It’s Time for Strong Families and Strong Schools to Rise Together

A Letter from Our Executive Director

Dear Families, Staff, Students, and Community Members:

In this year of our theme “Strong Families Successful Students,” the Office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) renews its commitment and reinforces the value of strong family-school partnerships in supporting student achievement. Many families can and do help educate their children for success in school and with encouragement, guidance and support many more can do the same. Families need to share their ideas about how schools can more effectively connect with them to support their child’s learning and schools need to see parents as partners.

The mission of the Office of Family and Community Engagement is to build capacity, and develop programs and strategies to support meaningful district-wide engagement and partnership among schools, families and communities that results in shared responsibility in the creation of thriving schools where every child succeeds. FACE provides programs and professional development that foster authentic family engagement by building the skills, knowledge and confidence of both families and staff to work together to strengthen families and strengthen schools, resulting in strengthening young people’s abilities to succeed in school and life.

On behalf of FACE, I am excited to present to you the inaugural issue of our monthly newsletter Focus on FACE. Use this monthly publication as a tool to keep you connected to the people, places and activities in Philadelphia that focus on family and community engagement. Our goal is to keep you informed on FACE activities, feature great articles, provide best practices, and share community resources.

Do you have an idea or a story to share? Maybe you heard about an upcoming community event that we should all support. Did you find a solution you’d like to suggest to others? Send us your ideas so we can help support each other and grow together!

Happy Reading!

Jenna Monley

Executive Director

Office of Family and Community Engagement