The planning began in June 2017, led by Roslyn Moffitt, Director of Title I/ Family and Community Engagement, and developed by a team of CHCCS staff from across departments and schools. The vision was to present a free educational and community- building summit for all families associated with the district. On Saturday, April 14, at Culbreth Middle School, the vision became a triumphant reality. More than 100 adult participants attended the summit.
“The Family Engagement Summit was a true testimony to the fact that we are in this together,” said Dr. Misti Williams, Executive Director of Leadership and Federal Programs. “The energy that morning at Culbreth was incredible as our staff, community partners and families came together to discuss our most important asset, our children. No matter what the topic, there was an obvious commitment to conversation and understanding around information shared, learning acquired and just plain fellowship with others.”
The summit’s theme, “Building Student Self-Confidence,” was chosen to align with the district’s increased emphasis on the whole child, so the workshop topics went far beyond academic issues.
The mission of the summit was to create opportunities for families to connect - and to learn more about their children’s needs and how to address them, both at home and at school. One of the first committee goals was to develop a communication strategy to inform all CHCCS families about the summit. From the earliest planning meetings, the team was mindful and vocal about how too many parents “fall through the cracks” with the traditional communication tools. Helen Atkins, Coordinator of English Language Learners, called upon her entire staff to assist with publicizing and registering non-English speaking families, and translators were on hand for the workshops.
As parents and others arrived to coffee, juice and pastries, they browsed a hallway filled with vendor tables from district and community organizations, including El Centro Hispano, Triangle Bikeworks and Book Harvest, who donated books for the families. The program opened in the Culbreth Auditorium, with Superintendent Dr. Pam Baldwin welcoming participants. A local girls’ choral group, Sisters’ Voices, provided a musical interlude of traditional and popular songs.
The featured speaker was Mary Andrews, long-time family literacy advocate in the community (and former reading specialist with CHCCS). Andrews talked about the tremendous importance of reading and speaking with children from infancy, in everyday conversations, as well as while sharing the magic of books. She punctuated her talk with a demonstration of how many books she keeps in her handbag, at the ready for her grandchildren, or her own reading appetite.
Participants chose from 14 workshops, led by a variety of district staff and community experts. The topics ranged from “Everyday Math at Home” to “Helping Your Child Find Resilience” and “Mastering Complex Tasks,” and the content was carefully designed to address different stages of development and grade levels, from Pre-K to high school. Sessions also specifically targeted Exceptional Children and English language learners.
One popular choice was a workshop on understanding “Cyber Security,” presented by Hugh Harris of the Public Protection Section of the North Carolina Department of Justice. “The event was fantastic. I loved the enthusiasm of the attendees and organizers of the event. I really enjoyed meeting everyone involved,” Harris said. “Because the internet is a major part of our daily lives, it’s important for families to understand there are online risks to our personal information and safety. It’s valuable for parents to have honest, open conversations with their kids to help them stay safe online.” Harris recommended visiting www.ncdoj.gov/internetsafety to learn detailed information about internet safety.
A mother who attended Harris’ workshop praised the value of his presentation. “Now I know how to back up my mom-cop rules. Now we can talk about it and explain the reasons (for cyber safety). It helped me understand the why.”
Another workshop that drew many participants was “Summer Reading for K-5,” co-led by Carolyn Sirera and Alma Berg, both Title I interventionists. Their session was filled with hands-on activities and introductions to websites with self-guided reading supports.
Stefanie Mazva-Cohen, social worker at Culbreth and a core member of the planning team, said, “I always like the expression, ‘Life is made of moments, not milestones.’ What I loved was going into sessions and seeing parents accessing the information in their native language with the support of our CHCCS translators. Community and district folks were getting to know us as parents and families - and we were benefiting from their wealth of knowledge.”
When the workshops wrapped up, most participants stayed for a taco bar lunch, provided by Chartwells School Dining Services. Because the summit offered free childcare, nearly 75 children also spent the morning at Culbreth, and after board games, activities in the gym and a movie selection, many of them joined their parents in the cafeteria. High school volunteers pitched in with various stations and tasks. They were key in providing childcare.
Families nearly filled the cafeteria, mingling with both friends and new acquaintances. Dr. Williams called out numbers for the Walmart gift card raffle, with five families receiving $50 cards (provided by Public School Foundation) - and plenty of excitement was generated among the participants.
“At the end of the sessions, families lingered over lunch, to continue conversations and to connect. Those moments made the summit priceless,” said Mazva-Cohen.
Janet Cherry, CHCCS Director of System of Care, said the event was "a refreshing day with parents and students, full of excitement and camaraderie. Looking forward to next year!"
Moffitt said, "The Family Engagement Summit was a wonderful vision that came to life. A cross section of individuals worked extremely hard to ensure that parents and families would have a meaningful day of workshops geared toward student success. It is important for families and educational staff to work together for the benefit of our students! We’re looking forward to the next summit to be held in October of 2018. ‘We love our families’ is not just a catchy saying. It is one of our core beliefs!”
