Parents Reaching Out Grants


Parents Reaching Out Success Stories

Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School, Sarnia (Lambton Kent DSB) – 2006-07
“Bridges Project”
The “Bridges Project” combined school council meetings with a series of parent workshops on topics such as school pathways, cyberbullying and self esteem. Because so many parents lived so far from the school, they were encouraged to attend both the meeting and workshop. Principals from neighbouring elementary schools were also encouraged to invite parents at their school to attend.

Brighton Public School, Brighton (Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board) – 2006-07
“Bring a Grownup to School” Day
Parents and caregivers were invited to spend time in their child's classroom and participate in classroom activities. During breaks, parents were able to meet the principal and school council members, learn about volunteer opportunities at the school and discuss how they could get more involved.

Floradale Public School, Mississauga (Peel District School Board) – 2006-07
Parent Involvement as Education
Given that the school population spoke more than 60 languages, Floradale needed to reach a wide range of parents, so the school used a series of interactive workshops. Parents were invited to set the agenda for a series of seven workshops on a broad range of topics, such as understanding the Ontario curriculum, building literacy and numeracy skills, and making the transition to middle school.

Jean Vanier Separate School, London (London District Catholic School Board) – 2008-09
Putting Out the Welcome Mat
An orientation program was set up to help new parents become more involved and
connected with the school. This included translating the Parent Information Handbook and the school website, as well as offering translation services for parent - teacher meetings.

Lincoln Avenue Public School, Ajax (Durham District School Board) – 2006-07
East meets West
Lincoln Avenue Public School serves two dominant populations – East Indian and West Indian. All parents were invited to a Saturday afternoon event that started with a “meet and greet” followed by five different workshops for parents and activities for children. Parent sessions were run by experts in the school and the community, many of them immigrants themselves, who understood the unique needs of new Canadians.

Osprey Central School, Maxwell (Bluewater District School Board) – 2008-09
“Parent Lending Library”
New resources for parents were acquired for the school library including books, DVDs and more on a variety of topics, including literacy, behaviour management, bullying prevention and special needs.

Pius XII Catholic School, Sudbury (Sudbury Catholic District School Board) – 2006-07
Parents for Parents
Parents were invited to participate in a series of one-day workshops that were held once a month over five months. At the introductory session, parents offered their ideas for workshop topics. At the four workshops that followed, parents exchanged ideas on the day's topic in the morning and then listened to an expert speaker in the afternoon.

Preston High School, Cambridge (Waterloo Region District School Board) – 2007-08
The “Parent ‘Go-To' guide”:
Parents wanted to learn more about school programs and get more involved in their child's education, so a guide was created that listed information on school policies, course selection, homework and tutor information, as well as extra curricular activities and community resources.

École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf, London (CSDC du Sud-Ouest) – 2008-09
“Parents' library”
The library will create a special section for parents with various resources offering information on how they can support their child's learning.

St. Jerome School, Kirkland Lake (Northeastern Catholic District School Board) – 2007-08
Learning about Bullying Prevention
Parents attended an evening information session on how to recognize and prevent bullying. An expert talked about bullying behaviour and the role of parents, students and staff in creating a safe school. Parents were given practical suggestions for communicating with their children, being positive role models, and dealing with bullying issues.

École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Marguerite-Bourgeoys, Brantford (CSDC du Centre-Sud) – 2008-09
Preventing bullying
Parents and students will be invited to a play “Quand tu vois rouge” and take part in a discussion that follows on how to prevent bullying.

École élémentaire Jeunes sans frontières, Brampton (CSD du Centre Sud-Ouest) – 2008-09
Discussion nights
Parents will be invited to discussions that focus on issues concerning parents and teens. Discussion topics will include “Protecting teens online” and “Improving communications between parents and teens”.

Unionville High School, Unionville (York Region District School Board) – 2008-09
“Newcomer Parent to Parent Buddy System”
Newcomer parents will be matched with parents who have recently immigrated, so the newcomers can learn about the school system and how to support their children from parents who have made a successful transition to life in Ontario. Community agencies, translators and resources will be available to offer parents information and support.