03-16-2011 (3.5 MB)

Duration: 3:47 m

Working together to meet our students needs

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Working Together
by David Whyte

We shape our self
to fit this world

and by the world
are shaped again.

The visible
and the invisible

working together
in common cause,

to produce
the miraculous.

I am thinking of the way
the intangible air

passed at speed
round a shaped wing

easily
holds our weight.

So may we, in this life
trust

to those elements
we have yet to see

or imagine,
and look for the true

shape of our own self,
by forming it well

to the great
intangibles about us.

• 

  Synergy. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We are shaped and can shape our world to produce miraculous results—one student, one family, one school, and one community at a time. The visible and the invisible, working together, in common cause.
  
  That’s the mission of our Family-Community Resource Centers (FCRCs)—schools, families and community interacting as partners to strengthen opportunities for students to learn and grow. In our poverty-impacted, high-need neighborhood schools, FCRCs are reducing barriers to student learning such as hunger and homelessness. Educators understand the importance of this work. It’s about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Before children can self-actualize, they need to feel safe and secure. If they don’t know where their bed is for the night, their ability to focus on the day’s lessons will be compromised.
  
  We now have nine FCRCs. They are both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. A coordinator at each site connects families with assistance such as food, clothing, shelter, employment, transportation, medical and dental care, child care, and counseling services. The centers are intended to be the community hub—a place of gathering and support, located on the front porch of our neighborhood schools in greatest need. Of the nine schools with FCRCs, eight serve school communities where more than 60 percent of the students qualify for federally funded breakfast and lunch. Six of the nine schools have more than 75 percent of students on free or reduced-price meals.
  
  The early return on investment has been positive. These schools have seen decreases in student mobility and discipline referrals, and increases in student achievement, daily attendance, and kindergarten readiness. These accomplishments are some of the many reasons that Vancouver Public Schools’ Family-Community Resource Centers initiative has been named one of 15 national Magna Award “Honorable Mention” winners by the American School Board Journal. The Magna Awards recognize innovative and evidence-based best practices that advance student learning, are capable of being replicated, and are the result of collaboration between school districts and the communities they serve.
  
  This national honor recognizes the compassion, dedication, and passion that our FCRC team brings to making a difference in the lives of students and families. I wanted to share a couple of miraculous stories that illustrate the power of working together in common cause.
  
  Thanks again for all that you do. Have a restful and well-earned spring break.
  

  
  Take care,