family and community liaison guide - denver public...

Family and Community Liaison Guide

Acknowledgements

The Office of Family and Community Engagement would like to acknowledge the support andleadershipprovidedduringthedevelopmentof thisguide.Withthehighquality inputandhands-onexperienceofthefollowingcommunityliaisonsandpartners,wewereabletocreateaguidethatwilladapttotheneedsofliaisonsacrossourdistrict.We appreciate the leadership andcollaboration of AngelicaRodriguez, Cynthia Eames,Elena Saenz,KateMishara, Kenia Abeyta, and Yuri Carillo-Frias.We alsowould like to highlight the CommunityCultivators teamofDPSTransformers Initiative,TrevonBrandhorst,ImaniMorning,GlynaGonzalez,Iesha Mitchell, and Jeffrey McMahon, whose collaboration focused on sharing and delivering thehighestqualitycontentforyouruse.

Office of Family and Community Engagement: Liaison Guide

Table of Contents

Forward 3

TheLiaisonRole 4

ExtendedFACEFamilyGuidingPrinciples 5

FACEFour 6

DistrictEventCalendar 9

FamilyEngagementTimeline 10

InternalDistrictResources 11

DPSAcronymDictionary 13

ExternalResources 14

SchoolGovernance 15

FACEFamilyPrograms 16

SchoolPerformanceFramework 17

CommunicatingwithFamilies 19

InfiniteCampus 22

ParentPortal 24

Schoology 25

FAQs 26

Notes 27


Forward

FamilyEngagementPartners,Researchoverwhelmingly shows, andwe firmlybelieve, that strong family and schoolpartnershipsresultinbetteracademicoutcomesandbrighterfuturesforourkids.OurDenverPlan2020goalsareambitiousandweknowwewillonlyachievethembydeepeningourpartnershipswithourfamiliesand broader school communities. Support from all our partners is critical if we are to closeopportunitygapsandachieveourvisionwhereEveryChildSucceeds.Tomeetourgoalswearecommittedtoensuringourschool-basedstaffhavethetoolsandresourcesthat arenecessary to support their studentandschool community.Youareanessentialmemberofyourschoolteamaswellaspartofours,andwerecognizeandappreciatethesupportyouprovidetobridgeourfamilies’experiencesfromthehomeintotheschool.Toaidyouinthiseffort,theOfficeofFamilyandCommunityEngagement(FACE)isexcitedtoreleasetheFamilyandCommunitySchoolBasedLiaisonGuide.Theintentionofthisguideistoincreasefocusandguidancefor thecrucialresponsibilitiesof the family liaisonpositionandtoshareandfacilitatehighimpact familyengagementstrategiesforyourschoolcommunity.Theguideisgroundedinbestpracticessharedbyhighlyeffectiveliaisonsfromacrossthedistrictwhoaredoingthesameworkasyoudayinanddayouttoincreasefamilyandcommunityengagementintheirschools.Afewtoolsyouwillfindinthisguideare:

• ComprehensiveresourcelistfromDPSandcommunitypartners• Recommendedyear-longcalendarsforplanningevents• In-depthdescriptionofthefamilyliaisonroleandrecommendedresponsibilities• High-impactacademicpartnershipstools

Werecognizethatschoolsaregoingtoapproachfamilyandcommunityengagementinwaysthatbestfiteachschoolcommunityandculture.Ourvisionforthisguideisthatitwillofferyouguidancebaseincurrentbestpracticesandcreatespaceforyourownexpertisetobecomeapartofthisguideandourtrainings.Sincenotallschoolshaveafamilyliaisonrole,pleasesharethiswithyourcolleaguesasyouseefit.ThankyouforyourcontinuedefforttoensureEveryChildSucceeds!TheOfficeofFamilyandCommunityEngagement(FACE)DenverPublicSchools

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The Liaison Role

OurSuperintendentandBoardofEducationmembersareclear intheirsupportandbelief that“theeducation of each student is a responsibility shared by the district, school, and families. Engagingparents, guardians and other members of the student’s family is critical to the success of everystudent”(BoardofEducationpolicyKB-R).Although the role of a family liaison varies greatly across Denver Public Schools, an essentialcomponentofthepositionisthelinktheyprovideamongdistrict,school,andfamilypartners.Whilethedemandsmaybedifferentbasedontheneedsoftheschoolandthecommunity,liaisonsplayanimportantroleinbuildingrelationshipswithfamiliesthatwillallowforgreaterfamilyinvolvementattheschool. Componentsofthepositioninclude: Advocate

