Parent Mentor Weekly

Thank you to everyone who attended our Winterfest this past Friday! It was a wonderful evening filled with laughter, dancing, crafts, and delicious food.

Winterfest was a success because of each of you who came out and participated. We truly appreciate your support and hope to see you again next year!

From Labubus to gift cards and stuffed animals, our raffle was packed with amazing prizes! 🎉 There was so much excitement as the winners were announced!

Congratulations to all of our lucky winners — we hope you are absolutely loving your prizes and enjoying every bit of your winnings! ✨

Our Parent Mentors take on a special Parent Mentor Project each year—one they believe will uplift our community and bring us closer together. Winterfest was created to provide a safe, fun environment where District families can enjoy a night out together. In addition to the celebration, we invite local organizations to share resources that help educate and bring awareness to important topics that may benefit families or someone they know.

At Winterfest, families can dance, create free crafts, play games, enjoy face painting, and even take a picture with our mascot, Wiley! For just $1, guests can purchase popcorn or enter raffles featuring prizes generously donated by local businesses. We also have food trucks outside for those with a bigger appetite, and families are welcome to bring their meals inside to enjoy the festivities.

We love Winterfest and are so grateful to everyone who came out and helped make the night such a tremendous success!

Over winter break, our Parent Mentors cared for their plants at home and brought them back this past week. Take a look at the amazing before and after!

Ladders of Opportunity is an initiative launched by the Parent Engagement Institute to support Parent Mentors’ career and education pathways and generate talent pipelines to mitigate critical school staffing shortages.

The Ladders of Opportunity initiative started out with us asking how we can better support Parent Mentors in pursuing their dreams, especially in terms of career and education pathways. And guess what? As Parent Mentors discover their passion for education through their volunteer work, it turns out that we can also help our schools fill vital roles.

Paraprofessional vacancies made up 37% (more than 1 in 3!) of all school district vacancies in the state last year. These vacancies disproportionately harm students with disabilities because so many paraprofessionals are Special Education Classroom Assistants (SECA’s).

Creating pathways to paraprofessional and teaching careers is an act of disability justice while also supporting the student’s overall social-emotional well-being.

Jim is in his third year with us and has successfully earned his substitute license through our Ladders of Opportunity program. He is a true joy in the classroom and a wonderful partner to his teacher. Congratulations, Jim—we are incredibly proud of you!

Please join us in congratulating Dayanely on earning her Paraprofessional License!

She took advantage of our Ladders of Opportunity program and successfully received her certification. With this achievement, she is now eligible to apply at Woodland to become a paraprofessional.

We are so proud of you, Dayanely — congratulations on this amazing accomplishment! 💚🤍

Please join us in congratulating Jessamyn! She started last year as a Parent Mentor and has now successfully completed our Ladders of Opportunity program to earn her Paraprofessional License. We're so proud to announce that she has been hired as a Para at the Intermediate School. While we'll miss her as a Parent Mentor, we couldn't be happier for her! Be sure to give her a warm welcome and wish her the best on her first year as a Wildcat.

Following the positive reception of the Building Your Dream School project last year, we've decided to launch it again! This year, our Parent Mentors created a new Dream School design, which is now on display in the hallway for everyone to see.

Want to make a difference in your child’s school and community? Join the Parent Mentor Program at Woodland!

🧡 Our Parent Mentors support classrooms 2 hours a day, 4 days a week
🤝 Twice a week, they participate in 1.5-hour workshops focused on community building, leadership, and learning how to make a positive impact in our district.

This is more than volunteering—it's about growing together, learning together, and making our schools even stronger.

✨ Become a Parent Mentor and be a changemaker in your community! ✨

Have you seen the "candy salad" trend taking over TikTok? Well, we put our own spin on it, and it was a sugar-fueled success!

Our incredible Parent Mentors gathered for a fun, creative session. Each mentor brought their favorite candy, and here's the twist: they also shared ONE WORD that captures what being a Parent Mentor means to them.

The words were as vibrant and diverse as the candy itself! We heard so many heartfelt expressions. It was truly inspiring to see how each mentor's unique experience contributed to the beautiful mix.

Then came the fun part – the candy salad creation! We poured all the candies into a big bowl, mixed it up, and watched as the colors and flavors swirled together, just like our amazing community.

To top it off, we packed up little goodie bags for everyone to take home and share with their families (we hope they shared!). It was a sweet reminder of the support and connection that makes our Parent Mentor program so special.

This activity was a perfect blend of fun, creativity, and meaningful connection. It’s a great example of how we find unique ways to celebrate our mentors and the incredible work they do.

What's YOUR favorite candy? And what's one word that comes to mind when you think of a Parent Mentor? Share your thoughts in the comments!

💬 Our Parent Mentors LOVE what they do! 💬

So much so, they’ve shared their own experiences with us—check out their heartfelt testimonials below. 💛

Their words say it best: being a Parent Mentor is more than just volunteering—it's about connection, growth, and making a real difference.

🌟 Want to join us?

We’re always looking for passionate parents ready to make an impact. Come grow with us!

What a fantastic year!

We celebrated our third year at Woodland with the Parent Mentor Program, and it was filled with so many memorable moments. We created this video to look back at some of our favorite highlights.

We hope you enjoy reliving these wonderful memories with us!

Parent Mentors, help fill persistent equity gaps by volunteering in classrooms for 2 hours/day for at least 100 hours. The Parent Mentors are supported by weekly training on classroom instructional practices and leadership training. As a result, they support each other to pursue their goals and unite the school community for long-term change.

Email: tabbey@lake.k12.IL.us
Location: Woodland Elementary School, West Gages Lake Road, Gages Lake, IL, USA