Welcome to #BmoreEdchat this evening! Please intro yourself with your name, role, location, and what you wish SNOW FLURRIES TASTED LIKE! Thanks for being here!
Hi #BmoreEdchat ! Bobbi O'Brien here, Literacy/English teacher/mentor @PHSClippers500 in Baltimore. I wish snow flurries tasted like a hot cup of chocolate milk w/ marshmallows on a day you got to stay home.
Back in a #bmoreedchat while we take a bedtime reading break. Tara, 2nd grade from Baltimore. I wish flurries tasted as good as I remember them tasting when I was a kid! #nostalgia
A1: A great community school is structured around key pillars: shared leadership, extra resources/services for kids, a community coordinator, and partnerships with various organizations. #BmoreEdchat
A1: Great community schools are a hub for students, families, and community members. They are a safe place and provide resources and supports, both academic and social. #BmoreEdchat
A1: Addresses the needs of a particular community. Grounded in the community. Supported by the community. Supportive of the community's needs. Conducts outreach. Accepts community help/partnerships #bmoreedchat
Welcome to #BmoreEdchat this evening! Please intro yourself with your name, role, location, and what you wish SNOW FLURRIES TASTED LIKE! Thanks for being here!
Schools that break the cookie-cutter mold and meet the specific needs of their communities. Food banks, clothing closets, health care services, child care, recreation. . . #bmoreedchat
A1: Addresses the needs of a particular community. Grounded in the community. Supported by the community. Supportive of the community's needs. Conducts outreach. Accepts community help/partnerships #bmoreedchat
A1: Community needs assessed and addressed collaboratively, with input and involvement from diverse community members throughout the process.
#BmoreEdchat
A1: Community needs assessed and addressed collaboratively, with input and involvement from diverse community members throughout the process.
#BmoreEdchat
As my school begins the replacement process (new building in 2020 to replace our 95 year old school) we have a unique opportunity to make these considerations. And I know my principal can't count the number of times I've cried "Food BANK!" #bmoreedchat
A2: Be the change you want to see. Get out there, be friendly, make a connection, make a friend, listen and meet a need. Each one reach one.
#BmoreEdchat
A2: open schools to guardians/parents, community volunteers, colleges to co-create educational experiences during the day and after school hours. #BmoreEdchat
A2: Other than getting onto the dance floor and TALKING to families, intentional feedback systems which promote input and voice to all families are a great way empower. #BmoreEdchat
A2: Social media and our hashtag has also helped us reach out and share our story w/families & community...even when they can't be there they feel like they are a part of the family. #BmoreEdchat
A2: Community Circles- much like the circles we do with students for restorative practice. Get the conversation going with all stakeholders #BmoreEdchat
Love this idea! We need to schedule one of these a month or even more frequent. Takes planning but the rewards and relationship building is priceless. #BmoreEdchat
A2: open schools to guardians/parents, community volunteers, colleges to co-create educational experiences during the day and after school hours. #BmoreEdchat
A2: Outreach. Seeing each other as partners instead of adversaries. I've read that some schools' principals spend part of their summers visiting homes of incoming students (or as many Ss as possible). Is that what it takes? Maybe. #bmoreedchat
great point Katie! What questions have you discussed with families? We used a circle to open our back to school night and you could feel the emotion. #BmoreEdchat
A2: It’s tough to get family and community engagement in High schools outside of sports. Engage the elem and mid pipelines to build relationships before the kids get to HS. #BmoreEdchat
I think it’s develop a position that depends heavily on doing more than parent nights...our FES has been crucial in home visits w/Ps for prob solving #BmoreEdchat
I really think it is starts with intentionality and leadership does play a huge role in this as far as outreach. However, we can still be driven to connect with our specific families. We do a weekend event where we all meet up at a local park or spot to hang out #BmoreEdchat
I think it’s def a position that depends heavily on doing more than parent nights...our FES has been crucial in home visits w/Ps for prob solving academics & behavior #BmoreEdchat
Start big- what does an ideal school look like? What are the strengths of this school? What does the school need? What resources would you like the school to provide?
A3 Transparency is a big one. Too often, the community is the last to know or hears of changes through the grapevine. Not the best way to get buy-in or build relationships. #BmoreEdchat
A3: Be responsive and follow through. As in any relationship, communication is key. Servant leadership facilitates the 'speed of trust' (a la Covey).
