Ohio Department of Education Families

The Pirate Pride Picnic and Open House creates a family-friendly atmosphere; provides effective communication about school and community programs; provides volunteer opportunities in several school organizations; assists families with parenting skills to support learning at home; coordinates community resources; provides services to the community; aids the school in better understanding families through feedback tools; and provides communication to families about teacher and school expectations for student success, including state academic content standards. We use the event to inform families of school and community organizations, programs and resources and encourage them to become engaged in school activities and decisions. We also provide information to help them support learning at home. Families and students feel comfortable in the school facility and get to know teachers and staff. Families are aware of expectations and content standards relating to their students. Parents and families become more involved with the school, the community and their children's educational lives.		Contact: Debbie Hughes Organization: Riverside Local Schools District: Riverside Local Schools Phone: (937) 585-5981   All families Front lawn of the school or school auditorium Annually, just before school begins
The Riverside Family-School Partnership hosts the Riverside Pirate Pride Picnic and Open House. We used this year’s event to celebrate the start of another school year; build a sense of family ownership in and familiarity with the school; and create partnership opportunities for the school and community. We also provided academic information as well as information on school and community organizations. Finally, we unveiled a schedule of family events for the entire year, including two Parent Academy programs.  Students, families and community members were invited to this kindergarten through 12th-grade event, which featured a simple menu of hot dogs and chips. Families signed in and entered door prize drawings at the registration table. We had many activities including crafts; kite making and flying; face painting; and hula hoop contests. We held our school open house immediately following the picnic, knowing that once families were on the premises they would be willing to stay for the open house. Picnic activities ended, but information tables (and volunteers to oversee them) remained available during the open house.
More than 650 people attended this back-to-school event this year. During the school year, families became involved in school organizations who otherwise would not have known of those organizations. The picnic was a springboard for the success of the entire school year.
Scheduling around sports events We addressed this challenge by providing incentives to encourage parents and families to attend.
We provided a comment box with instructions asking families to insert feedback cards during the picnic, mail them to the school, or deliver them to a drop box in the school office. Families congratulated us on the picnic and open house idea and regarded the event as being well-organized. Staff members also were surveyed for input on how the event could run more smoothly in the future.
Partners included parents, staff, administrators, business owners, students and community organizations. Approximately 64 organizations or businesses sponsored this event with an activity, information for families, donated supplies, manpower or money. Food, lemonade and tableware were donated by individuals and community businesses. School organizations and community businesses donated door prizes. Volunteers included parents, business leaders, staff, students and community organizations. The DeGraff Village Council allowed us to move picnic tables from the community park to the school. Local EMS and fire departments brought emergency vehicles for children to tour. The DeGraff police provided safety information and bicycle helmets to the first 50 students who signed the Bike Safety Pledge. The Logan County Sheriff's Department provided safety information as well. The Logan County Library provided bookmarks, pencils, bags and library cards. The Family and Children First Council (FCFC) of Logan County attended the event. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts provided activities for families as well as sign-up information, and the local YMCA provided activities for families. The County 4-H office provided information and sign-up opportunities. Title I coordinators sponsored fun events for students. The Family-School Partnership provided a game for students to enjoy, as well as Parent Information Resource Center brochures, pens and magnets. The group also provided academic information to empower parents to support their children's schooling at home.