The Public School System will keep working toward initiatives, programs, and practices that not only meet the diverse needs of learners, but also emphasize giving parents—a crucial partner in the school district—a sense of ownership and empowerment over their child’s learning success. This is done by acknowledging and leveraging the unique role that parents play in their child’s educational success.
This was according to Education Commissioner Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho during his conversation with the different parent leaders and stakeholders at the recently held 2024 State Level Fall Parent Summit.
In acknowledging the unique role that parents play in their child’s educational progress, Camacho believes that it is the incredible strengths of families that will assist the Public School System’s work in their child’s learning.
“Your PSS will continue to work with you to ensure the sense of ownership and empowerment in the very stakeholders that the school district is designed to serve,” Camacho told parents.
“We will continue to create a supportive environment where all voices are valued. This is the beauty of working together, us at PSS and you, our parents, our most valued partners,” he said.
The education chief added, “We want to continue to be better caretakers of our children.”
Camacho also shared with parents that PSS is a complex organization that seamlessly works with everything: from the various offices at the central office, including the governing body, the Board of Education, down to all 20 elementary, middle, and high schools, including critical programs.
“Every single minute of every day, things are happening in all of our 20 schools and up at the central office. This is a complex work that is done cohesively because we all see the same direction—to serve our students, staff and personnel, our parents, and the community as a whole,” Camacho said.
“The point why we all succeed as one complex organization is because we have your trust and confidence that we take care of your children, that we will be better custodians because of our partnership together,” the commissioner pointed out.
‘Engagement’
Parent Advisory Council president Alyssa Pangelinan said parent summits and events organized by PSS are designed to expand the learning opportunities and engagement of parents.
“There are strategies that us parents need to keep ourselves aware so we can bring them back and share with our families, to our school, and to the community,” Pangelinan said in her address.
“We need your continued collaboration with PSS to be able to accomplish its missions, goals and vision,” said Pangelinan, who is also the vice principal of Oleai Elementary School.
PSS can do it with your help and support—the support between home and school,” she added.
Pangelinan appealed to parents to encourage them by recruiting more parents to participate in school-related activities.
PSS-FECI Program director Liela C. Yumul praised all parent leaders for their commitment to continuously supporting PSS.
“Your presence here is a humbling opportunity for us at PSS, to be able to continuously work with you in our commitment to support the learning and success of your child,” Yumul said.
The 2024 State Level Fall Parent Summit was held last Sept. 28 at Aqua Resort Club. With the theme, “Engaging Our Parents as Partners in Education”, over a hundred parent leaders representing all of 20 public elementary, middle, high schools, Head Start/Early Head Start Program, and Special Education Programs participated.
The summit is one of the primary events of the school district’s Family Engagement and Community Involvement Program of the school district. It was created in the school year 2011-2012 by the Office of the Commissioner of Education and the Federal Programs Office as a result of recognizing the critical role of parents in the overall direction of growth of PSS, through its strategic priorities.
The program is federally funded.
External support
Camacho also underscored the important of external support, as praised the support of House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan), who never missed out on any parent activities of the school district. The House leader is a parent leader representing Oleai Elementary School.
The presence of the House leader is a testament of the role of external support in all of PSS’ programs and initiatives.
Board of Education Rota member Daniel O. Quitugua also attended the event.
“While it is an honor for us educators, advocates and stakeholders to work with our parents, we are also honored that we continue to receive external support from our leaders, like the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and all of our community leaders,” Camacho said.
“On behalf of our Board of Education and Public School System, our great school administrators and school personnel are able to deliver the task expected of us because of the support—external support that we receive from our partners in the government,” the commissioner of education said.
Camacho said “both internal and external systems of support” have been key to PSS success.
“From our parents to our partners in the community, you are influencers who encourage our children to continue learning, and help us, at PSS, achieve our goal of learning and succeed in high school, and after high school,” Camacho pointed out.
“This is the most important reason why we exist as one school system: our partnership to ensure that our children are successful,” added the Education chief. (PR)