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A3: I think building a trusting relationship starts with how we talk to stakeholders. We need to make sure they know their worth and that they are being heard. #BmoreEdchat
A3: Admit when you make a mistake and celebrate when you achieve something for kids and the community. Listen to other stories before sharing your story. Model your "why" or purpose as an educator/leader to engage families. #BmoreEdchat
A3: Discuss trust issues with candor. Produce content in the language of the stakeholder you intent to communicate with. ( basic-not always applied) #BmoreEdchat
A4: We provide various extra curricular clubs, counseling services, and family supports. I wish we could provide more of it. I wish we could have a full functioning doctors office, community center, & technology room available to ALL families #BmoreEdchat
A4: We are lucky to be able to provide on-site mental health services to more than 50 of our students. This means Ps do not have to miss work to get their children the help they need. #BmoreEdchat
A4 I wish more. I have the best of intentions, but too often get caught up in the day to day to do list that I don't commit to or know enough about the outreach we do have. #bmoreedchat
Q4: I wish there were more opportunities to break bread together. Used to share meals before parent meetings at a previous school. Added comfort before shop talk. #BmoreEdchat
A4: Wish we could provide family counseling for every family that needs it. Or case management for families. Day care in high schools. Kids bring their family's stress to school. Anything to alleviate that-wish we could do it #bmoreedchat
We do a lot around the holidays and generally have coats available, we make sure everyone has all supplies they need. But my personal goal is a food pantry! #bmoreedchat
this gets into policy and funding. Hopefully with an reassessment of equitable public schools going on currently...we end up in a better place. Though we still need to advocate. #BmoreEdchat
A4: ideally community schools should in additional to excellent education, provide health, vision, speech, GED, tax prep, career development, and many more supports for students and families. #BmoreEdchat
A4: my school is fortunate enough to have various after school programs, high parent involvement, and supports. Now how can we make this more equitable across the city? #BmoreEdchat
A4 I wish schools could provide more support for pre-school age children and their parents/caregivers to help them get ready for school: modeling read aloud, word & number games, etc #BmoreEdchat
A5: Starts with understanding your community and the various members. Have to then empower each group to collaborate and identify community outreach together. If we are not intentional with an equity lens, we will miss something every single time. #BmoreEdchat
A5 This goes back to unity of purpose & teacher training. ALL students' needs should be addressed in the classroom. Needs from ALL represented communities in a school should be addressed, not just for the majority. #bmoreedchat
hey Leanne! Great point about supports at home. I have done a parent workshop where our students help me teach/model and our middle school students work with younger students so families can fully participate. #BmoreEdchat
When ever I meet a new student teacher I tell them the most important thing is that you build relationships and KNOW your kids. Schools can only build real community if they KNOW their families. #bmoreedchat
A5: unfortunately we cannot endure equity as schools currently exist. People in control and who benefit from the systems of privilege will never relinquish their power without a fight. #BmoreEdchat
A6: embrace multiple modes including town halls, focus groups, surveys, and going to churches and community centers where are students and families spend time outside of school. #BmoreEdchat
A6: I find when I share qualitative feedback and reference in when decisions are made, it creates not only a sense of transparency but it proves that community feedback impacts things. Just making a change without sharing the story closes the door. #BmoreEdchat
A6: Recognize & partner w/parent and community leaders, go where the community congregates, incl. the grocery store, barber shop, library, church bulletins...
#BmoreEdchat
A6: Consistency. Practice what you preach and model what you know. Listen to what your parents, colleagues, and students are saying and work as one to ensure success. #BmoreEdchat
A7 We are redefining the vision w/our school health advisory council currently so it’s a shared vision, SHAC’s are required by law in Texas, we are also redesigning our subcommittees w/stakeholders from the community #BmoreEdChat
A7: I am going to continue to improve our School Family Council by empowering our families to lead projects, share their opinions, and be part of something BIG. Our kids and families are the first thing that makes our schools unique and special. #BmoreEdchat
A7 By continuing to offer an open door, personally soliciting feedback from parents (maybe having enough nerve to do it more often than just at the end of the year) being genuinely interested in building and maintaining relationships with families. #bmoreedchat
A7: Attend PTO meetings! I know they are late, but building those relationships and being present when parents are able to be present is important and goes a long way. Worth the time investment. #BmoreEdchat
