Getting – and staying – engaged with your child’s school pays off in numerous ways; let’s look at some of the ways you can do just that.

Connecting with your child’s teachers is the first step. 

A good place to start is with the basics and that means connecting with your child’s teachers. Conversations and connections between families and teachers build family engagement and help students succeed. Reach out to your child’s teacher early and often and see how things are going in the classroom. Teachers are happy to talk with families about how their child’s learning is going and research has shown that the more engaged families are with their child’s education, the better outcomes can be.

Consider attending SAC and other family engagement meetings. 

A School Advisory Council, or SAC, is a group made up of school family members, the principal, community members, students, and staff. These folks gather together for regular meetings and plan on ways to make their school better. Some examples include creating new extracurricular activities for students or helping boost attendance. By engaging with your school’s SAC, you can network with other families, stay up-to-date on school events and happenings, and find ways to empower your students.

Other family engagement opportunities include Home and School Associations, Parent Teacher Associations, or “Friends of” groups. You can also attend your school’s Title I meetings, which help set school-wide goals. You’ll want to contact your school’s Family Engagement Liaison (find directory HERE) and ask them what opportunities are available at your schools.

You can also look into volunteer opportunities at your child’s school. 

Maybe you would like to help out with your child’s school, where you’ll meet and have a positive impact on so many students and the school community. Volunteers are vital to making our schools a great place to learn. Every school in our District is unique and has unique needs– so first check with your child’s school by calling their main office first and asking if they have any need for new volunteers.

If your child’s school could use your help, the second step in your journey to volunteering at your child’s school is to view our checklist for volunteers. This page will tell you more about the process and our printable checklist is available in ten different languages.

Sign up for Parent Portal and see how it can help with more than just keeping track of grades and attendance.

Keeping track of grades and attendance is key, but the Parent and Family Portal gives you access to much more than that. After signing up for the District’s free Parent Portal app, you’ll be able to complete school selection applications, check immunization records for your child, update your contact information, check your child’s daily schedule, look out for assignment due dates, and much more! Check out this page to sign up for Parent Portal and learn more.

Attend one of the District’s MANY free family workshops!

Family workshops are a great way to get informed and engaged about your child’s schooling and the District and so much more. Family Academy: Courses & Training, or FACT offers free workshops taught by local experts on things like the School Selection process, art therapy, tenant’s rights, and ESOL resources for District families. If you want to engage with other families from across the District, learn straight from the experts, and get more tools to support your student’s success for free, check out FACT’s website here– live interpretation is available by request! You can also find school-level workshops by contacting your Family Engagement Liaison.