South Whittier School District held their 2nd Annual Title 1 Conference on Saturday, September 16, at the Family Resource Center at Monte Vista.
This conference is a day filled with educational workshops that discuss relevant topics and resources for parents in an effort to best support families and their students. Community partners were also in attendance hosting booths for attendees. Community partners in attendance included highway patrol, The Whole Child, Pacific Clinics, The Boys & Girls Club of Whittier, and Think Together.
The day began with check-in and brand new backpacks for students and coffee and refreshments were available. The conference began with a welcome from South Whittier Superintendent, Dr. Gary Gonzales, who greeted parents and expressed the importance of families and the district partnering together for student success. Dr. Reanna Medoza, Director, Assessments, Accountability & Parent Engagement, then gave a presentation regarding September being attendance awareness month and how chronic absentee negatively effects student learning, district funding, and ultimately graduation rates.
After hearing from Dr. Mendoza, attendees were able to join their first session. The conference gave attendees the ability to attend two different sessions throughout the day, as well as a group session called Understanding the CAASPP Student Score Reports. There were a variety of workshops to choose from. Workshops included Keeping Your Family Safe on Social Media, Parent Involvement at the Middle School Level, Yes They Can! Using Proactive Behavioral Strategies, A Parent’s Guide to New Math, A Parent’s Guide to Writers Workshop, and An Art Experience For All, to name a few.
During their breaks attendees were able to visit the community partner booths, and after both sessions were over, the day ended with lunch from Chik-Fil-A as well as raffles and prizes.
In an effort to support families to be able to attend the conference, the district provided child care during the event and had buses at each South Whittier school that provided transportation to the Family Resource Center at Monte Vista to attend the conference.
The district plans to continue supporting families in this capacity with more educational opportunities and connections to resources available to them with another conference next year.