Welcome to #moedchat!! Tonight we talk about an important part of ed innovation and that is family-school engagement & intentional events called #parentcamp. We start at 9:08 w/ Q1--so take time to say hi to Twitter friends, pet the dogs, tuck in your kids or just chill.
Feel free to INTRODUCE yourself because it's fun and it helps us build relationships online. :)
STORYTIME: PLEASE SHARE something you remember growing up that was a family-school connection. It could be with your own family or someone else's family.
#moedchat#parentcamp
Greetings, all! The @ParentCamp crew is here on #MOedchat tonight to chat family engagement and all things #ParentCamp! I'm a Board member from Connecticut (and most importantly a parent).
Hello! Debbie, Tech Coordinator from #STL enjoying the beautiful fall weather and #peanuts tonight! Can’t wait to learn about #parentcamp tonight on #moedchat
Andy, #innovationclass teacher from St. Charles. I remember Mr. Fixman's Astronomy nights at Claymont Elem. in @ParkwaySchools, so much fun to look for constellations #moedchat
Andy, #innovationclass teacher from St. Charles. I remember Mr. Fixman's Astronomy nights at Claymont Elem. in @ParkwaySchools, so much fun to look for constellations #moedchat
I always enjoyed the night before school open house. Both as a student and then as a teacher. To see all your friends again and catch up, and then to see all their excited faces. #MOEdChat
Q1: Share about a positive family-school engagement experience that felt GOOD to you and/or your child. (Educator or Parent perspective).
How might that positive experience impact the whole child--even if the impact was mostly on YOU, not them?
#moedchat#parentcamp
Story time: I remember the room mothers that would come in and help out with field day. They were always kind and helpful. Parents also came and enjoyed recess with us. Our best pitcher was my classmate's dad. #moedchat
A1 My son just started Kindergarten at @zumstpeters and they had a "Stay N Play" event, we all went and had a picnic and got to play on the playground and meet his new friends, loved it so much! #moedchat
A1 Field trips with my son’s class I got to see him with his friends and get to know them better (he was in a different school than I taught at). #MOedchat
A1: #MOEDChat To be brutally honest, I do not have many positive memories of my parents interacting with my schools. They did engage, which is why I think it is so important for me to for my kids. They support our education but were not engaged.
A1b Though I wasn't able to take part, @DiscoveryEleme1 did a walk around of the neighborhoods passing out bubble gum! Great way to connect with the community #moedchat
A1: I remember when one of our daughters was in a play in elementary school. After the play the parents got to sit down w/kids (in class) & give positive feedback to them and ask questions. Kids loved it. Felt good to me. Interactive. Not just watching and leaving! #moedchat
A1) My mother ran her own local ballet company out of our home and one year we performed The Nutcracker at various schools, eventually mine. It was kinda cool to have those worlds collide, because my teachers learned a lot about our family. #MOedchat#ParentCamp
Q1: Share about a positive family-school engagement experience that felt GOOD to you and/or your child. (Educator or Parent perspective).
How might that positive experience impact the whole child--even if the impact was mostly on YOU, not them?
#moedchat#parentcamp
A1 During Catholic School Week, we hosted a “family picnic”. We took all of the tables out of the cafe and parents brought blankets, and lunch. Everyone found a spot on the floor to eat and build community. #MoEdChat
A1 - I’ve always really enjoyed the annual wrestling banquet. Really made an effort to show Ss how much we all appreciate their effort & accomplishments. #moedchat@CCr3Wrestling
A1: The Art Show that my son had in kindergarten. First they had their music program, and then, parents could browse the hallways and look at student art. The hallways were covered in art the students had made. #moedchat
Lane-We have a #PLN group that we started 4 yrs ago with a Beyond the Bake Sale Book Voxer Book Studay. The group still talks to this day. About 20 of us stay in touch. #moedchat
A.1. Back to school night before the big first day. The look on their face of terror, nervousness, and excitement, when they enter the middle school for the first time...#moedchat
A1 Love that our staff has family information nights 2 weeks after school starts so that they know the kids a bit before discussing curriculum, communication, and expectations. #moedchat
Q1: Share about a positive family-school engagement experience that felt GOOD to you and/or your child. (Educator or Parent perspective).
How might that positive experience impact the whole child--even if the impact was mostly on YOU, not them?
