LRSD 2024-2025 Parent & Family Engagement Support and Events (In-Person and Virtual)

LRSD 1st & 2nd Semester

LOCATION: Henderson Training Center - 401 John Barrow Road

Contacts: Kaye Rainey (Email Kaye Rainey); or Beatriz Varela - 501-744-9540, beatriz.varela@lrsd.org.

• Homework Helpline: The LRSD Homework Helpline is not being provided this school year.  However, tutoring is provided by specific school choice. Contact your child's teacher, principal, or Parent Facilitator to inform you of the tutoring service that is selected for your child's school.

PARENTING FOR EXCELLENCE: HOME-SCHOOL-COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

1st Semester Workshop Registration

REGISTER https://bit.ly/47NM3Nc

• LRSD 2024 Fall Back to School Partnering for Excellence Spring Conference: Home-School-Community Connections (In-Person) Date: September 14, 2024, 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Parent & Family Workshops

• Schoology and Home Access Center-HAC - Monday, October 14 - 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

  (In-person)

• Technology: Thrillshare (Rooms) and K-12 Insight - Monday, November 11 - 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

  (In-person)

• College & Career Readiness, Wellness (Virtual TBA)

• Parent Workshop R.I.S.E. The Parent Edition, Saturdays, November 2 and December 7, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

  (In-person) Fall/Winter sessions. Pre-registration is encouraged.

  Additional R.I.S.E. The Parent Edition sessions will be scheduled for Spring 2025.

• Parent Workshop (Parenting Partners - Family Meals Challenge) Saturday, December 14 - 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

  (In-person) Holiday theme

• March 1, 2025, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. LRSD 2025 Spring Partnering for Excellence Spring Conference: Home-School-Community Connections Family Resource Fair. Henderson Development Center.  Interesting topics and resources will be shared by LRSD Departments and special guests. FREE health screenings, haircuts, refreshments, educational resources, and MORE!  

• NBA Math Hoops Parent & Family Engagement - 4th - 8th grades. NBA Math Hoops is provided one Saturday per month (October 5, November 2, December 7, January 11, February 1, March 1.  The LRSD NBA Math Hoops Tournament is scheduled for April 5, 2025, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The winning team will receive a trophy, and all student participants will receive an NBA Math Hoops T-shirt and Swag Bag. Contacts: Karl Henry Romain (Email; Karl Henry and Kaye Rainey (Email; Kaye Rainey); or Beatriz Varela - 501-744-9540, beatriz.varela@lrsd.org.

Door prizes, refreshments, and childcare (ages 4-10) are provided.

For more information, contact Kaye Rainey or Beatriz Varela - 501-744-9540, beatriz.varela@lrsd.org

• Logon www.Schoology.com);

• Click “Groups”,

• Click “My Groups”,

• Click “Join Group”

• Enter the Access Code: C864-MD45-XG8CD.

Parenting Partner School Teams: TO BE ANNOUNCED

Title I Trainer-of-Trainers (TOT) (Parent and District Staff).  

For more information, contact the Parent Facilitator or Parent Coordinator of your child's school. Or, contact Kaye Rainey, 447-3358; or Beatriz Varela - 501-744-9540, beatriz.varela@lrsd.org

Johns Hopkins University National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) School, Family & Community Partnerships ** Six Types of Involvement: Parenting, Communicating, Volunteering, Learning at Home, Decision Making, Collaborating with the Community
Supported by LRSD ESEA/ESSA Title I Parent and Family Engagement

NNPS 

The Little Rock School District has adopted the Johns Hopkins University National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) School, Family and Community Partnerships as a Family Model.  Schools utilize research-based approaches to organize and sustain excellent programs of family and community involvement that will increase student success. LRSD schools collaborate to focus on the six “keys to improvement” identified by educational researchers as the critical components of home/school/community connections.

The Little Rock School District parent, family and community engagement efforts operate in three (3) districtwide teams:

• LRSD Network Cluster Teams
  DISTRICT LEADERS Kaye Rainey, District Specialist, Parent & Family Engagement and Beatriz Varela, District Bilingual Specialist, Parent & Family Engagement

 If you have questions or need more information, contact your child's school or Kaye Rainey, LRSD Parent & Family Engagement Specialist, 447-3358 - kaye.rainey@lrsd.org; or Beatriz Varela - 501-744-9540, beatriz.varela@lrsd.org

The Little Rock School District will support programs, activities and procedures for the engagement of parents and families in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs, consistent with Section 1116 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA/ESSA). Those programs, activities and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation and engagement with parents and families of participating children.

The school district will be governed by the following statutory definition of parental and family engagement and expects its Title I schools will carry out programs, activities and procedures in accordance with this definition:

Parental and family engagement means the participation of parents and families in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring

1. Involve parents and family members in jointly developing the local educational agency plan under section 1112, and the development of support and improvement plans under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1111(d).

2. Provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build the capacity of all participating schools within the local educational agency in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance, which may include meaningful consultation with employers, business leaders, and philanthropic organizations, or individuals with expertise in effectively engaging parents and family members in education;

3. Coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies under this part with parent and family engagement strategies, to the extent feasible and appropriate, with other relevant Federal, State, and local laws and programs;

4. Conduct, with the meaningful involvement of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of all schools served under this part, including identifying—

   • (i) barriers to greater participation by parents in activities authorized by this section (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background);

   • (ii) the needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers; and

   • (iii) strategies to support successful school and family interactions;

5. Use the findings of such evaluation in subparagraph (D) to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the parent and family engagement policies described in this section; and

6. Involve parents in the activities of the schools served under this part, which may include establishing a parent advisory board comprised of a sufficient number and representative group of parents or family members served by the local educational agency to adequately represent the needs of the population served by such agency for the purposes of developing, revising, and reviewing the parent and family engagement policy.

G.U.I.D.E. for Life:  Growth (manage yourself). Understanding (know yourself). Interaction (build relationships). Decisions (make responsible choices), Empathy (be aware of others).

Student Success Plan

Act 930 of 2017 defines a Student Success Plan as “a personalized education plan intended to assist students with achieving readiness for college, career, and community engagement.” Student Success Plans are developed by school personnel, in collaboration with parents and the student, and updated annually. The Student Success Plan is a working plan that is dynamic and visited periodically by the student and an advisor or mentor to support the overall success of the student to graduate ready for postsecondary opportunities.  

There are four major components of the Student Success Plan.

•  Guide the student along pathways to graduation

•  Address accelerated learning opportunities

•  Address academic deficits and interventions

•  Include college and career planning components

Student Success Plans must be documented in a format and manner that is accessible to the student. While documentation of activities is required, it is critical to remember that student success planning is centered around trusted adults building relationships with students.

 It’s about the process, not about the paper!

National PTA® created the guides for grades K-8 and two for grades 9-12 (one for English language arts/literacy and one for mathematics).

The Guide includes:

• Key items that children should be learning in English language arts and mathematics in each grade, once the standards are fully implemented.

• Activities that parents can do at home to support their child's learning.

• Methods for helping parents build stronger relationships with their child's teacher. 

• Tips for planning for college and career (high school only).

PTAs can play a pivotal role in how the standards are put in place at the state and district levels. PTA® leaders are encouraged to meet with their school, district, and/or state administrators to discuss their plans to implement the standards and how their PTA can support that work. The goal is that PTAs and education administrators will collaborate on how to share the guides with all of the parents and caregivers in their states or communities, once the standards are fully implemented. Ultimately, the aim is for the Guide to be a tool for parents to build relationships with their children's teachers once the standards are fully in place. 

Additional Resources

State Education Agencies
Find out more about your state's implementation plans.