St. Charles, Missouri
Row 2: Dr. Mary Hendricks-Harris (Superintendent), Dr. Chris Garland (NNPS Key Contact, Director of School Improvement), Dr. Bridgett Niedringhaus, Ann Bender, Tim Scholle, JanaSchultz, Julie Fiedler, Dr. Ted Huff, Erin Thurston, Julie Oppermann, Beth Abraham, Carolyn Tichenor
Row 3: Patrick Lane, Michelle Walker, Sandra Ferguson, Renee Cope, Chad Lange, Mike Hoehn, Mary Lange
Parent Speaker Series
The leaders in Francis Howell School District (FHSD) are always working to improve their schools, the success of all students, and their partnerships with families and the community. An overarching goal is to provide families with information, experiences, and connections to enable them to guide their children to be successful in school. Last year, FHSD sponsored a Parent Speaker Series for parents and educators. Three topics were selected from those requested on a survey of parents: current trends in drug abuse prevention, the use and safety of social media, and empowering youth. At each of three evening meetings, an invited expert from the community presented information on the selected topic for about an hour, with 30 minutes for questions from the audience.
FHSD also conducts a district-wide Parent University to share information with parents in another way. Last year, 14 workshops were conducted at a morning conference on school and district programs and services. Topics included: academic support (e.g., preparing for kindergarten, transitions to middle school, understanding middle school math, literacy at home, how to use the school’s library resources from home); 21st century learning (e.g., apps for learning, challenges and opportunities in today’s society); health and wellness (e.g., nutrition, age-appropriate discipline, managing stress, substance abuse prevention); and preparing for college (e.g., preparing for the ACT, college financial aid, planning courses in middle and high school).
Parent Speaker Series is featured in Promising Partnership Practices 2017.
School Improvement Site Visits
School Improvement site visits, organized and facilitated by the FHSD Director of School Improvement, are conducted each fall and spring in every school. In the fall, school and district representatives reflect on the previous year’s data and progress, review current goals in the School Improvement Plan, and discuss next steps. During this meeting, the Family Engagement Plan also is reviewed. In the spring, school teams report to the Superintendent’s Cabinet on progress on all goals and on the Family Engagement Plan. The meetings explore the areas of support needed by each school for the next school year.
Every spring the district leader for partnerships hosts a Family Engagement Night to provide support to the schools and their partnership teams. The goals for the event include celebrating successes during the year, sharing best practices, and gaining new knowledge to strengthen school’s plans. Teams have time to reflect on their work and plan for the next school year. This networking opportunity for all teams helps them share and learn together.
