I am so proud to be principal as we implement our first-ever parent conferences here at LACHSA. I believe it is absolutely crucial to engage with parents in an ongoing way about the progress of our students. Although we will continue to communicate to parents through e-mail, telephone, and, of course, through personal contact with parents, it is important for us as school community to dedicate time and space for in-person communication with parents.
As many of who have had experience with parent conferences at other schools can attest, parent conferences can look very different depending on the school and the community. And while we are still in discussions about the specific format--how the time will be structured, for example--we have decided to hold our parent conferences on during the week of November 23rd before the Thanksgiving break. Please note that this is a change. After discussions about this new initiative, LACHSA's leadership team determined that holding parent conferences in October was simply too soon to have a meaningful discussion considering so little time had passed since the beginning of the school year. We hope that holding these conferences after the mid-semester progress reports will give parents, students, and our faculty a more accurate sense of students' progress.
I know that many of you are familiar with the concept of parent conferences and may wonder why we feel it is so important to our community. It is my hope that parent conferences will be another vehicle through which our community works together to support our students. Parent conferences provide students, parents, and faculty a dedicated time and space to meet and discuss what our students are doing well, what they are struggling with, and what their hopes are for the future; discussions like these simply makes our work with your children stronger.
I also want to dispel any thinking that parent conferences can and should be solely for those students who are struggling. While parent conferences can be a powerful vehicle to help engage and support students who may be experiencing difficulty, they can be equally powerful for students who are achieving. Indeed, all of our students at one time or another at high school experience difficulty as well as successes.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SPOTLIGHT AWARDS Application is now online!
Extended Deadline for Performing Arts is now October 8
Deadline for Visual Arts is December 1
PLEASE VOTE
for a Parent Council representative!
If you are a
9th Grade parent please note that Ballot has been revised and there are now
three nominees; please resubmit the vote if you choose to do so. Updated copy
of the ballots and nominations for the Parent Council are loaded on the lachsa.net website home page.
All the
instructions and nominations are there for you to review, votes can be
submitted via mail: Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (attn: LACHSA Parent Council) 5151 State University Drive, Kennedy Library 1034 North Los Angeles, California 90032
email: parentcouncilelection2009@gmail.com
or Fax: 562-401-5387
Don't wait! All
ballots must be received by Friday, October 2nd, at 4:30pm. Votes will be
tabulated on October 5th and announced at the Oct. 5 Parent Council meeting at
6:30 p.m.(Room to be confirmed).
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