Natomas Charter leaders stress attendance, parent partnership and tech limits in Back-to-School presentation

Jill Wood, executive director of Natomas Charter School, and Stephanie Archibald, principal of the Leading Edge academy, delivered a recorded Back-to-School presentation for parents outlining expectations on attendance, family engagement, technology use and volunteer procedures at the BlackRock campus.

Wood said the school’s goal is that “for every year, a student is making at least one year’s worth of academic progress in each of their subject areas” and framed parents as partners in that work. She said the district-wide theme for the year is “Excelling Together, Every Educator, Every Student, Every Day.”

The presentation explained why attendance matters. Wood cited school data showing students who miss few days score higher on CAASPP state tests, and she defined “chronically absent” as missing 10% or more of the school year (roughly 18 days). She also noted that students spend about 14–15% of the calendar year in school, and urged families to avoid midweek trips and other nonessential absences because missed classroom time “really do[es] miss out on their learning.”

Wood laid out three ways families can support learning: connect (get to know teachers, use school communication tools), contribute (limit screen time, encourage extracurriculars) and establish norms and routines at home (homework, independent reading, math practice). She recommended parents “assume positive intent” when children report confusing incidents and to contact teachers or principals to resolve concerns.

Archibald described the Leading Edge academy’s PBIS program and its ROQ expectations — responsibility, ownership, collaboration and kindness — and said students earn “rock tickets” that lead to rewards. She urged parents to help students learn to advocate for themselves by, for example, sitting down with them to write emails to teachers about missing assignments.

The presentation covered practical information for families: PowerSchool holds family contact information, Schoology posts assignments and grades, and parents can follow several Facebook pages for school updates. Archibald reminded parents that volunteers who chaperone field trips must be fingerprinted in advance.

School leaders also highlighted the Natomas Arts and Education Foundation (NAEP) as a fundraising partner that supports grants, events and five academies; recent and upcoming NAEP activities mentioned were Race for the Arts, a night at the Sacramento Kings game and Big Day of Giving. Wood recommended four parenting books as resources and Archibald asked for parent leaders to support the school’s parent group; the next parent-group meeting was listed as Sept. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the Library Media Center at BlackRock.

Leaders closed by inviting parents to contact teachers or administrators with questions. "Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much," Archibald said, urging continued parent involvement and volunteer support.