#moedchat#parentcamp
Love this. I think schools unwittingly often don't take full advantage when families are actually in the building. Make it a classroom experience, too! #MOedchat
A1: I remember when one of our daughters was in a play in elementary school. After the play the parents got to sit down w/kids (in class) & give positive feedback to them and ask questions. Kids loved it. Felt good to me. Interactive. Not just watching and leaving! #moedchat
A1 All 3 of my grandson’s had the same kinder teacher. Friday families could surprise their kids and be the Mystery Reader. My daughter and I used to go in in costumes and read and gave them snacks. Great memories!#MOEDChat
OH my goodness. This is fabulous. Conversation over food. Choice in where you sit. Choice in where you wander to. Choice in who to talk to--& FAMILY!! Kids and family and school--connected in positivity. EXQUISITE!!! (oh yes, and let's not forget the food!) #moedchat#parentcamp
A1 During Catholic School Week, we hosted a “family picnic”. We took all of the tables out of the cafe and parents brought blankets, and lunch. Everyone found a spot on the floor to eat and build community. #MoEdChat
Q2: Ideally, all kids have a connected, collaborative community of adults surrounding them--parents, fam, edus & community members.
Access to Opp'ties. Equity. SEL
What's keeping the adults from partnering w/ea/other? What might we focus on to move fwd? #moedchat#parentcamp
A1 - I’ve always really enjoyed the annual wrestling banquet. Really made an effort to show Ss how much we all appreciate their effort & accomplishments. #moedchat@CCr3Wrestling
Reminds me of joining my then-middle schooler on a field trip to a college to learn about the adolescent brain. SO cool. And those adolescent brains were enraptured. #MOedchat
A1 Field trips with my son’s class I got to see him with his friends and get to know them better (he was in a different school than I taught at). #MOedchat
Q2: Ideally, all kids have a connected, collaborative community of adults surrounding them--parents, fam, edus & community members.
Access to Opp'ties. Equity. SEL
What's keeping the adults from partnering w/ea/other? What might we focus on to move fwd? #moedchat#parentcamp
A2: Talking face to face and finding commonalities. I have been having a lot of face to face conversations lately and it just invigerates me. #moedchat
Can't wait for that. Our younger daughter's elementary school holds a dad's (slash-special person's) breakfast the same morning as the Halloween parade, to attract more dads who may not come twice. #MOedchat
A1 So many positive experiences as a parent: fall festivals, trivia nights, open houses, plays/concerts; As a teacher, plays, grandparent days, open houses. Important for child to have opportunity to share & see loved ones excited & proud of them. #moedchat
a2 Sometimes Ps are intimidated by the ed system. But often schools just provide "fluff" and "window dressing" instead of practical ways to help (besides fund raising). Who has time for fluff? #moedchat
A2 Good question, and honestly I'm not sure. Lack of time? Poor experiences with schools in their own lifetime/Fear? Events at the school, which is really a community center can help change that I think #moedchat
A2- Access to transportation was issue for many families in my previous school. We worked diligently to help setup rides When possible, or sometimes hold events closer to their home to help ensure as many of our families could be involved as possible! #MOEdChat
A1 School-wide creative arts night: student art on display, community art project, and a evening caps off with student musical @cindydcooney and @page_4th are amazing!
A2) We operate in silos, not nefariously but inevitably. We value one another's roles but we don't necessarily know how to work together. To help we can hold activities that involve different stakeholders, like, hmm... #ParentCamp! #MOedchat
Q2: Ideally, all kids have a connected, collaborative community of adults surrounding them--parents, fam, edus & community members.
Access to Opp'ties. Equity. SEL
What's keeping the adults from partnering w/ea/other? What might we focus on to move fwd? #moedchat#parentcamp
A2: I think that we need to promote helping parents learn what we are teaching. We have parents as teachers programs for ECH kids. Why not for older kids? Parents as Tutors #moedchat
We have the same issue Jonathan. Our schools will not help coordinate carpools due to liability issues. Leaves Ps hanging and Ss not participating. My "project" for this year to figure out. #moedchat@PMcPeake1 See! I can't let it go. Transportation challenge comes up again!
A2 - I cant speak to what’s keeping it from happening but I know we need more coop between school and community. Education is on the cusp of a major transformation. PBL, problem solving, collaboration, creativity are 🔑 to success. We’ve got to get on the same page! #moedchat
In my experience, fam-school engagement is stuck in fear-based paradigm. An issue for edus/schools/districts is this: We don't know another way. We manage events rather than engaging w/parents. #Parentcamp in my experience is the structure and a process that works! #moedchat
a2 Sometimes Ps are intimidated by the ed system. But often schools just provide "fluff" and "window dressing" instead of practical ways to help (besides fund raising). Who has time for fluff? #moedchat
Frustrating! I will say that we put a lot of this on our PTO, so my guess is some of liability is shifted. But we also paid for many cabs to transport families when needed. #MOEdChat
We just had a ParentU event focused on #digcit and all other things Tech related, I think that is important as not all parents are on the same level of understanding when it comes to Tech #moedchat
A1: #MOEDChat To be brutally honest, I do not have many positive memories of my parents interacting with my schools. They did engage, which is why I think it is so important for me to for my kids. They support our education but were not engaged.
