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Lawndale community schools team outlines partnerships, resource fair and parent advisory councils
Summary
District community-schools staff described asset-mapping, site advisory councils and partnerships (Big Sunday book donations, Vallarta gift cards, ADAP prevention services, Soles for Soles shoes, and Department of Mental Health workshops). They announced a community resource fair this weekend and reminded sites that annual reports are due June 30.
Emily Lay, the district coordinator for community schools, told parents the program is grounded in four pillars—integrated student supports, expanded learning time, family engagement and collaborative practices—and that staff are conducting asset mapping and needs assessments at each school site. "We have Kieslyn Michael at Anderson, Dominique Paris at Roosevelt…" Lay said, listing coordinators at each site and noting advisory councils are forming to set short- and long-term goals tied to budgets.
Lay described recent and new partnerships: Big Sunday donated over 2,000 books to district sites, Vallarta provided gift cards, ADAP is offering student and parent workshops on substance use prevention, and Soles for Soles is donating about 150 pairs of shoes for students in need. The district has also secured a Department of Mental Health partnership to run parent workshops on topics such as immigration, grief and supporting homework.
The district plans a community resource fair (rain-or-shine) offering food, clothing, books and flu shots and urged parents to attend. Lay acknowledged parent feedback about timing and access: many workshops have been held in the morning, and staff will expand evening and hybrid options—some sites plan to use 'owl' cameras for hybrid participation.
Why it matters: the partnerships aim to address nonacademic barriers and connect families to supports that may improve attendance and readiness to learn. Lay said the advisory councils will report back annually (annual reports due June 30) and that these councils are intended to be shared decision-making bodies that align programs and funding to site needs.
Parents raised access barriers—language, technology and scheduling—and staff urged parents to contact community liaisons or the front office for help enrolling in programs or accessing resources. Several local community liaisons were introduced in person and available to help parents sign up and get QR codes and links to services.
Next steps: advisory councils will continue to meet through December to finalize needs and plans; staff will return to this parent group with updates.
