The Prodigal Son Foundation Community Learning Center’s Parent Handbook 

This handbook is designed to give parents and guardians a helpful insight into the After School Program offered by the Prodigal Son Foundation.  It includes detailed information about After School Program activities, procedures, and policies. Please read this handbook carefully and keep it in a safe place for easy reference during the school year.

The After School Program strives to provide an atmosphere where students can enjoy, grow, and learn. The staff always welcomes suggestions and ideas that will help us to make your student’s time at the After School Program beneficial and rewarding. We encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas with us at anytime.

​Having more girl classmates may help boys and girls alike boost their reading skills, according to a new study in the Journal of School Effectiveness and School Improvement.

Finds http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2017/11/boys_read_better_when_there_ar.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2-rm&M=58274248&U=2545718 via @educationweek

​This month’s post is from the Marshall Memos

(Originally titled “Parent-Teacher Conferences: Outdated or Underutilized?”)

“For some parents, teacher conferences are more like speed dating than substance,” says Sarah McKibben in this article in Education Update. Attendance at these conferences declines steadily as students move through the grades, from 89 percent in primary grades to 57 percent in high school according to one study, and many parents don’t believe they’re worth the trip. McKibben reports on some ideas for improvement:

​“The kids who need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving ways.” old proverb.

When Teaching Gets Tough, by Allen N. Mendler discusses how important it is that we are all fully present— physically, emotionally, and behaviorally, and tuning out distractions unrelated to our work so that we are aware of what our students and parents are saying, thinking, and feeling.  Great teachers have passion for the work of teaching and learning.  We can see our colleagues who have the passion for the work of teaching and learning based on their students’ performance, work, actions, and behavior.  Yes, the Prodigal Son Foundation has students with vast challenges that involve learning gaps, mental, social, and economic deficiencies.  However, our staff members love what they do every day so that their knowledge and energy comes from their heart and soul that our students and parents can make the connections with each adult that they come in contact with.