A Letter to Our Readers: The West Virginia Family Engagement Center values the ongoing commitment from our participating schools and school districts to continue to promote family engagement, despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We appreciate the opportunity to work alongside each of you to support family engagement efforts in West Virginia schools. As we move forward in the new year, we will continue to elevate school, family, and student voice in the planning and implementation of our programming. Our SEAMless approach to family engagement ensures that family-school partnerships remain a key focus of our statewide family engagement center program. This SEAMless approach to family engagement in West Virginia schools creates a culture of strong families, and ultimately, stronger students. It is our hope that our SEAMless approach to family engagement will continue to support and inspire schools across our state to continue to expand family engagement efforts both in this new year and in the years to come. - Assistant Director, Meaghan Cochrane, Ph.D. |
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Our Mission The West Virginia Family Engagement Center engages families, educators, and community members in the educational process to enhance student academic achievement. WVFEC is partnering with families to provide SEAMless Family Engagement that: - Supports learning and development.
- Encourages positive self image and a "can do" spirit in WV youth.
- Advocates for improved learning opportunities at WV schools.
- Models lifelong learning and enthusiasm for education.
In this newsletter, we'll cover: - School Spotlight: Keyser High School
- Partner Spotlight: Communities in Schools West Virginia
- Upcoming events from REL Appalachia
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February School Spotlight Keyser High School, Mineral County |
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Throughout the fall semester, Keyser High School teachers have worked diligently to plan virtual class time instruction, create instructional videos, and plan lessons that students can work on independently. We started the 2020-21 school year by engaging families in the distance learning process. KHS hosted a small group event in which parents and students attended sessions to educate families on how they can best support learning, how to maneuver the virtual learning platform, and how to streamline on-going communication. |
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Students were given time to practice on their school-provided netbook so they would feel comfortable using it at home. It was an “all-hands-on-deck” success. In addition, we had an online orientation video for freshmen and new students that included photos to introduce faculty and to show the location of classes. For the second semester, Keyser High School plans to hold another family engagement event. This time, we will be offering a variety of small group tutoring sessions. Some groups will cater to students while other sessions will focus on helping parents and guardians on how to help their children with homework. |
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Other sessions will include guidance on: - filling out the Personal Education Plan,
- choosing a career path,
- choosing classes needed for technical careers,
- completing the FAFSA for college-bound students,
- interpreting SAT and PSAT scores, and
- part II training on how the use virtual platform parent pages.
School Spotlight submitted by: Lois Spencer, Keyser High School Principal |
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Upcoming events will be advertised on Keyser High School’s Facebook and Twitter and on Keyser High School’s web page. |   | |
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February Partner Spotlight Communities in Schools West Virginia |
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Founder Bill Milliken began Communities In Schools (CIS) in New York City in the 1970’s. He came up with the idea of bringing community resources inside public schools where they are accessible, coordinated, and accountable. “Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.” The mission of CIS is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. In West Virginia, CIS works in partnership with superintendents, principals, and key school staff to place a site coordinator in each participating school to deliver the model of integrated student supports. The model recognizes that traditional education reform strategies fail to address what kids are dealing with every day: poverty, lack of adult role models, and the absence of such basic needs as food, shelter, and health care. |
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In addition, these students often endure toxic stress that impedes their ability to learn even though they are fully capable of achieving in school. The CIS site coordinator is responsible for executing the CIS School Support Plan, meeting the needs of the student population, and aligning with the priorities of school leadership. |
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The site coordinator works inside the school with principals, teachers, and other student support personnel to forge community partnerships that bring resources into the school to help remove barriers to learning. In order to determine the effectiveness of supports provided to schools and individual students, CIS site coordinators collect, track, and analyze attendance, behavior, and course performance data. Additional data and information may be collected and monitored to determine outcomes related to parent engagement, fulfillment of basic needs, college/career readiness, resiliency, social-emotional learning, and high-risk behaviors. Individual student data is collected and tracked in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act and any state-specific legislation governing the use of student information. Prior to receiving any targeted supports, ALL case managed students must have parental/guardian consent. |
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Based on the needs of the school and community, site coordinators can provide: - Academic Assistance
- Basic Needs
- Behavioral Interventions
- College and Career Prep
- Community and Service Learning
- Enrichment
- Family Engagement
- Life Skills
- Mental Health
- Physical Health
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Upcoming Events
REL Appalachia Professional Development Opportunities |
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|   | Community Math Nights Info Session February 23, 9-10am EST Join REL Appalachia and the West Virginia Family Engagement Center for an informational webinar to learn more about the community math nights program and training/support available to schools to plan a community math night in-person, hybrid, or virtually. |   | |
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|   | Addressing Trauma Module 3 March 30, 3-5pm EST Join REL Appalachia and experts from Marshall University to discuss how school leaders can implement school-wide changes in systems, policies, and procedures to support students experiencing trauma. Accompanying office hours will take place on 4/6 and 4/15. |   | |
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Get the latest WVFEC news via our social channels! | |
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