Family Engagement May 2023

May, likely named after the Roman goddess, Maia, is a month with several recognizable celebrations: May Day, May the Fourth be with you (Star Wars Day), Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, Armed Forces Day, and many awareness events. Working in education, we want to highlight the celebration of National Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Better Speech & Hearing, AND Mental Health Awareness Month, and some special days:

We congratulate and highlight two of the EFE teams who are doing great things to build family-school partnerships!

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The family engagement team from Greater Latrobe School District is committed to promoting collaborative relationships among school, home, and community. Over the past year, the team focused on expanding communication by revamping its district website to create a more family friendly experience and provide asynchronous training opportunities for families to expand their abilities to assist their children at home. The district developed close relationships with community agencies to provide families with necessary information and resources in a variety of areas, including mental health. Greater Latrobe has also forged collaborative relationships with middle and high school families, dispersing career and post-secondary education resources. Pictured is the EFE team and its poster on family engagement, presented at the PDE Conference in March.

Thank you, Greater Latrobe, for your commitment to partnering with home and community!

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McGuffey School District is making family engagement a priority! Over the last two years, McGuffey has engaged in the Enhancing Family Engagement (EFE) Team Training Series and adopted the mission statement, “Families and schools working together to create meaningful partnerships for student growth and success.” The focus of the team's work has been communicating effectively with families. A survey related to communication practices, shared in June 2022 with all McGuffey families and school staff, received an outstanding response of over 195 participants! The results led to a recommended unified communication platform across grade levels and school buildings, and will include community events. McGuffey is also embedding family engagement training into the induction process for new employees, revamping campus signage, offering training on technology to families, and yearly family engagement surveys built into its action planning. Encouraged by the Superintendent, the EFE team is extending its work into the 2023-2024 school year by embedding effective family engagement into existing federal programs, such as Title 1 efforts.

McGuffey representatives presented their findings at the PDE Conference and shared their beliefs that family engagement is highlighted by open two-way communication with families, community members, and a wide variety of stakeholders. Shown is the team, along with PaTTAN supporting consultants, with their display at the Poster Session in Hershey.

Way to go, McGuffey!

The "I" in IEP is very important. It denotes that the program designed specifically for a student, based on their strengths and needs in overcoming challenges, will help them achieve academic, social, and behavioral success. It's their education, their IEP, their life. Students, therefore, benefit from being self-advocates and learning how to be the leader of their IEP process.

The PaTTAN team is developing several resources, including videos, publications, infographics, and training modules on the Student-Led IEP Process. This series will provide IEP teams, including administrators, teachers, students, families, and community representatives, with knowledge, skills, and strategies in this critical area of special education.

Check out our latest resources:

Student-Led IEP Team Meetings for Professionals

Meet the Members of the IEP Team - flyer with QR code to share

Does your school have students who participate in the state alternate assessment, known as the PASA Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM)? PASA DLM is looking for families to share insights about the individual student score reports. Participants will need to flexibly schedule a time to talk with PASA DLM staff and will receive a $50 honorarium.

Please share these Parent Feedback Invitations with families in your school(s):

· PASA DLM Score Report Parent Feedback Invitation

· PASA DLM Score Report Parent Feedback Invitation Spanish

Pennsylvania Parent Interpretive Guides are available to share:

Understanding Your Child’s Individual Student Score Report - English

Entendiendo el informe individual de resultados de su estudiant

as well as on the Pennsylvania | Dynamic Learning Maps website.

SCHOOL PERSONNEL: Electronic student score reports will be available in Kite Educator Portal on June 23rd for all testing locations. Printed score reports will be mailed to testing locations beginning July 28th.

See how standards aligned instruction through PASA DLM leads to meaningful outcomes:

· ATLAS - High Expectations for Students Success Video on Vimeo

· DLM Parent Brochure

· Comunicaciones Externas con Guardiana

Are you a paraprofessional or know someone who is interested in a career as a special education teacher? Fifteen Pennsylvania universities have been awarded grant funds to develop accelerated programs for individuals holding a bachelor's degree to earn a certification in PK-12 Education in 18 Months! Click here or on the image to view the list of Institutions of Higher Education across the state.

Share these upcoming PA Family Network events with students, families, and community members. These FREE workshops are created by and for family members and self-advocates and focus on specific topics through the lens of the LifeCourse Framework (registration is required)!

Wellness & Resiliency Summits coming in June! For more information, contact PA Family Network or visit PA Family Network - Vision For Equality

If you found this family and community engagement newsletter to be helpful, please share it with colleagues and families in your school, district, IU, or agency. Thank you!