April Newsletter
Oakland Beach - Lippitt - Norwood - Hoxsie - Scott
April, 2024
What’s happening in April?
Check out the highlights from our March Math Nights on our Instagram page, @WarwickFamilyEngagement!
April is here, spring is definitely in the air as temperatures rise and flowers begin to bloom. We are hosting the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s Healthy Habits nutrition education team every Wednesday in April and continuing into May. We have about 20 families signed up to participate in this incredible program and cannot wait to taste the new recipes Healthy Habits has planned for us! We will share highlights and nutrition tips from this program on our social media platforms for anyone interested.
Several of our Title I schools will be hosting Literacy Nights this April, dates and details are included in the individual school highlights below.
Save The Date for our Mental Health & Wellness Fair on Wednesday, May 1st!
We are kicking off Mental Health Awareness Month with this incredible event for all ages. Games, a ton of free stuff, great information and resources, yoga demonstrations, and much more. Please stop by Warwick Veterans Middle School between 5 & 7 PM on May 1st.
Also coming up in May
Sign up today! https://forms.gle/dN16hZt4c2tJAjCa9
Hoxsie Happenings
Brought to you by Ms. Cassidy
Our Hawks soared to the top in their first unified basketball game against Park School – what a game! We may be ready for some sun, but this rainy weather is perfect for all that is to bloom thanks to our Gardening Club. Pizza anything always makes for a good time, but our families truly enjoyed the interactive math activities included at the Pizza Pi Math Night. March was an exciting month here at Hoxsie and that fun is rolling right into April!
Friday, 4/5 is our rescheduled Coffee Hour! We will be meeting from 9-10 am in the Family Center. Bring your coffee and connect with other parents in our Hoxsie community.
Thursday, 4/25 - Family Literacy Night! Stay tuned for more information.
Take a few moments to peek at this article. I love how these open-ended questions promote a healthy and encouraging discussion of grades (and beyond) with our children. As parents, our expressed interest and how we approach these discussions play a big role in how our children view the connection between home and school.
Questions or concerns, please email Ms. Cassidy: cassidy.kamer@warwickschools.org
Life at The Beach
Brought to you by Kelly Correia
Thank you to everyone who came and visited our Math Factory for Math Night! Be on the lookout for Literacy night happening early May!
It seems the construction on Oakland Beach is going as planned and we will be back at home when school starts again! I think Oakland Beach should leave their mark at Gorton and create a Time Capsule for future students as our next family workshop!
April vacation starts on 4/13, I hope everyone has a fun, relaxing, and much needed vacation!
On April 24th from 6 to 7:30 p.m., we will be having our monthly Better Together group for Oakland Beach and Norwood Families at Norwood Elementary. Better Together focuses on empowerment for parents and guardians through fellowship and support. If you would like to attend please fill out this form to help us prepare, however walk-ins are always welcome!
Coffee Hour with Principal Yates and Kelly Correia Thursday, Apr 25 at 1:15 p.m until pick up. Please enter through the Main Office. This will be an opportunity to talk about school improvement ideas!
Time Capsule Family Workshop, Tuesday, April 30th at 6 p.m. at Gorton Sign up here!
Noteworthy at Norwood
Brought to you by Ms. Bernie
Norwood Literacy Night will be on Thursday, April 25th from 6:00-7:15 pm. in the All-Purpose Room. Norwood students and their families can Go for the Gold! as they learn about the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games through games, books, and fun-filled activities. Please sign up to attend here.
Our next Better Together discussion group will be on Wednesday, April 24th from 6:00-7:30 pm.
Lippitt Lately
Brought to you by Mrs. Kadek
March flew by! We celebrated the students’ increased iReady test scores in Math and Reading and ended the month with a wonderful Math Madness basketball-themed Family Math Night. Students in grades 3-5 have begun their RICAS testing-We know you will do your best, you've got this!
Please Join us for Literacy Night on Tuesday, April 23rd from 6:30-7:30 PM in the cafeteria and gymnasium. The Warwick Public Library will be joining us, we will have lots of fun activities and games, a book swap, freebies, and more!