• Aidingfamiliesincompletingdistrictformsandprocesses• Directingfamiliestodistrictandcommunityresources• Helpingfamiliesnavigateconcernswiththeschoolordistrict• Supportingparentleadershipdevelopment

Communicate

• Facilitatingconversationsbetweenfamiliesandeducators• Communicating and updating school leadership, staff, and families about key district

initiativesandprograms• Supportingoutreacheffortsfortheschoolcommunitythrougheventsandrecruitment

Coordinate

• Responsibleforfamilyengagementbudget(ifapplicable)• Planningfamilyandschool-wideevents(e.g.,BacktoSchoolNight,AcademicStandard

Events).• Facilitating School Governance Structures (e.g., ELA-PAC, Collaborative School

Committee)In addition, the family liaison position is often combinedwith other positions such as: EnrollmentCoordinators,Receptionists,Part-timenurse,Paraprofessionals,etc.whichwould includeadditionalresponsibilities.

Office of Family and Community Engagement: Liaison Guide 4

External FACE Family Guiding Principles

Our vision in FACE is to develop educated, engaged, and empowered parents and staff who areacademicpartnersincreatinggreatschoolsineveryneighborhoodwhereEveryChildSucceeds.Webelievetheessentialstartingpointforaliaison’sworkisinrelationships.Weleanonrelationshipsto:

• Putourfamilyengagementeffortsintocontextforothershareholders• Understandourfamiliesandhowtosupportthemeffectively• Strivetowardsharedsuccessforourfamilies,students,schools,andcommunity

Webelievesharedsuccesscanonlybeachievedthroughaligningourgoalsandsystemsandapplyingthefollowingprinciplestoeachelementofyourrole.Belowyouwillfindguidingprinciplesthatwillhelptosupportyourwork.Usethesetohelpothersunderstandyourroleandwhattheexpectationsareforyourcollaboration.

MutualAccountabilityWe create shared ownership with our leadership, staff, and families and takeresponsibility for realizing our vision of creating authentic and meaningfulacademicpartnershipinourschoolcommunitywithourfamilies.

AmplifyingAgencyWebelieveourfamiliesandcommunitieshavethekeystotheirownsuccessandourroleistoleverageourresourcesandamplifytheirvoices,passions,andexpertiseoftheircommunity.

PurposefulPresenceWeworkwith intention towardclearly stated goalsandstrategicactionsateverystageofengagementwithourfamilies,staff,andschool-basedleadership.

AdaptiveServicesWe provide differentiated support, rooted in best practice familyengagementstrategies,toalignwithourfamilies’needs.

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1)Howwillyouensureparentandfamilyvoiceoncriticaldecisionsatyourschool?Collaboratingwithparentsandfamiliesassuresthatschoolswillworktowardsmakingdecisionsthatwill benefit the community they serve. This partnership makes parents and families activeparticipantsinthedecision-makingprocess.

• ArefamilyactivemembersofyourCSC,ELA-PAC,orotheraccountabilitycommittees?• DoyouhaveanactivePTO/PTA?• HowwillyourecruitfamiliestoparticipateintheSuperintendentForum,FamilyLeadership

Institute,ELA-DAC,orotherdistrictinitiativesforfamilies?• DoyouparticipateinthePTHVprogram?

2)Howcanyousupporteducatorsinconnectingwithfamilies?Supportingeducatorsandreachingaschoolgoalisacollaborativeschooleffort.Dependingonwhatneeds tobe achieved, collaboration can come fromwithin the schoolor fromcommunity partners,districtpartners,orparentadvisorygroups.

• Whatdistrictresourcesordepartmentscanassistyouwithyourschoolstrategies?• Howwillyoucalluponmembersoftheschoolcommunitytotakeactiontowardsyourgoal?• Howwillyoubudgetyourresourcesfortheupcomingschoolyear?

