GHS Parent/Family Engagement News

As we approach the holiday season, we at Griffin High School want to extend our warmest wishes to our students, families, and staff for a joyous and restful break. May your time be filled with love, laughter, and cherished moments with loved ones. We are grateful for your continued support and dedication throughout the year, and look forward to welcoming you back in the new year refreshed and ready to learn!

Have you scheduled a conference with your child's teacher?

Do you know what your child needs to work on at home to improve academic skills?

Have you attended a parent engagement event at your child's school?

Is your child a senior this year? If so, have you talked with your child's school about ways they can help with planning college and career readiness?

Have you started to set goals for the new year? Have you reviewed progress toward this year's goals?

Is your child a 5th or 8th grader? Are you aware of transition events to help your child move to middle and high school?

Do you have an upcoming kindergartener? Look for more information to get your child ready for next year coming this spring!

Please review the results from our 2025-2026 Fall Parent Survey HERE. We had a total of 212 respondents and the information that was shared is important as our families are a vital component for our scholars and our school. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Dedrey Elam, our GHS Parent Liaison, at 770-229-3752 ext. 27121 or at dedrey.elam@gscs.org.

Griffin High School hosted several meaningful parent engagement opportunities throughout the first semester to strengthen our home–school partnership and support student success. Below is a summary of each event for families who were unable to attend.

Annual Title I Meeting

Date: August 28, 2025

During this required annual meeting, families received an overview of how Title I supports student achievement at GHS. Topics included:

• Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

• Intent and Purpose of Title I

• Title I Funding and how resources are allocated

• Academic programs and supports available to assist students

• Academic Standards for all students

• Parent Resource Centers

• District & School Parent and Family Engagement Policies

• School–Parent Compact

To view the full presentation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M05Ttu0JL3pVup2gDCdtBFQTKQ5r0n6y/view?usp=sharing If you were unable to attend and have questions, please contact me at 770-229-3752 ext. 27121 or dedrey.elam@gscs.org

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Literacy Night

Date: September 16, 2025

Families participated in an engaging session focused on literacy skills and strategies to support students at home. We explored:

• Understanding Lexile Scores

• Literacy Presentation and hands-on activities

• Supports currently in place to help students succeed

• Academic Standards expected for all students

If you were unable to attend and have questions, please contact me at 770-229-3752 ext. 27121 or dedrey.elam@gscs.org.

Monthly Parent–Teacher Conferences

When: Monthly
Where: GHS Commons

Families were invited to attend monthly conferences, where the academic progress, goals, and areas of growth of scholars was shared with parents/guardians. These conferences help build ownership of learning and strengthen communication among students, parents, and teachers.

If you have any questions, please email me at dedrey.elam@gscs.org or call 770-229-3752 ext. 27121.

Math Night

Date: October 29, 2025

Math Night provided parents and students an opportunity to work together on meaningful math activities aligned to classroom learning. The session included:

• Math strategies to support students at home

• Hands-on activities demonstrating current math standards

• Opportunities for families to engage with teachers and explore resources

If you were unable to attend and have questions, please contact me at 770-229-3752 ext. 27121 or dedrey.elam@gscs.org.

If you would like additional resources or have questions about any of our parent engagement opportunities, please feel free to reach out. Thank you for your continued partnership and support of our scholars!

The goal of the parent-teacher conferences is to help form a partnership between school and home to promote academic success for all students!

Getting Ready for the Conference

• Review work samples, report cards, progress reports or other items sent home by the teacher
• Review school policies and the handbook
• Talk with your child about why you are having the conference and what you hope to learn at the conference. Get your child's input as to strengths, weaknesses, and areas of concern.
• Determine a list of questions to ask your child's teacher:

After the conference:

• Talk with your child about what you and the teacher discussed
• Talk about any plans or goals for improvement you might have
• Talk to your child about building on strengths and improving weaknesses
• Keep in touch with the teacher on a regular basis to find out about progress your child is making

Ways to set up a parent teacher conference:

• Email the teacher you would like to have a conference with.
• Call the school at:

12/2 - 12/10 - GHS GMAS Administration

12/10 - 12/11 - GHS EOPA Testing (CTAE)

12/16 - Cocoa and Curriculum via Google Meet (meet.google.com/oez-srvq-oxd)

12/17 - 12/19 - First Semester Final Exams

12/22 - 1/2 - Christmas Break

Researchers have found that student success in the classroom is most heavily influenced by a parents’ ability to:

1. Encourage learning and education
2. Set high – but not unrealistic – educational standards and goals
3. Become involved in school and community activities

Researchers have also found that students who do benefit from strong parental involvement have:

• Higher overall achievement, regardless of socioeconomic, ethnic or racial background.
• A higher completion level on homework.
• A higher level of self-esteem in all aspects of life.
• Better social behavior and lower probability that they will get into trouble outside of school.
• Greater comfort navigating different cultural environments between home and school.
• Less likelihood of being placed in special education courses.
• Less probability of dropping out of high school.

We encourage you to get involved and to take advantage of resources available to you as a parent. Each month, you will receive a newsletter with helpful information to help you to help your child become more academically successful! Together as partners in your child's education, we can do great things!

If you would like to be more involved at Griffin High School, we have several things you can do!

• Contact Dr. Dedrey Elam to become involved in our Parent Engagement Events.
• Get on our volunteer list, to do so you can either email Dr. Elam at dedrey.elam@gscs.org or call the office at 770-229-3752 ext. 27121.
• Join our School Council! To do so contact Mrs. Naja Douglas, the GHS School Principal, at 770-229-3752.

Did you know that the Griffin-Spalding County School System also has a Parent Resource Center? Find hands on activities, books and brochures for your student in our District Parent Resource Center. The center is designed to provide educational resources for parents to help your student succeed academically. Parents can also find computers with internet access at the center. The best part is resources are FREE! You can find the Parent Resource Center located in the Parent Services Building, Room 121 on 234 E. Taylor Street, Griffin, GA 30224. If you would like more information or want to make an appointment, please contact LaJuana Love at 770-229-3700, ext 10321 or at Lajuana.love@gscs.org.

Please visit our Parent Resource Center, which is located in the Counselor's Office, Rm. 1016. In the GHS Parent Resource Center, parents can find academic brochures, information that will help students become better writers, as well as brochures and information from parent meetings. The center is open during school hours. Please feel free to contact me at anytime as I can be reached by e-mail at dedrey.elam@gscs.org or by phone at 770.229.3752 ext. 27121.