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PASS invites parents to ‘Rock With Our Flock’

  • Published
  • Airman & Family Readiness Center
Scott Air Force Base, Ill. --  The Airman & Family Readiness Center hosted a Parent Advocates for Students and Schools workshop Aug. 17 called "PASS Overview: Rock With Our Flock." This workshop is part of an ongoing effort to educate parents on how to effectively advocate for their children, particularly with the military lifestyle of moving so often.

PASS workshops are led by parents and local educators who train and provide tools to assist military parents in learning more about school systems generally, and about the local school systems in particular. Additionally, the workshops present an opportunity for educators to learn more about the unique needs of military-connected students.

The Aug. 17 workshop presented speakers from all five workshops (see below) plus an array of other educational leaders throughout Scott Air Force Base and the surrounding areas.

Some of the objectives that the presenters touched on were:
 -Starting your child in school: This workshop is designed to help parents understand how to register their children in school as well as help parents understand the importance of early literacy activities for school preparation. 
 
 -Individualized education plan (IEP/504): This workshop helps parents of children with disabilities gather information about the specific disabilities, special education laws, as well as information concerning the development of their child's individual education plan. Parents gain the support and encouragement needed as they face the everyday joys and challenges of raising children with disabilities. 
 
 -Teaming with school personnel: Most local school districts hold parent-teacher conferences in the month of October and November. Learn how to prepare for conferences and how to get the most out of the experience to benefit your children. The focus of this workshop is to help parents understand the "Chain of concern" that should be followed when resolving issues with school policies and or procedures. This workshop also assists parents with understanding the importance of being professional, using tact, diplomacy, and listening to both sides.
 
 -Roadmap to your child's future: A workshop to educate parents in understanding the significant areas of importance for academic preparation separated into middle school, freshman year, sophomore year, junior year, and senior year . This workshop also helps parents understand issues associated with moving to a new school, academic preparation, paying for college, selecting the right college for their children, as well as vocational-technical or career-technical information, SAT and ACT exams, college visits and virtual campus tours, and ROTC, JROTC, and academy options.

 -SchoolKit portfolio: The emphasis of this workshop is to help parents understand that portfolios must be a systematic and organized gathering of evidence that can be used by educational professionals to measure growth of a child's knowledge, skills, and attitudes. This workshop will help parents understand the importance of gathering recommendations from their children's school prior to leaving which will aid in the proper placement of their children at their next school or duty assignment.

These workshops are examples of the many successful programs that PASS has planned. For more information, call the A&FRC at 256-8668.