3)Howwillyoubuildafamilyengagementteam?Buildingastrongteamthatisknowledgeableaboutyourcommunity isaneffectivewaytoincreasefamilyengagement.Yourteamshouldreflectthediversityinyourcommunity.Teammemberscouldbe family liaisons, Aps, Teacher Leaders, etc. Team members should also have clear lines ofcommunicationandopportunitiestomeet,collaborate,andcheckinaboutagendasandgoals.

Howwillyourecruitteammembers?Howdoyourteammembersreflecttheschoolcommunity?Strongandeffectiveteams:

• SetSmartgoals:(specific,measurable,achievable,relevant,timebound)• Meetregularly• Planprioritiesfortheyear• Createclearteamroles• Setgoalsandmonitorprogress


HerearesomequestionsanddescriptionsaroundtheFACEFourquestionsthatcanguideyouinyourplanningfortheyear.

FACE Four

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4)Howareyoucontinuingtobuildawelcomingenvironmentforparentsandfamilies?Welcoming environments empower families to feel like valued and accepted contributors in theircommunity. Incorporating the diversity of families in your community encourages them to besuccessfulregardlessofsocialbarriers.Parentsandfamilieswhofeelvaluedandacceptedaremorelikelytoengagewiththeschoolandbecomeanactivepartner. WelcomingEnvironmentsarecomposedofthreeparts: PhysicalEnvironment

• Istheentrywayofyourschoolclearlymarked?• Isthereamapoftheinsideofthebuildinguponentry?• Istheenvironmentengaging(e.g.,hangingupstudent’swork)?• Aretheresignstoguideparentsandfamiliestodifferentresources?

PersonalEnvironment

• Arecommunitymembersabletoaskaboutorfindinformationintheirnativelanguage?

• Isthereanorientationforfamilies?• Canparentsreachthedesiredstaffpersoninatimelymanner?• Areschoolandofficestafffriendlyandapproachable?

CulturallyEmpoweringPractices

• AretherelanguagesotherthanEnglishwidelyspokeninyourcommunity?• Whatarethedifferentethnicbackgroundsinyourcommunity?• Howareyoutakingintoaccountthedifferentsocial,economic,andpoliticalissues

facinggroupsinyourcommunity?• Howareyouaccountingfordifferentchangesinyourcommunity?

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FACE Four Cont’d

1)Howwillyouensureparentandfamilyvoiceoncriticaldecisionsatyour

school?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2)Howcanyousupporteducatorsinconnectingwithfamilies?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3)Howwillyoubuildafamilyengagementteam?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4)Howareyoucontinuingtobuildawelcomingenvironmentforparents

andfamilies?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TheFACEFourisaself-reflectiontoolthatcanguideyourplanningatanytimeduringtheyear.Theseessentialfourquestionstakeyouthroughaprocessoffindingwhatareessentialareastoconcentrateonthroughouttheyear.


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FACE Four Work Time

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District Event Calendar

July • ParticipateinHomeVisits• Participateinbeginningoftheyeartrainings

August• Meetwithleadershiptodetermineclearexpectationsofyourrole• Requestaccess/approvaltoInfiniteCampus,ParentPortal,

School-widemastercalendar,etc.• InformFamiliesofinitialevents

September• Providefamilieswithreportcarddates• SpecialDates:GiftedandTalentedandHighlyGiftedandTalented

(GT/HGT)andAdvancedKindergarten(AK)testingdates.

October• ProvidereferralsforfamiliesinneedofThanksgivingdinner• ProvidefamilieswithresourcesforFall,Thanksgiving,andWinter

breaks

November • ParentTeacherConferences• ThanksgivingBreakresources

December• WinterBreakresources• InformfamiliesofSchoolChoicedates(thisyearitwilltakeplace

inFebruary)

January • InformandpreparefamiliesforCMAS/PARCCtesting• EnsureallfamilieshaveaParentPortalaccount

February• InformfamiliesofSpringBreakresources(startearlyasspotsfill

upquickly!!!)• Round1ofSchoolChoicebegins(lastsallofFebruary)

March • InformfamiliesofSummerBreakresources• Ongoingtesting

April

• InformfamiliesofSummerBreakresources• SchedulemeetingwithschoolLeadershiptodiscussnextyear’s

vision/plans• Ongoingtesting• Round2ofSchoolChoicebegins

May• InformfamiliesofSummerBreakresources• EncouragefamiliestoaccessParentPortaloverthesummer• Graduation/Transition

