Community+Connections


 * __ STANDARD 4: COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS __**

A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by **collaborating with families and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.**

__** My Beliefs on Connecting Schools to the Larger Community **__ I believe that it is absolutely essential for a school administrator to promote a strong, varied, and on-going relationship with families and the larger community. From a political standpoint, making sure that these relationships exist will help pass levies and increase the overall support for the schools. By reaching out to families we insure that their specific concerns, expectations, and needs are being met. Maintaining relationships with area businesses can open doors for students as well (sponsorship of clubs/teams, putting up event schedules in their establishments, etc). Furthermore, local organizations (Kiwanis, VFW, etc.) can be valuable resources for our students. All of these relationships, if established and well maintained, can have a substantial impact on the education of our children.

Here are a few examples of ways that I have personally collaborated with the families of my students and/or members of the community within my classroom:

Throughout the years, I have invited numerous military veterans to visit my American Studies class to help enrich our course content. I have hosted two different veterans of WWII, three different Vietnam vets, as well as an author and vet who served in Iraq in 2003 and has written a novel about his experiences.
 * __** Community Members as Guest Speakers **__

By allowing the students opportunities to interact with these members of the community, we are not only providing an interactive learning opportunity that brings course content to life, but also establishing a relationship with a member of the community who will afterward feel more connected to (and therefore, supportive of) our school district. || || Every year I ask parents to participate in a few activities to help get them involved with their child's activities in my classroom. In addition to eliciting their input on their child's learning styles, strengths and weaknesses, etc. (see "Email Assignment" below), and involving them in their son or daughter's goal setting for the academic year, I ask that they read an independent choice book (see "Family Book Project" below) with their child. Overwhelmingly, parents appreciate the opportunity to participate learning activities with their son or daughter. Assignments such as these build parental support and increase our level of communication, both of which help students.
 * __ Parents as Members of the Learning Process __**



While studying the Civil Rights Movement, I typically ask my students the question, "How much do I make a difference." Using historical figures as inspiration, students become social advocates to address problems in their community. The "Be the Change" project (initial assignment sheet below) is a wonderful opportunity for students get get involved in a service learning project that they plan and implement from start to finish. Over the past couple of years my students have worked in soup kitchens, organized fundraisers, planted a community garden at a local YWCA, written letters to business owners to gain support for their causes, etc. These projects not only open students' eyes to the diversity within their community, but they also provide valuable services to many community organizations.
 * __ Students Stepping Out of the Classroom and into the Community __**