A2. We have to reach out to all of our parents. As parents we live “today” based on our own school experiences. If they weren’t positive, we transfer that to today. #moedchat
When I realized the insanely low success rates MO Ss have in college, I started having my own Fam meetings before school begins in the fall to explain the crisis & how Fams can help w/o understanding math. #moedchat
I say bring field day back. Play Day is just that, Play Day. But, add the cool competitions like the balloon toss! The sack races were interesting. There's nothing wrong with the pragmatics of the old school days.
Totally cool, actually. Former student of THE @DrBradMac? EPIC. Alex, now that I think about it we need to talk. There could be some fun stories up your sleeve. :) #MOedchat
A3- Always had a great time having Family Movie night with my families in our library. Cranked up the popcorn machine and watched student created videos or digital stories. Always a great turnout! #MOEdChat
A3 We just had invitation conferences tonight. We had kick in the pants and celebration conferences, both with plans for student success. Student led conferences are very well attended. But there is still more we need to do to engage our families. #moedchat
I lay out a specific plan for Ps to structure good hw practices. There are so many ways a S can avoid doing hw as intended and it's affecting their study skills all the way to college. #moedchat
Oh Yes! I have considered a similar event focused on Google. My Ss are teaching their parents which is awesome, but maybe a family teaching night would be successful. #MoEdChat
We just had a ParentU event focused on #digcit and all other things Tech related, I think that is important as not all parents are on the same level of understanding when it comes to Tech #moedchat
A3. Include parent voice, whenever possible, in school decisions. For Teacher and Staff of the Year, parents are part of the initial nomination process. #moedchat
A2: The fear that parents interacting with the school is because of a negative or consequence on the student. We need to shift the mindset to be positive. Making you want to enter, not exit.
#moedchat
Julie--In Kansas, statewide support of #personalizedlearning & redesign. Districts finding that traditional & even ramped-up 1-way parent engagement isn't effective. Ps need to talk, be able to ask Qs & collab. RELATIONSHIPS & TRUST are what we're seeking. #moedchat#parentcamp
A3. Include parent voice, whenever possible, in school decisions. For Teacher and Staff of the Year, parents are part of the initial nomination process. #moedchat
Important to have the homework conversation with families. As a parent I haven't seen that consistently. At middle-school orientation, it was just "Don't help your kids with homework." Didn't hear much else through the years -- the expectations, the why, the how. #MOedchat
I lay out a specific plan for Ps to structure good hw practices. There are so many ways a S can avoid doing hw as intended and it's affecting their study skills all the way to college. #moedchat
I couldn't attend but I hear it was a pretty big success! @Erin_Lawson3 and many more had big hand in it! Maybe she can tag all the others who made it happen! #moedchat
In reply to
@SchoolPsyChels, @GambillJulie, @Erin_Lawson3
A3) Porch visits, family data nights-engaging families in practical ways to support student learning at home and FOOD! Invite P's to run field day, school celebrations, rewarding student hard work etc... keep them informed on school initiatives #moedchat
Then you hear from HS teachers the S is supposed to be responsible. But what if they aren't? Do we just let them play in the academic traffic and get run over by a truck? (insert passion here) #moedchat
A3. Monthly we host the parents of one grade level to attend a “Class Mass” with a donut reception. Food is always a good thing. I know Mass isn’t an option everywhere, but it could be any type of “celebration” with music, art or tech sharing. #MoEdchat
A3. Include parent voice, whenever possible, in school decisions. For Teacher and Staff of the Year, parents are part of the initial nomination process. #moedchat
One of our elementary schools engaged in porch visits at the start of school. @psycollablisten was able to participate & I can only imagine how awesome it was to show school faces going the extra mile! #moedchat
A3: Chili supper night! Back a long time ago, when I taught 3/4th my building had chili suppers. Parents gladly came. We also had parent/student reading nights in the gym. Parents brought blankets to sit on and read with their children. #moedchat
Q2: Ideally, all kids have a connected, collaborative community of adults surrounding them--parents, fam, edus & community members.