June • InformfamiliesofJulyonlineverificationviaParentPortal• RemindfamiliesofSummerResources


Family Engagement Timeline

ChoiceandEnrollment

Phone:720-423-3493Email:[email protected]

CentralEnrollmentCenterPhone:720-423-3493

NortheastEnrollmentCenter

SafetyandSecurity

Dispatch:720-423-3911Phone:720-423-3475

Email:[email protected]

FamilyandCommunityEngagement

Phone:720-423-3054

Services:Classes/trainingforfamilies,studentprograms,districtevents

FamilyConstituencyServicesServices:Workthroughconcerns,

Coach/Trainingsaroundcommunicating,Navigating,DPS

resourcesFACEHelpline

Phone:720-423-3054

ParentTeacherHomeVisitProgram

Contact:Cody OstensonEmail:[email protected]

SchoolBasedServicesServices:MultigenerationalServices


Volunteer Services Phone: 720-423-1817

Email: [email protected]

DepartmentofTechnologyServices(DOTS)

Phone:720-423-3888Services:ICTraining,TechSupport

ProfessionalDevelopmentUnits

Phone:720-423-3493Email:

[email protected]:SkillBuilding,ResearchBased

Learning

Contact:MarkArseneauPhone:720-423-3183


Internal Resources

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[email protected]

HomelessEducationNetwork

FarNortheast&CentralElementarySchools

Contact:HeidiKrebs

Phone:720-423-1985


Southwest&SoutheastSchools

Contact:RebeccaRomero

Phone:720-423-1986


NorthwestSchools,CentralMiddleSchools,&SpanishSpeakingReferralsDistrict-Wide

Contact:Shant’aJohnson

Phone:720-423-1984


Lowry

Contact:PatriciaVaughan

Phone:720-424-5968


FoodandNutritionServices


Fax:720-423-5629Services:Student/ParentAccounts,Food

Menus,NutritionInformation

AdditionalResources

CommunityPartnerships

Contact:CarolScheiderPhone:720-423-1795


TransportationServices

Dispatch:720-423-4624RoutingQuestions:72-423-4699Email:[email protected]:BusRoutes,WeatherDelays

DivisionofStudentServices

Phone:720-423-3437Services:SPED,IEPs,Medicaid,Hearing

andVision

Internal Resources Cont’d


DPS Acronym Dictionary

FindacompletelistonlineontheExtendedFACEFamilyCommonspage.

ACT–AmericanCollegeTestingCES–CommunityEngagementSpecialists

CMAS–ColoradoMeasuresofAcademicSuccessCSC–CollaborativeSchoolCommitteeDAC–DistrictAdvisoryCommitteeDPS–DenverPublicSchools

DOTS–DepartmentofTechnologyServicesEFF–ExtendedFACEFamily

ELA-DAC–EnglishLanguageAcquisition-DistrictAdvisoryCommitteeFAFSA–FreeApplicationforFederalStudentAid

FLI–FamilyLeadershipInstituteFRL–FreeandReducedLunchGT–GiftedandTalented

IB–InternationalBaccalaureateIC–InfiniteCampus

ILT–InstructionalLeadershipTeamIS–InstructionalSuperintendentsPAC–ParentAdvisoryCommittee

PARCC–PartnershipforAssessmentofReadinessforCollegeandCareersPD–ProfessionalDevelopment

PTHV–ParentTeacherHomeVisitProgramSAT–ScholasticAptitudeTestSLT–SchoolLeadershipTeamSPED–SpecialEducation

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ToaccessthecompleteCommunityResourceDirectory,pleasevisittheExtendedFACEFamilyCommonspageortheExtendedFACEFamilygroup

inSchoology.

AnothergreatresourceisAuntBertha,whichbasesyoursearchthroughyourschool’sareacode.

Forafter-schoolandsummerprograms,pleasevisittheDenverAfterschoolAlliancetosearchby

location,school,andfocusarea.cps.civicore.com/map


External Resources

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School Governance

CollaborativeSchoolCommittee(CSC)

TheCSCbringstogether families,staff,andcommunitymemberstocreateand implementaplantopromotehighachievementwithinaschool.Thiscommitteemeetsonaregularbasisthroughouttheschoolyearandisanopportunityforkeystakeholderstohaveavoiceintheirschool.ColoradolawrequiresallschoolstohaveaCSCtoincreasetheamountofaccountabilityandfamilyinvolvementinourschools.Thisgroupworkswithschoolleaderstoprovidefeedbackonimportantschooldecisions.These decisions may include ways to improve academic performance, budgets, and the school’sprogram.

