These Supervisory Union/Supervisory District, school and community organization initiatives that strengthen, support and exemplify the core principles of family engagement.

Past Featured Exemplars of Parent, Family and Community Engagement Practices

Maple Run Unified School District (MRUSD) Practice Highlights

With its students leading the change, Maple Run Unified School District (MRUSD), which includes Bellows Free Academy (BFA) Saint Albans, Fairfield Center School, Northwest Career and Technical Center (NCTC), Saint Albans City School, and Saint Albans Town Educational Center (SATEC) exemplifies family engagement core principles by partnering with their communities, supporting the success of students, and creating a welcoming environment. Below are examples of family engagement and community involvement efforts which are also available on the MRSUD website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.

MRUSD Community Strategic Planning Forum included a pancake breakfast (featuring Fairfield Center School-produced maple syrup) before, for those who attended the forum. The MRUSD Board adopted five goals based on last year’s community listening sessions and summit. The forum engaged community members with the Design Committee which was organized to support creating a strategic plan for the next five years based on the adopted goals. This forum was facilitated by The Creative Discourse Group.

Bellows Free Academy (BFA) - BFA Experience for 8th grade students and families. An evening to learn about BFA programs, courses, athletics, and extracurricular opportunities.

Fairfield Center School - Project Sweet Talk is a sugaring unit that the sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students participate in at Fairfield Center School. Each year the sixth graders go out and interview local maple sugarers about history, marketing, tapping, gathering, and boiling. The seventh graders learn about the maple tree, caring for the sugarbush, and the economics of sugaring. The eighth graders do the tapping, gathering, and the boiling. Throughout, community members are called upon for their expertise!

Veterans Breakfast and Ceremony - Saint Albans City School (SACS) Team USA's 7/8th grade learning community organized a breakfast and appreciation ceremony for veteran. Coffee and donuts were served by students in the school library to veterans and their family members. The breakfast was followed by a ceremony of music and three short speeches. This breakfast and ceremony had the best turnout of veterans, students, and teachers seen in many years.

STEAM Family Engagement Night - Saint Albans City School (SACS) family members had an opportunity to spend an evening using a variety of special maker space equipment to generate fancy cards on a mini cricket machine, earrings and keychains on a laser cutter, and colored tiles with a laser cutter and permanent makers.

Northwest Career and Technical Center (NCTC) has opened the doors to its School of Cosmetology and Salon for its second year of service. Community members can receive a variety of services at a reduced price, allowing students to receive the required practical hours for licensure. This year, the salon will operate on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM.

Saint Albans Town Educational Center (SATEC) Family Literacy Night.  Michael Flanagan, Librarian, hosted a series of Literacy Night for SATEC families to explore the library, meet a local author, and explore resources.

Windham Central Supervisory Union - West River Thrives

Thrives' Youth Engagement Specialist, Kayla Jager (left), with Leland & Gray High School Our Voices Exposed (OVX) student members after speaking to legislators at Prevention Day 2023.

West River Thrives exemplars incorporate Community Partnerships by engaging students and families to extend their learning beyond the classroom and to access needed services and resources to support students’ academic and developmental progress.

 West River Valley Thrives is a coalition whose mission is to create opportunities for meaningful contributions to support and promote healthy lifestyle choices with an emphasis on the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use by young people. The coalition serves seven towns (and their associated villages) in the West River Valley that are part of the Windham Central Supervisory Union: Brookline, Jamaica, Marlboro, Newfane, Townshend, Wardsboro, and Windham.

This year Thrives conducted a Parent & Caring Adult Communication Survey with the goal of learning the best ways to connect with parents and caring adults (PCAs) in the West River Valley. Results showed a large majority (72.9%) are looking for in person opportunities to connect. The results summary is posted.

You will find the Parents and Guardians Resources includes preventing prescription drug misuse, e-cigarettes, marijuana myths and facts, a pronouns guide, and relationship building and connection.

The blog section includes short videos and articles such as Cannabis Conversations: Talking to Your Kids About Cannabis and A Letter to Parents About the Growing Youth Vaping Crisis.

Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union (SVSU)

These Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union (SVSU) exemplars incorporate Partnering with the Community by bridging services and creatively Supporting the Success of Students Sharing.

SVSU Parent, Family and Community Engagement Highlights include Specialist Trisha Wright received an award from Sunrise Family Resource Center and a virtual family literacy opportunity shared in the SVSU Monthly Family Edition.