Access to Opp'ties. Equity. SEL
What's keeping the adults from partnering w/ea/other? What might we focus on to move fwd? #moedchat#parentcamp
Ahhh, the memories, please tell me the amphitheater like thing is still there! I would love to come visit that school some time, so many great memories there! #moedchat
This is great! It's #DigCitWeek, btw. An excuse to focus on it now but it should be an all-the-time conversation. And families DEFINITELY need to be a part. #MOedchat
We just had a ParentU event focused on #digcit and all other things Tech related, I think that is important as not all parents are on the same level of understanding when it comes to Tech #moedchat
I am going to note something here. You said INVITE Parents. INVITE them--to lots of things! Parent panel at #movingtheneedle18. Ps said to Ts---keep reminding us of events, needs, deadlines, etc....and don't judge us if we forget. But keep reminding us and including us #moedchat
A3) Porch visits, family data nights-engaging families in practical ways to support student learning at home and FOOD! Invite P's to run field day, school celebrations, rewarding student hard work etc... keep them informed on school initiatives #moedchat
A3- Always had a great time having Family Movie night with my families in our library. Cranked up the popcorn machine and watched student created videos or digital stories. Always a great turnout! #MOEdChat
I have VERY fond memories of field day. It’s still a full day event at my K-8 setting. Great fun, multi-age “families” of students supporting each other through lots of fun challenges. #MoEdChat
Everyone's story matters. Yes, some things change. But you have to show how, and it starts by listening about where they're coming from. #FamEngage#ptchat#MOedchat
A2. We have to reach out to all of our parents. As parents we live “today” based on our own school experiences. If they weren’t positive, we transfer that to today. #moedchat
A4 I’ve been to Parent Camp and a Grandparent Camp. A parent’s greatest resource is other parents and PC is such a comfortable way to socialize and share. It combines my favs; learning and meeting people. #MOEDChat
Roundtable vs meeting. Excellent. 2-way active Conversation vs 1-way passive listening to school-directed talk that has good intentionns but is not incusive of voices. There is a way to shift to relationships and 2 way interactions that build relationships! #moedchat#parentcamp
Oh Paula. Thank you for sharing your perspectives from both #parentcamp and #grandparentcamp. Your words are beautiful. I'm just going to read them again. #moedchat
A4 I’ve been to Parent Camp and a Grandparent Camp. A parent’s greatest resource is other parents and PC is such a comfortable way to socialize and share. It combines my favs; learning and meeting people. #MOEDChat
Yes! SO: for A4...
#ParentCamp is an opportunity for parents and families to be on an even playing field with other education stakeholders, to help lead discussions on how to make education better. That model ensures seeing one another as partners and not a hierarchy. #MOedchat
In my experience, fam-school engagement is stuck in fear-based paradigm. An issue for edus/schools/districts is this: We don't know another way. We manage events rather than engaging w/parents. #Parentcamp in my experience is the structure and a process that works! #moedchat
a2 Sometimes Ps are intimidated by the ed system. But often schools just provide "fluff" and "window dressing" instead of practical ways to help (besides fund raising). Who has time for fluff? #moedchat
#ParentCamps are safe environments for people (Ps, Ts. Admins, Comm) to let their guards down and be vulnerable. We have had great conversations about mental health and cultural awareness. Some much needed discussions #ParentCampNKY#MOEDChat
Yes! SO: for A4...
#ParentCamp is an opportunity for parents and families to be on an even playing field with other education stakeholders, to help lead discussions on how to make education better. That model ensures seeing one another as partners and not a hierarchy. #MOedchat
In my experience, fam-school engagement is stuck in fear-based paradigm. An issue for edus/schools/districts is this: We don't know another way. We manage events rather than engaging w/parents. #Parentcamp in my experience is the structure and a process that works! #moedchat
a2 Sometimes Ps are intimidated by the ed system. But often schools just provide "fluff" and "window dressing" instead of practical ways to help (besides fund raising). Who has time for fluff? #moedchat
Oh Yes! I have considered a similar event focused on Google. My Ss are teaching their parents which is awesome, but maybe a family teaching night would be successful. #MoEdChat
We just had a ParentU event focused on #digcit and all other things Tech related, I think that is important as not all parents are on the same level of understanding when it comes to Tech #moedchat
SIGNIFICANTLY....kids pick up on parents' feelings & attitudes. It's natural. If parents are in a school with strong relationships and trust, parents are happier and open to school, and so are kids This has ENORMOUS impact for the rest of a kid's' life & on their health #moedchat
A2. We have to reach out to all of our parents. As parents we live “today” based on our own school experiences. If they weren’t positive, we transfer that to today. #moedchat