Status at Scott
Brought to you by Mrs. Sullivan
What a wonderful March we had! Thank you to everyone who came and had some fun at Math Night. Shout out to the PTA for purchasing 300 solar eclipse sunglasses for the Scott community just in time for the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8th.
On Wednesday, April 24th @ 6 pm there will be a family paint night at Scott School, please register to attend here: https://forms.gle/6jxTrHVbnGT1jwGKA
On Saturday, April 27th the PTA is also hosting a carnival theme family dance at Toll Gate High School. Starting April 25th to June 16th on Thursdays from 3:00- 4:00 Mobile Quest will be hosting an after-school S.T.E.M club.
Parent Voice
Parents who attended our annual Advisory Council Meeting shared some truly inspiring thoughts and we wanted to share what was discussed in the newsletter. Please reach out to Mrs. Kadek at any time with your thoughts. Your voice is essential, and parents are the key to student success.
After introductions and a review of our Family Engagement Policy, we broke into small groups and worked on what we refer to as a SOAR analysis. Below are the notes from this activity and what was discussed during the meeting.
School Improvement Planning Discussion - SOAR analysis
Family Engagement Strengths
Having a dedicated facilitator in each school- having a dedicated facilitator creates accountability for the relationship between parents and the school. A familiar comfortable face and staff member as a resource.
Increase of events with multiple facilitators
Follow through, follow up.
Parent groups work, and those who attend get a lot out of it
Monthly events
More events, more variety, increased participation.
Family Engagement Opportunities
Becoming more inclusive for all families and making everyone feel welcome. Ex: Instead of offering an interpreter, center the event on a specific culture and language.
Invite parents and caregivers to come into classrooms as guest readers or speakers to share and showcase their identity.
Increased events with various times (afternoon and evening) to accommodate parent’s schedules, increasing attendance.
More diversity and inclusion, celebrating culture and our student's diverse backgrounds
Monthly cultural events; utilize nationally recognized months. For example, Hispanic Heritage Month, Indigenous Peoples/ National American Indian Heritage Month, Black History Month, Women’s History, Asian American Pacific Islander, etc. Special education events during October for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, December can be a multicultural holiday celebration, and June would be all about families & kindness.
Paper flyers - parents still want the hard copy
More involvement from teachers
Mrs. O’Neil reiterated the need for Title I events to be on the morning announcements
Short text reminders
Showcasing after-school programs for the whole school, encouraging participation
Hosting advisory at the beginning of the year
New family “Social”, hosting an event for new incoming families.
Family Engagement Aspirations
More personal follow through, being able to reach out to parents individually and directly.
Having a dedicated facilitator per school
Strength in numbers, more success getting parents together, and creating an inclusive and welcoming environment and community.
Warwick Passport, visit different landmarks around the city for a prize
Family bulletin board that showcases every family in the school
Consistency across schools; events, communication, follow through
Getting the kids into recycling, composting, and more events that build pride in the neighborhood. More community service
Regular coffee hours and communication with school staff aren’t just for when you have a problem
Have parents as guest speakers, let the parents take a leadership role
School Facebook page for each school
Virtual events, virtual lunch hour
Family Engagement Results
Attending events opens the door to more engagement. Parents who show up, continue to show up
Being involved builds character and accountability for the family unit
Parents are the key to success; caregiver involvement in the school community leads to greater academic success.
What’s Happening in The Community? 
Wondering what to do for the solar eclipse? Check out this list from WPRI of places hosting events and activities.
Library Events - https://www.warwicklibrary.org...
Community Service Opportunities
Rhode Island Community Food Bank
Storytime Spotlight!
"Feeling different, especially as a kid, can be tough. But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful.
In Just Ask, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities kids (and people of all ages) have. Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges—and looks at the special powers those kids have as well. As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we're not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask"
Please reach out if you are having trouble viewing or translating this newsletter.
Best Regards,
Your Title I Family Engagement Team