CIS and Sweeney Elementary School

Parent Engagement at its best!

It was a super snowy day, and yet families still showed up for the pot-luck parent luncheon held by CIS Site Coordinator, Angelica Suarez, at Sweeney Elementary. Clearly, these parents were interested in learning more about how to support their children at school. Site Coordinator, Ms. Angelica, and Assistant Principal, Ms. Plaza, both bi-lingual educators, led the gathering. The conversations were in Spanish. Ms Plaza, the Assistant Principal, reassured a father that his son arrived that day confident and ready to take an exam... and that he elected to do it in English! The father appreciated the update. A concerned mother spoke about her shy son and how his behavior was impacting his performance at school. Angelica listened and learned more about that boy's situation and provided thoughtful suggestions to advocate for him. The rest of the hour was spent talking about each respective student's challenges and goals. Parents learned more about CIS's food distribution program at the school, and they exchanged information about evening English classes for parents provided by SFPS Parent Academy. The lunchtime gathering made them aware of how Angelica can help them help their children succeed. These regular parent gatherings are just one of the ways Angelica supports students at Sweeney, and it's working - all of her case-managed students reached their semester goals! "What has happened is that the students I work with during the school day are going home and getting support from their parents - because, when parents attend the lunches they learn what is expected of their child. This is keeping everyone on track. We are seeing increased attendance, behavior goals have improved and academic grades are up! These students and their families are proud of their work!" At Communities In Schools, our goal is to ensure that a student is truly surrounded by a community of support and that the barriers to each student's success are addressed. Our evidence-base program has demonstrated that when students and their families receive the right support, parents are more likely to engage in their school communities, and their kids' attendance and performance improve - a win-win for everyone! Congratulations to the families at Sweeney Elementary School! To join us for a Site Visit to see one of our CIS programs, please contact Sonja Thorpe Bohannon: 505.954.1880