Twenty-five families and nearly 100 people took part in Sidney Central School’s first Family Engagement Night on Oct. 29, taking advantage of a night planned for kindergarten through eighth grade.
The goal of the evening was to increase communication, collaboration, and provide informative sessions for parents in the district to better support their children, and that goal was met, said Robert Hansen, Sidney’s elementary school principal.
“We were delighted many families came out and got something out of it,” Hansen said. “Our goal is to continue to engage families and make sure our kids keep improving.”
Child care was provided for the night, allowing parents to take part in different sessions. Dinner was also provided, and if families wanted them, a family portrait was also taken.
The informational sessions were conducted by teachers and administrators. The administrative team held a session focusing on different aspects of the school, including items such as unfamiliar terms students may be using.
The main sessions also included ones in math and ELA, with parents able to select two sessions to attend. Eleven sessions were offered and lasted 25 minutes each.
“I think it was really good and it was well organized,” said Leeta Crowley, who has two children in the elementary school at Sidney – in kindergarten and second grade. “Having the daycare was good as it let the parents focus. … We could check and get all information to help our kids for school and in the future.”
Following the sessions, parents were asked to fill out surveys. The results were overwhelmingly positive. Some of the suggestions including having longer sessions, more time for questions, including non-core classes and the STEM program.
Surveys also noted people would like more time for the dinner and the pictures. There was a lot of praise about the details and work that went into planning the night.
Besides filling out questions about individual aspects, those in attendance had the chance to rate, on a scale of 1-5, the overall experience. The mass majority of the surveys came back with 4s and 5s. The questions included asking if the information was helpful in understanding what their child was working on in school and how to help at home; if they would attend an event like this in the future; if they were please they attended the event; overall feeling about the event; and if they would recommend it to other parents.
“We want to improve communication with the community and continue to improve student achievement,” Hansen said. “I enjoyed that people who came got something out of it.”
Hansen, who noted the planning of this event was a collaborative effort between administrators, instructional coaches, guidance counselors, and teachers, said the school is planning a second Family Engagement Night for later in the school year.
The goal of the evening was to increase communication, collaboration, and provide informative sessions for parents in the district to better support their children, and that goal was met, said Robert Hansen, Sidney’s elementary school principal.
“We were delighted many families came out and got something out of it,” Hansen said. “Our goal is to continue to engage families and make sure our kids keep improving.”
Child care was provided for the night, allowing parents to take part in different sessions. Dinner was also provided, and if families wanted them, a family portrait was also taken.
The informational sessions were conducted by teachers and administrators. The administrative team held a session focusing on different aspects of the school, including items such as unfamiliar terms students may be using.
The main sessions also included ones in math and ELA, with parents able to select two sessions to attend. Eleven sessions were offered and lasted 25 minutes each.
“I think it was really good and it was well organized,” said Leeta Crowley, who has two children in the elementary school at Sidney – in kindergarten and second grade. “Having the daycare was good as it let the parents focus. … We could check and get all information to help our kids for school and in the future.”
Following the sessions, parents were asked to fill out surveys. The results were overwhelmingly positive. Some of the suggestions including having longer sessions, more time for questions, including non-core classes and the STEM program.
Surveys also noted people would like more time for the dinner and the pictures. There was a lot of praise about the details and work that went into planning the night.
Besides filling out questions about individual aspects, those in attendance had the chance to rate, on a scale of 1-5, the overall experience. The mass majority of the surveys came back with 4s and 5s. The questions included asking if the information was helpful in understanding what their child was working on in school and how to help at home; if they would attend an event like this in the future; if they were please they attended the event; overall feeling about the event; and if they would recommend it to other parents.
“We want to improve communication with the community and continue to improve student achievement,” Hansen said. “I enjoyed that people who came got something out of it.”
Hansen, who noted the planning of this event was a collaborative effort between administrators, instructional coaches, guidance counselors, and teachers, said the school is planning a second Family Engagement Night for later in the school year.