On Oct. 16th, Oxford Academy held a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of their new Family Center. The Family Center serves as a safe space for families to connect and engage in their students’ educational journey as well as offer programs and resources that benefit both parents and students. Once a small corner in the front office is now located in Room 911.
The Family Center began its construction during the spring semester of the last school year when there were new portables being built and has finally concluded.
“I shared my hope to one day have a center on campus for our families. The newest of new portables on campus was shared with me and the possibility of having a center seemed highly likely. So once I got the green light, I got busy putting this place together during the summer and visited schools with family center[s] like Savanna High School and Gilbert High School.” Oxford’s FACES Karen Ortega said.
Workshops are held at the center to build partnerships and opportunities for parents to connect with staff members and their peers. The Family Center is also where students are able to pick up their OCTA bus passes and free school materials.
“One of my main focuses is to create connections and build relationships. My hope is that this serves as a space where families have a sense of community and a support system on campus.”
It’s honestly a new era of family engagement on campus, and I look forward to the various opportunities to engage our families at OA, and the growth of the Center.” Ortega said.
Ortega was surrounded by many of her supporters, such as the AUHSD Board of Trustees, Principal Houston, Assistant Superintendent in Educational Services Dr. Jaron Fried, and families, as she had cut the ribbon and officiated the center’s debut.
“In our district, we really believe that in a whole child approach to education, it involves not just our amazing teachers, but the administrators, the counselors, our classified staff, and of course, our parents, and our families, and our caregivers. To be able to have a space where families can come to be empowered to better support their students, what a great opportunity to create this kind of a space and celebrate our families as authentic and true partners.” Dr. Fried said.
“I just think it’s reassuring and it’s reaffirming to our families that they have a place to connect…I think this is a great gesture showing that what we really want is for all of us to work together. It’s so valuable that our students are surrounded by adults that are safe and to have the adults know each other so they know where their kids are hanging out and just support these kids to show that this is what we value here. This is what we value at home and it’s a safe spot for us to come together and do that.” Principal Houston said.
“This Center is designed to help families stay informed and engaged, which in turn positively impacts student success and well-being. May this be a positive contribution to the future of family engagement!” Ortega said.