Click here to see more pictures from the summit.
A huge shoutout to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation for creating and providing magnets, pens, t-shirts and Walmart giftcards. Thank you team!
“The Family Engagement Summit was a true testimony to the fact that we are in this together,” said Dr. Misti Williams, Executive Director of Leadership and Federal Programs. “The energy that morning at Culbreth was incredible as our staff, community partners and families came together to discuss our most important asset, our children. No matter what the topic, there was an obvious commitment to conversation and understanding around information shared, learning acquired and just plain fellowship with others.” The summit’s theme, “Building Student Self-Confidence,” was chosen to align with the district’s increased emphasis on the whole child, so the workshop topics went far beyond academic issues.
The mission of the summit was to create opportunities for families to connect - and to learn more about their children’s needs and how to address them, both at home and at school. One of the first committee goals was to develop a communication strategy to inform all CHCCS families about the summit. From the earliest planning meetings, the team was mindful and vocal about how too many parents “fall through the cracks” with the traditional communication tools. Helen Atkins, Coordinator of English Language Learners, called upon her entire staff to assist with publicizing and registering non-English speaking families, and translators were on hand for the workshops.
As parents and others arrived to coffee, juice and pastries, they browsed a hallway filled with vendor tables from district and community organizations, including El Centro Hispano, Triangle Bikeworks and Book Harvest, who donated books for the families. The program opened in the Culbreth Auditorium, with Superintendent Dr. Pam Baldwin welcoming participants. A local girls’ choral group, Sisters’ Voices, provided a musical interlude of traditional and popular songs.
The featured speaker was Mary Andrews, long-time family literacy advocate in the community (and former reading specialist with CHCCS). Andrews talked about the tremendous importance of reading and speaking with children from infancy, in everyday conversations, as well as while sharing the magic of books. She punctuated her talk with a demonstration of how many books she keeps in her handbag, at the ready for her grandchildren, or her own reading appetite. Participants chose from 14 workshops, led by a variety of district staff and community experts. The topics ranged from “Everyday Math at Home” to “Helping Your Child Find Resilience” and “Mastering Complex Tasks,” and the content was carefully designed to address different stages of development and grade levels, from Pre-K to high school. Sessions also specifically targeted Exceptional Children and English language learners.
One popular choice was a workshop on understanding “Cyber Security,” presented by Hugh Harris of the Public Protection Section of the North Carolina Department of Justice. “The event was fantastic. I loved the enthusiasm of the attendees and organizers of the event. I really enjoyed meeting everyone involved,” Harris said. “Because the internet is a major part of our daily lives, it’s important for families to understand there are online risks to our personal information and safety. It’s valuable for parents to have honest, open conversations with their kids to help them stay safe online.” Harris recommended visiting www.ncdoj.gov/internetsafety to learn detailed information about internet safety.
A mother who attended Harris’ workshop praised the value of his presentation. “Now I know how to back up my mom-cop rules. Now we can talk about it and explain the reasons (for cyber safety). It helped me understand the why.”
Another workshop that drew many participants was “Summer Reading for K-5,” co-led by Carolyn Sirera and Alma Berg, both Title I interventionists. Their session was filled with hands-on activities and introductions to websites with self-guided reading supports.
Stefanie Mazva-Cohen, social worker at Culbreth and a core member of the planning team, said, “I always like the expression, ‘Life is made of moments, not milestones.’ What I loved was going into sessions and seeing parents accessing the information in their native language with the support of our CHCCS translators. Community and district folks were getting to know us as parents and families - and we were benefiting from their wealth of knowledge.”
When the workshops wrapped up, most participants stayed for a taco bar lunch, provided by Chartwells School Dining Services. Because the summit offered free childcare, nearly 75 children also spent the morning at Culbreth, and after board games, activities in the gym and a movie selection, many of them joined their parents in the cafeteria. High school volunteers pitched in with various stations and tasks. They were key in providing childcare.
Families nearly filled the cafeteria, mingling with both friends and new acquaintances. Dr. Williams called out numbers for the Walmart gift card raffle, with five families receiving $50 cards (provided by Public School Foundation) - and plenty of excitement was generated among the participants.
“At the end of the sessions, families lingered over lunch, to continue conversations and to connect. Those moments made the summit priceless,” said Mazva-Cohen.
Janet Cherry, CHCCS Director of System of Care, said the event was "a refreshing day with parents and students, full of excitement and camaraderie. Looking forward to next year!"
Moffitt said, "The Family Engagement Summit was a wonderful vision that came to life. A cross section of individuals worked extremely hard to ensure that parents and families would have a meaningful day of workshops geared toward student success. It is important for families and educational staff to work together for the benefit of our students! We’re looking forward to the next summit to be held in October of 2018. ‘We love our families’ is not just a catchy saying. It is one of our core beliefs!”
Click here to see more pictures from the summit.
A huge shoutout to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation for creating and providing magnets, pens, t-shirts and Walmart giftcards. Thank you team!