Family Engagement Specialist Receives Recognition from Sunrise Family Resource Center    Trisha Wright, one of the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union’s five Family Engagement Specialists, has recently been nominated for a 2022 Sunrise Community Partner Service Award. For Ms. Wright, this honor speaks volumes of the hard work put in over the past year. The honoree and her fellow Family Engagement Specialists build trust from the ground up. They started the last school year by showing up to different communities, snacks in hand, trying to make connections in any way possible. “We worked together closely and learned to really collaborate,” the honoree said. “We are in the schools, so we can support that communication. But with Sunrise, they can help families who need a little bit extra. We can provide the school-based supports, but they can assist with more day-to-day family support.” Congratulations Trisha!

• Virtual Literacy Game Night, an online opportunity for 2nd grade students and families. Families are invited to engage in this literacy event and receive free materials. See the October SVSU Monthly Family Edition for other opportunities at SVSU and practices that strengthen family and school partnership.

Addison Central School District (ACSD)

The Addison Central School District (ACSD) website features support ASCD's mission to provide an innovative, rigorous, and supportive educational community that inspires a passion for learning and cultivates empathy and responsibility.

The ACSD website features a clearly marked section for 'ACSD Parents’ which includes the heading Community Resources which provides a comprehensive list from counseling opportunities to the community bus schedule. Another heading, Social-Emotional Learning highlights ACSD's focus on adult and student well-being. Other listed headings are School Forms, Tuition Students, Resources for Families during COVID-19, Student Data, and Students with unstable living situation/McKinney-Vento Act.

ACSD website offers Toddle and ManageBac as communication tools that provide ways for families to receive and discuss information.

The Home page provides opportunities to engage such as information about how to become a mentor for the Big Brother/Big Sister program and details on how to sign up to volunteer in schools. Facebook and News and Announcements keep the school community updated. A select language choice is also available.

Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) - Oak Grove School

The Oak Grove School website embeds functions that build strong family and community engagement through two-way communication, sharing power and responsibility, and community engagement.

• On the Home Page is Oak Grove School’s Mission Statement, an Invitation to WSESU Parents and caregivers for Equity Calls, the newsletter ‘News From Oak Grove Owls’, and an interactive calendar.
• The ‘Family Resources’ section links to the Parent Handbook, Café Services, Attendance Policy, Radon Safety, Home School Compact, School Emergency Guide, and Farm to School
• The ‘Leadership Council’ section provides information on Oak Grove Student Leaders. It explains, ‘students facilitate a number of projects throughout the year that make an impact on our school and our community.’ The practice of Local Leadership Councils was created at WSESU ‘to assure our schools continue to reflect the needs and spirit of our communities. School-based Leadership Councils are advisory and shall include school administrators, school staff, community members (parents, students when appropriate, and other town residents).’

The WSESU home page emphasizes the critical work of partnering with the community with the following statement under Our Community: ‘Windham County is a vibrant community and a great place to live. WSESU works with a number of community organizations that help our students grow and learn. It takes a community to raise a child, therefore we rely on the help of our community.’ partners to assist students and families in many ways. For more information about our community and the services they offer to students and families in the WSESU’

• The ‘Community Resources’ section includes information on Housing and Food, Youth and Family Services, Health and Well-being, and Adult Education.

Winooski School District (WSD)

The Winooski School District’s website incorporates strong examples of Partnering with the Community, Providing Equity and Access, and Sharing Power and Responsibility.

This article highlights the Winooski School District (WSD) website which incorporates Family and Community Engagement core principles, Partnering with the Community, Providing Equity and Access, and Sharing Power and Responsibility.

• The WSD website is crafted to bring community voices, events, and support together in a vision of school, family, and community partnership. The website’s banner features ways for families and community members to engage in district opportunities including information on how to Attend a WSD School Board, find out about the Equity and Antiracism steering committee, information on the Veggie Van Go program a twice a month fresh produce distribution, and an online Winooski School District Parent/Guardian Needs for Preschool Survey. 
• Found on the header the option Parents and Community, is easy to locate. From here the drop-down links include After School, Parent Teacher Organization, Translated Orientation videos, and Winooski Community Mindfulness with guided mindfulness sessions. There is also a Parent Resource link connecting a host of other community resources. 
• An additional community, family, and school resource is the Winooski Newsletter, which is created in partnership by the City of Winooski and the Winooski School District. This robust resource highlights, school staff, and students' voices, new initiatives, an overview of programs, and school and community events, as well as a letter from the mayor and local representatives.