EnglishLanguageAcquisitionParentAdvisoryCommittee(ELAPAC)

TheELA-PAC is an opportunity for parents of English Learner to engagewith teachers and schoolleaderstodiscussissuesthataffecttheirstudents.EveryDPSschoolmaintainsanELA-PAC,itcanbeasub-committee of another organization or stand alone, and DPS recommend making ELA-PAC asubcommitteeofyourschool’sCollaborativeSchoolCommittee.

EnglishLanguageAcquisitionDistrictAdvisoryCommittee

Thisisthedistrict-levelcommitteeforcommunicationaboutEnglishLanguageAcquisition.TheELA-DACmeetsmonthlyduringtheschoolyearandfeaturespresentationsanddiscussionarounddistrict-widetopicsthataffectfamiliesofEnglishLearnersinDPS.

TitleI

AllTitleIschools(definedashaving40%ormorestudentsreceivingfree/reducedlunch)musthaveanannualparentmeetingtolearnaboutstateassessmentsanddecideonhowTitleIfundsarespent.It can be ameeting that is combinedwith your school’s Community ProgressMonitoringmeeting,duringwhichyoushareyourschool’sperformancewithfamilies.

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ParentTeacherHomeVisitProgram

Too often, a home visit from a teacher means one thing to a family: trouble. But with the ParentTeacherHomeVisit(PTHV)Program,thegoalistostartbybuildingastrongandpositiverelationshipbetweenthefamilyandtheschool.

The visits begin with the teacher asking about the family’s hopes and dreams for their child. Byinvolvingtheparentsandfamilies,wecreateabetterchanceofsuccessforstudents.

FamilyLeadershipInstitute

TheOfficeofFamilyandCommunityEngagementoffersDPSfamiliestheopportunitytoenhancetheirleadership skills and become stronger advocates at the home, the school, and the districtlevel.Familiesareinvitedtoanyandallfoursessionsthroughouttheschoolyear.

SuperintendentParentForum

Everyyear,SuperintendentTomBoasberghosts theSuperintendentParentForumsincollaborationwiththeOfficeofFamilyandCommunityEngagement(FACE)andtheEnglishLanguageAcquisitionDepartment. The parent forum has been a great way for the Superintendent to communicate andconnectwithschoolsandparentsdistrict-wide.

The Superintendent Parent Forum includes the English Language Acquisition District AdvisoryCommittee (ELA DAC), which provide parents of the more than 40,000 DPS students who speaklanguagesotherthanEnglishanopportunitytoengagewithdistrictleadershiponimportantissues.


FACE Family Programs

CommunityProgressMonitoringandAcademicStandardsEvents

Community ProgressMonitoring is the ongoingdata sharing thatoccursbetween schools, families,andcommunitymembers. AllschoolsarerequiredtosharetheirSPFresultsbetweenOctoberandNovember.AllTitleISchoolsarerequiredtosharetheirperformancewithschoolcommunities.

Academic Standards Events occur several times throughout the school year to deepen the level ofalignment between the home and school learning environments.During these events, familieswilllearnorenhanceskillstosupportacademicpartnership.

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School Performance Framework

WhatDoestheSchoolPerformanceFrameworkMeasure?EveryDPSschoolthatisincludedintheSPFisevaluatedonseveralareas.Theseareasarecalledindicatorsandinclude:

Student Achievement (Status) How well students perform on state assessments in a given year.

Student Progress Over Time (Growth)

How much progress students show on state assessments from one year to the next.

Parent and Student Engagement and Satisfaction

How effectively a school connects with parents and families.

Equity How effectively a school is serving students regardless of background, ethnicity or ability.

Post-Secondary Readiness (Status)

How well a high school is preparing its students for college and career.

Statusvs.GrowthDPSeducatorsreferto“status”and“growth”whentalkingabouthowschoolsareservingtheirstudents.

