Free Parent Event Can Help Find the Right Path for Your Child’s School Success

Number one influence on a student’s academic success? Parents.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools is sponsoring a Free Conference for Parentsthat will focus on the paths for student success. More than any other person, teachers, principals, guidance counselors, the number one influence on a student’s academic success is his or her parents and/or caregivers. Learn how you can become an informed parent to help your child be successful.

The program, “Count Us In! Families + Schools + Community = Student Success,” is being organized by the Office of School and Family Partnerships and will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 13 at Anne Arundel Community College.

In a media release from schools spokesman Bob Mosier, Superintendent of Schools Kevin M. Maxwell will join participants for breakfast and mingling at 8:30 a.m. Next, the keynote speech by Andrea Kane, Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, who will talk about, “Common Core State Standards: What Parents Need to Know.”

In educational parlance, Common Core Standards is the state of Maryland’s outline of curriculum for each grade and subject. The change will be subtle—they will not be aiming to teach calculus to first graders—but the school system countywide will be implementing a change that teachers will need to be up-to-speed on. It may require professional development outside the classroom for faculty and administration, but it is also a change in how teachers present the new material in the classroom. This may or may not be noticeable to students and parents.

After the keynote address, parents can attend three one-hour breakout sessions on a variety of topics (pick three):

• Positive Parenting
• There’s an App for that,
• How to Talk to Your Child about Hard Issues in a Supportive Way
• It’s Never Too Early to Plan for the Future
• How to have Success in Science and Think like a Mathematician, and
• How to be an I.E.P. (Informed Effective Parent) Team Member.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Registration is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Please register online. Registration will be open until the sessions are filled up.

Limited child care is available for children ages 3 to 12, but preregistration is required, and can be done by calling 410-222-5309 during business hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Children under the age of 16 are not permitted into the conference sessions.

Spanish and Korean interpreters will be present at the conference.  Three of the breakout sessions will be offered in Spanish. To arrange for interpreters in other languages, please call 410-222-5425.