Prairie Rose Elementary Participates in The 2022 Family Engagement Grant (Cohort 2)

Students with parents during one of the academic goal activities

By: Nicole Weiler, Principal at Prairie Rose Elementary

Prairie Rose Elementary was awarded the opportunity to participate in the 2022 Family Engagement Grant (Cohort 2). The Family Engagement Incentive Grants are available to individual schools to support increased family engagement in schools and communities by implementing and enhancing highly effective family engagement programs and activities that improve student academic achievement.   Our team meets with other ND school districts/schools once a month.  During our virtual time together, we receive mini professional development focused on improving family engagement. We have time to work on action plans to enhance family engagement to support our school-wide goals.  

Our team has been using Dr. Joyce Epstein’s framework to define the six different types of parent involvement.  The six types outlined in this framework are parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community.  We have spent time diving into each of these types to better understand the challenges and the benefits for students, parents, teachers, and administrators.  

Our team is comprised of Mandy Lubken, Brenda Dolyniuk, Karla Larson, Stacy Kilwein, and Rhonda Kraenzel.  We are working on three specific goals and creating action plans to achieve our goals.

Our goals are as follows:

Culture of Welcoming Goal - The Family Engagement Cohort Team will define family engagement vs. family involvement and will provide training for ALL staff on the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships by May 25th.

  • Activity to support this goal - Special Friend/Grandparents Day BINGO

Behavior Goal - By the end of May 2023, we will decrease the number of DORs in grades 2 - 5 to a cumulative total of 130 or less.

  • Activity to support this goal - ‘PAWS’ for a Coffee break

Academic Goal - 75% of K-2 students will be Proficient or Above on the overall composite score from BOY DIBELS assessment to EOY DIBELS assessment.

  • Activities to support this goal - DIBELS Blast off to reading and our monthly Read and Connect events

Our Family Engagement Team hosted a DIBELS family night.  This event was intended to bring our Interventionists, K-2 Teachers, 2 District Coaches, and families together to learn more about the assessment in school and how parents can support their children at home.  Families enjoyed a meal together.  Then our school experts shared specific information about DIBELS with the parents.  After explaining the Why and the How, parents and kids joined together to practice activities they could then take home and use.