School and family partnerships are an essential part of student success. With more than 20,000 students who speak a language other than English at home, we have worked to build a robust team to help families navigate the education system and welcome newcomers into our community.

Bilingual Liaison Javier Rodriguez-Torres leads a team of 53 staff members who travel throughout the district to connect with non-English speaking families and support them using the language they speak at home. The team provides services in Arabic, French, Karen, Karenni/Burmese, Nepali, Somali, Spanish and Swahili.

“The roles that we play are so diverse,” he said. “We have become academic advisors, we have become the welcoming committee, we do enrollments, we do discipline, we assist families facing a crisis. Every role you think of for the school, we are on it.”

Facilitating communications among families, schools and students increases engagement in a student's education, but the benefits reach far beyond the school building. The relationships liaisons build with members of our community help make the district a trusted source of information in difficult times.

“I was surprised during this pandemic how many of our families reached out to us to ask where to find the right information and what was trustworthy,” Rodriguez-Torres said. “That shows the responsibility we have as a community agency to not only educate the kids, but we also know that the community trusts that we will be giving them the right information.”

While translations are a big part of the job, bilingual liaisons also use their backgrounds as engaged members of the community to help families adjust to their new homes. Many liaisons sponsor student and parent clubs that provide English classes for families.

“We look for those individuals who are not only bilingual but can be bicultural,” Rodriguez-Torres said of his team. “A lot of our liaisons belong to different organizations that their neighborhood schools serve, so they already know the community and are ready to help new families get plugged in.”

They also work to bridge cultural gaps to help students and teachers feel more comfortable working with each other. Rodriguez-Torres explained that in the Karen culture, making direct eye is impolite. To teachers, it may seem that students are distracted. The bilingual liaison team worked with students and teachers to help both groups understand this cultural difference.

“Our goal is to support our families in school but also at home, and the feedback we’ve received from living out that goal is overwhelmingly positive,” explained Rodriguez-Torres. “A lot of people feel that when you come to us, you are received by someone who understands you and can actually communicate your needs and wants.”

The 2020-21 school year has started unlike any other. As students return to in-person learning, we are working to provide safe learning environments through enhanced cleaning measures and safety procedures across our district. With the safety of our students, staff and families in mind, fall conferences between parents and teachers will be held remotely.

We would love to gather in person, but the most important thing is a conversation with families to update them on a student's progress and how schools and families can continue to collaborate for success. In some instances, it may even make participation easier as families can sign in from home to have that conversation with teachers.

The interaction and support of parents is vital for student achievement, encouragement, and accountability both in remote and in-person learning. As we continue to navigate these difficult times, parents and teachers will work together to ensure their students are getting the support they need.

"Conference time at Fontenelle is very important," said Principal Heather Rogers of Fontenelle Elementary. "It allows us to give undivided attention to our families about the progress and growth their child is making both academically and socially. Having that one-on-one time to share successes and plan next steps as a team, is vital to our partnership and commitment with our families. This makes the home and school bond even stronger with our families."

Before scheduling conferences, parents should take some time to sit with their student to review any progress reports or communication from teachers since the year began. They should also have a conversation with their student to understand how classes are going. This can help families be ready with any questions for the student's teacher and will make the conversation as meaningful as possible.

Look for information from your student's school about fall conference schedules.

A great teacher can turn a geography lesson into an exciting adventure or make a conversation become a life lesson. And the Omaha Public Schools community is fortunate to have so many great teachers. It’s why the Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award was created more than 30 years ago — to recognize those teachers who have gone above and beyond to help their students in the classroom and in life.

Nominate an OPS teacher for this award and tell us what he or she has done that has made a difference. Submit your nomination by January 15, 2021.

4 Ways to Keep Your Children Engaged While You Work from Home UNO early childhood education professor Debora Basler Wisneski, Ph.D., shares her tips for keeping children active while parents work from home. Link Here.

DO Space presents Make. Hack. Build. an experimental community program for creators ages 12-18 that combines state of the art tools, technology, skill development, and professional project design experiences. Link here.

Sign up with SciStarter to explore citizen science projects, science related activities and online learning resources from organizations such as Princeton University and National Geographic. Customize your own dashboard to save any links or projects that interest you. Find more information click here.

Girls Who Code are making educational computer science activities available free of charge. Access them here.

To visit the Omaha STEM Ecosystem website, click here.

Anyone can nominate a Top Teacher at CHIhealth.com/TopTeachers.

If you would like to view the latest CHI newsletter devoted to youth issues, please click here.

... to Diego Gomez Zamora of R.M. Marrs Magnet Center for being accepted as a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar. Every year, fewer than 100 students from across the country are accepted into this prestigious program.

... to Cadet McKenzie Stirtz of Benson High and Cadet Susie Valderrabano of Burke High for being awarded the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) Award. This honor is awarded to fewer than 30 cadets nationwide.

... to Linda Fischer of Picotte Elementary for earning the 2020 Sokolog Outstanding Jewish Teacher Award. Fischer has taught kindergarten at Picotte for the last four years and teaches first grade summer school at Standing Bear Elementary School.

... to Ms. Amy Leising of the OPS Career Center and Zoo Academy for receiving a Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. This award is the highest award given by the U.S. Government to kindergarten through grade 12 teachers of mathematics and science.

... to Central High’s Scott Wilson for being recognized as Nebraska’s Outstanding American History Teacher by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

... to all Standing Bear Elementary students and staff for their recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors elementary, middle and high schools across the country where students achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap.

... to Ms. Keren Wright of Norris Middle School for being selected as the Dual Language September Teacher of the Month by the nationwide Dual Language Schools Program.

... to Spring Lake Elementary's Principal Katy Cattlett for being elected president of the Nebraska International Languages Association.

... to Spring Lake Elementary for being one of 32 schools across Nebraska to be recognized as a School in Action by the Nebraska Department of Education. This award recognizes schools that are successfully implementing health and wellness programs to support staff and students.

... to Columbian Elementary for being awarded Learning By Design Magazine’s Outstanding Project 2020 award in the New Early Childhood School/Elementary category. This was awarded for “setting a great example of the hard work and investments made by educational communities across the country.”

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