MANCHESTER- The wind may have been bitterly cold outside of Beech Street Thursday evening, but the school gymnasium was filled with warmth and compassion at School Connect: Ward 5. The event served as an opportunity for families to speak with school and district leadership, as well as community organizations in the ward 5 area.
The event is designed as a one-stop-shop for families to find help, express concerns or ask questions. The district’s superintendent and assistant superintendents were on hand, along with representatives from district departments and members of the board of school committee. Community groups were also available to help with other needs, including Community Action Partnership, information about after school programs and childcare, help signing up for heating assistance and free backpacks for students.
“It’s designed to bring the district… to families, rather than expecting families to come to centralized events,” said Amadou Hamady, executive director of student engagement, outcomes & success. “We always do a little homework to figure out the best location that we know is going to be very easily accessible for our families.” Multilingual support was also available in Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic Swahili and French for anyone needing language assistance.
Hamady says he came up with the idea for Ward Connect events after hearing parent frustrations and concerns being raised at school board meetings, and wanted to find a way to invite everyone together to a familiar, shared space to come up with mutual solutions. “Having all of the department heads and school leaders at these meetings, having parents be able to talk directly to these school leaders about their concerns and challenges opens a two-way dialogue between schools and families.”
Around 100 families attended the School Connect: Ward 5 event, which also featured art displays and performances from students, as well as games, crafts and pizza. “We designed the event in a way that is fun, educational but also in a space where parents and district leaders can hang out and talk”
Thursday’s ward 5 event was the second of it’s kind, after testing the program with an event in ward 1 back in October. Similar events in other wards are being planned for after the new year.
“We want to strengthen trust between families, schools and the district… and use family feedback to help inform our decisions and communication.”