Do your students facilitate the discussions? That's the way that I'm leaning. If students are there, and they invite their families, I bet that would positively impact attendance. #moedchat
Do your students facilitate the discussions? That's the way that I'm leaning. If students are there, and they invite their families, I bet that would positively impact attendance. #moedchat
Call it anything you like! I almost always prefer to refer to "parents" as "families" since they come in all shapes and sizes. To me, "Parent"Camp does emphasize the unique role of the parent, which includes guardians and grandparents. "Family camp" may sound like camp! #MOedchat
We have had S lead sessions on growing up today with technology. It was a big hit with the Ps. #moedchat Depends on topic and how comfortable Ps and Ts are with talking in front of each other on those topics. #moedchat
Do they ever talk about homework practices? It's really hard to change the Ss hearts once they develop "completion-based" habits. I feel like I'm pushing rhinoceroses all day. #moedchat
Julie--In Kansas, statewide support of #personalizedlearning & redesign. Districts finding that traditional & even ramped-up 1-way parent engagement isn't effective. Ps need to talk, be able to ask Qs & collab. RELATIONSHIPS & TRUST are what we're seeking. #moedchat#parentcamp
Yes please! I love curriculum nights because I consider them important, but they're A LOT to take in and traditionally a passive experience for parents. This is an example of how the #ParentCamp model can serve a range of purposes, even within existing structures. #MOedchat
We shall meetup over coffee or tacos. Either or both must be present in order to proceed! #tacochat I'm not surprised you're ready. You will rock it. It's not difficult, esp once you do one. It's simply solid pedagogy applied to fam-school engagement #parentcamp#moedchat
I was not a big fan of curriculum night many because we had waaaay to much info to share in a 60 minutes time frame. We definitely could have done things differently. I always wanted to have them monthly to help keep Ps up-to-date throughout the year. #MOEdChat
Love the idea for more student and parent participation in ALL school events and family nights. Being creative in how to assure parent's time at school is meaningful to them and focused on child, leaving empowered with new ideas and strategies to support students #moedchat
YES -- and... and... it must be a genuine invite. "My door is always open" isn't the same as inviting them in. AND it doesn't END with an invite. This isn't about getting permission to enter. Schools belong to all of us. #ParentCamp#MOedchat
I am going to note something here. You said INVITE Parents. INVITE them--to lots of things! Parent panel at #movingtheneedle18. Ps said to Ts---keep reminding us of events, needs, deadlines, etc....and don't judge us if we forget. But keep reminding us and including us #moedchat
A3) Porch visits, family data nights-engaging families in practical ways to support student learning at home and FOOD! Invite P's to run field day, school celebrations, rewarding student hard work etc... keep them informed on school initiatives #moedchat
Yes, I've wished for that monthly idea too as a parent! We have a new high schooler and once a year is particularly nonsensical at that level, where we'll miss the new teachers in the next semester. #MOedchat
And now conferences after a great school day have caught up with me. Time for bed my #moedchat friends. Thanks for the discussion, and make sure you follow rockstar @juliepile!
I assume that would be a benefit of ParentCamp a full day of learning for parents. #MOEdChat As an elementary teacher w/ 6 subjects to talk about in 60 minutes was unrealistic!
.@USD271_Schools did a #parentcamp in May 2018. I was lucky enough to coach them, be there the day of to kick it off, participate in the entire event, and witness their experience/growth. They did a parentcamp in September and are continuing them monthly. This is ideal. #moedchat
Thanks for the chat tonight everyone! If anyone is interested in talking about #ParentCamp on the #METCpodcast, i would be glad to have you. Send me a DM. #MOEdChat
The ParentCamp format could very well be used for that purpose. It's designed to be like an edcamp (lots of conversation), but no reason it can't be adapted to be straight-learning. #MOedchat
Thank you so much, everyone, for your time and investment in innovating family-school-community engagement. It matters to kids and to all of us for that matter!!
There IS a way to build relationships and SEE/FEEL family engagement in a positive light!! #moedchat#parentcamp
Our parents really like Curriculum Nights! We use them to kick off preparing Ps and Ss in planning for scheduling class selections for the next school year. #MOEDChat
I was not a big fan of curriculum night many because we had waaaay to much info to share in a 60 minutes time frame. We definitely could have done things differently. I always wanted to have them monthly to help keep Ps up-to-date throughout the year. #MOEdChat
SIGNIFICANTLY....kids pick up on parents' feelings & attitudes. It's natural. If parents are in a school with strong relationships and trust, parents are happier and open to school, and so are kids This has ENORMOUS impact for the rest of a kid's' life & on their health #moedchat
A2. We have to reach out to all of our parents. As parents we live “today” based on our own school experiences. If they weren’t positive, we transfer that to today. #moedchat
