Amanda M Boyd used this set of slides for a presentation about Giffen Memorial Elementary School to the Albany Rotary Club on October 24th, 2018. a youtube video of her presentation may be found here: https://youtu.be/9IYmJjXEONU

1. Rotary Club Meeting
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Amanda M Boyd, M.A.
Community School Site Coordinator

2. Giffen Memorial Elementary:
A Community School
At a Glance School Leadership
Jasmine N Brown, Building Principal
Jason Rogers, Assistant Principal
Jared Fox, Assistant Principal
Student Count
~585
PreKindergarten - 3 classes
Kindergarten - 70
1st Grade - 67
2nd Grade - 60
3rd Grade - 79
4th Grade - 71
5th Grade - 80
6th Grade - 35
Staff Breakdown
42 Classroom Teachers
21 Support Staff
3 ENL Instructors
2 Speech Instructors
6 Reading Specialists
6 Social Emotional Support Staff
9 Teaching Assistants

3. Community School Strategy
A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships
between the school and other community resources. Its
integrated focus on academics, services, supports and
opportunities leads to improved student learning, stronger
families and healthier communities.
(Coalition for Community Schools, 2016)

4. Four Capacities of Community Schools
Whole child development approach that includes conducting needs assessments
and resource inventories, and implementing responsive, high-quality programs
Structured involvement of all stakeholders - educators, parents, students, funders/donors,
community members, service providers - through outreach & relationship-building
A shared vision focused on a common set of results helps the school and community
partners align their activities and skills
After school programs are designed to build on and complement what students are learning
during the school day; health professionals routinely check in with students and their school
progress; parents have opportunities to learn how to support, monitor and advocate for their
children’s education.
All partners conduct sustainability planning from the start (we want to involve long term
partners)

5. Community School Site Coordinator
...implements, integrates, aligns and
coordinates the community school
strategy at the site level.
“Community School Coordinators are the people who push
forward this movement and are the key to successful
implementation. Without our community school
coordinators, the bridge between the school and the
community would not be nearly as strong. Community
School Coordinators work diligently to create and manage
the partnerships that allow students to learn and thrive,
and they deserve recognition for all the work they do.”
- Coalition for Community Schools
- Facilitates Community Schools Advisory Board
- Sits on various Building Teams (BLT, RTI, Attendance)
- Frequently meets with Parents / Guardians

7. Projects & Initiatives
We Are Giffen Family Chomp Cards
How The Rotary Club Can Help
Donation of 2 Chomp Card Raffle Prizes
2018 - 1st prize 40-inch smart TV gifted to
a GMES family.
SMART Goal: By June 2018, GMES will increase family attendance at school-sponsored
events at GMES and in the community in order to provide information, resources and
supports as evidenced by 30% incentive initiative participation.
Tenet 6: Family & Community Engagement
The school creates a culture of partnership where families, community members and
school staff work together to share in the responsibility for student academic progress and
social-emotional growth and well-being.

8. Recognizing
Parents as Partners

9. Attendance Support
Quarterly AttenDANCE Celebrations
- Sponsoring a DJ for 4 events
- Donating snacks for 4 events
Classroom Attendance Trophy
- Donating a trophy for monthly classroom
exchange to promote healthy competition
and encourage attendance improvement
Attendance Goal: 95%
September Attendance Rate: 88%
Some Statistics
- Poor attendance can influence whether children
read proficiently by the end of 3rd grade or be
retained.
- Research shows that missing 18 days (2 days a
month) negatively affects a student’s academic
performance.
- When students improve their attendance rates,
they improve their academic prospects and chances
for graduating.
- Attendance improves when schools engage
students and parents in positive ways and when
schools provide mentors for chronically absent
students
How The Rotary Club Can Help