• Statusreferstohowaschoolisdoingatafixedpointintime.• Growthreferstohowaschoolisdoingoveraperiodoftime(oftentwoyears).

Bothtypesofinformationareimportantinunderstandingnotonlyhowstudentsarebeingsupportedrightnow,butalsohowtheyhavebeensupportedinthepast.

TheSchoolPerformanceFramework(SPF)islikeareportcard foryourschool,ratinghowwell theschool supports student growth and achievement and howwell it serves students and families. Ithelpsaschoolfocusonitsstrengthsandareaswhereimprovementisneeded.

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School Performance Framework Cont’d

WhatDoestheRatingMean?TheSPFusesacolor-coded“stoplight”systemtoshowataglancehowaschoolisperforming.Basedon howmanypointsa school earns ineachof theareas, a school receivesoneof five ratings.Theratingsarebasedonthefollowingpercentagesofpointsearned:

Rating(color)%ofPointsEarned

Definition

Distinguished(Blue)

≥ 79.5 % This means that the school is doing very well in academic growth,parentandstudentsatisfaction,equityandtheotherareas.

MeetsExpectations(Green)

≥ 50.5% and <

79.5 %

This means that the school is doing well but still has some areas ofimprovement.

AccreditedonWatch(Yellow)

≥ 39.5% and <

50.5 %

Thismeansthattheschoolisnotdoingaswellasitcouldbe,andthatthe school has quite a few areas to focus on for improvement. “Onwatch” means that DPS provides extra support and specificdepartmentsworkwiththeschooltomakesuretheyareprogressing.

AccreditedonPriorityWatch

(Orange)

≥ 33.5% and <

39.5 %

Thismeansthattheschoolhasmanyareasthatitneedstofocuson.Inthis case, DPS often identifies additional ways to support a school.Some types of supportmight include additionalmoney,more staff orpartnershipswithnon-profits.

AccreditedonProbation(Red)

< 33.5% This means that the school is performing significantly belowexpectationsandneedssignificantadditionalsupport.DPSwillprovideintensive support to help the school make the dramatic changes itsstudents need to succeed. In some cases, if performance has beenconsistently low, DPS may make changes to academic programs orschoolstaff.OrtheBoardofEducationmaydeterminethatweneedtorestart the school with on that will better meet the needs of ourstudentsandcommunity.


TipsforReachingFamilies

Personalize

• Differentiatesupportforparentssothatitisappropriatetotheirindividualneedsandstrengths.

• Behonestandforthcomingtoavoidperceptionsofbeingevasiveoruntrustworthy.• Useone-to-onepersonalconnectionstobuildtrust.• Keepcommunicationinformalatfirst.• Use“family”insteadof“parent”or“guardian”incommunications.• Usepersonalinvitesfromschoolstaffandstudentvolunteers.• Makeeventssmaller—spreadoutback-to-schoolnightovertheweekwithonegradepernight

ifpossible.• Learnandspeaksimplephrasesinfamilies’nativelanguages.• Holddinnersforfamiliestotargetsubgroupsneedingsupport.• Createvenuesforparentstosubmitquestionsonlineandinperson.

GetCreative

• Useavarietyofcommunications.• Sharematerials(especiallyvideo)andpersonalnoteswithfamilieswhomissevents.• Keepwebandphonecommunicationsup-to-dateandrelevant.• Usenewsletterstolinkfamiliestolearning.• Createanemailaddressandphone“hotline”forparents.• Developaschoolandclassroomwebpage.• Usealternativesinconferencingwithparents.

o Studentinvolvemento Groupconferenceso Telephoneconferenceso Communityandworkplaceconferences

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Communicating with Families

FocusontheMessageandtheMessenger

• Atallevents,promotethe“brand”ofhowfamiliescansupportlearningathome.• Createfamilybulletinboardsforfamiliestocommunicatewithoneanother• Hireanddesignatebilingualfamily-friendlystaff.• Considerorganizingstudent-ledconferences.• Workwithcommunitymembersandgroupstoconnectfamiliesandtheschoolascultural

brokers.• Createabuddysystemandphonewebforfamilies.• Arrangenetworkingopportunitiessofamiliesdeveloprelationshipswithotherfamilies.• Incorporatestudents’demonstrationsoftheirlearningintoyourengagementactivities.• Formacommunitynetworktoconductoutreach.• Invitefamiliestoeventswellinadvanceandprovidereminders.

o Fliersatarrivalanddismissalo Phonecallso Emailo School’swebpageo Facebook,Twitter,Instagram

MakeInvolvementEasyandExciting

• Providefoodandchildcare.• Addressthelanguagebarrier—translatereportcards,testinginformation,newslettersand

othercommunications.• Makeeventsfunandinvolvethewholefamily.• ArrangeParentTeacherConferencesandeventsafterwork-hours.• Includeofficehoursandyourcontactinformationincommunications.• Usestrategiesthatmeetfamilies’basicneedsandgoals.

