Months of planning together Cooking together Bonding
Continuing to build trust
PTA starting to think differently and be more inclusive

12. PIQE 1 Started with 30 people Ended with 45 people
National Hispanic Foundation heard our families were trying to raise money to pay for PIQE, and donated the entire amount
PIQE said they never had such a dedicated group of parents who attended all the classes

13. Spring Fling PTA asked if ELAC would chair the food for Spring Fling
Many Latino families involved making tamales, papusas…. and sharing their skills with others
Latino Student Union had students present their poetry readings

14. Holiday Faire Another party featuring homemade Mexican food
Raising money once again for PIQE 2
Merging of many cultures

15. Impact of PIQE 2 PIQE 1 had 45 new parents…PIQE 2 had 45 parents
They taught the parents to be “metiche”
Our Latinos were no longer uninvolved
They were coming to school demanding to to talk with their student’s teachers

16. Impact of PIQE 2 They came with questions They came to meetings
They facilitated ELAC
They came to help
They were involved in all aspects of school
Language was no longer a excuse

17. Why did things change? Building Relationships Earning Trust
Being purposefully inclusive
Changing mindsets
Parent Education
Working together

18. How did we accomplish this?
It began with a dream…
“ A dream doesn’t become reality through magic, it takes sweat, determination and hard work.’
~ Colin Powell

19. Changing the World
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
~Harriet Tubman

20. Our Journey continues…
This is the 5th year of our journey together.
Developing a culture of collaboration doing whatever it takes so that all students are successful
USS Graham