Communicating with Families Cont’d


Communicating with Families Cont’d CommunicationAwareness

• Stopusingeducationjargonandcommunicatemoresimply.• Translateinnativelanguages.• Understandhowinformationspreadsandunderstandthatnegativeinformationspreads

faster.• Beexplicitabout“hidden”rulesofengagementthatmaynotbesharedbyallfamilies(e.g.,are

your“asks”offamiliesthingsthatacknowledgetheircultural,financial,andlogisticalpreferences?).

• Besensitivetofamilies’financialneedsbynotfrequentlysendinghomerequestsformoneyorsupplies.

• Avoid“touristcurricula”focusedonsuperficialaspectsofaculture.• Beawareofcoststosupporttransportationforconferences,events,andfieldtrips.• Donotassumethatfamiliescanprovidehomeworkhelporothertypesofhelpyouaskfor—

askthemwhattheycandoandwhattheyneedhelpwith.• Recognizethewholefamily—dads,grandparents,oldersiblings,aunts,etc.• Makefoldersthataresenthomemoreaction-orientedandpreparatoryratherthanpassive

andhistorical.• Don’tassumethatsendingthingshomeiscommunicating—askparentshowtheywouldliketo

communicate.AdapatedfromHenderson,A.,Mapp,K.L.,Johnson,V.,Davies,D.(2007).BeyondtheBakeSale.NewYork:NewPress.Allen,J.(2007).CreatingWelcomingSchools.NewYork:TeachersCollegePress.Edwards,P.(2009).TappingthePotentialofParents.NewYork:Scholastic.Constantino,S.(2008).101WaystoCreateRealFamilyEngagement.Galax,VA:ENGAGE!Press.

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Infinite Campus

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Infinite Campus Cont’d

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Parent Portal


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Schoology Website:www.schoology.dpsk12.org

Login:DPSgmail

Purpose:Schoologyprovidesaplatformthatwillallowalldistrictfamilyandcommunityliaisonstosharetheirknowledge,ideas,andresourcesinoneplace.Itistheperfectplacetoaskquestions,

providetips,andformastrongnetworkoffamilyengagementspecialists.

Resources:TherearemanyresourcesthataresharedonSchoology.Resourcesareorganizedbycategory(seebelow)andthelistisintendedtoevolveasnewresourcesbecomeavailable.

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WhatisSchoolChoice?OurenrollmentprocessthatallowsfamiliestoenrollinanyDPSschoolaslongasthestudentmeetsentrancerequirementsandtheschoolhasspaceavailable.Whatiseverystudentguaranteed?Bylaw,DPSguaranteesthatstudentswillbeabletoattendaschoolintheirregion.Thismeansthatonthefirstdayofschool,everystudentwillhaveaplaceataschoolnearthem.Whatisaboundary?Ageographicareawherethestudentslivingwithinitareguaranteedenrollmentataparticularschool.Whatisasharedaccesszone?Ageographicareawherethestudentslivingwithinitareguaranteedaseatatoneofseveralschools,butnotoneparticularschool.SomeexamplesincludetheWestZone,TheFarNortheast(FNE)SecondaryZone,andtheGreaterParkHill-StapletonZone. Thebenefitsofasharedaccesszoneinclude:

• Increasedaccesstohigh-performingschools• Priorityoverstudentswhodon’tliveinthearea• Accesstodifferenttypesofschoolprograms• Schoolscanbetterplanfortherightnumberofstudents

Whatareallocations?Aset-asidenumberofseatsorpercentageofseatsforstudentsthatmeetagivencriteria.Currently,thisisusedfornewstudentsthatmoveintoDenver.

Frequently Asked Questions


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Notes

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