Elmsford Parents Show Up for “Home School Connection” Presentations

A number of parents in the Elmsford Union Free School District turned out Dec. 3 for a half day full of presentations geared toward helping them navigate the school system and ensuring success for their children in school.

The Home School Connection gathering, held in the Alexander Hamilton High School cafeteria, consisted of four presentations that were focused on a number of important topics, including the college application process, the dangers of smoking among teens, helping children succeed in school, fostering positive relationships throughout the community, and making the most out of parent-teacher conferences and other meetings with educators.

In her presentation, Luarben Bencosme of the Westchester Institute for Human Development emphasized the importance of parent involvement.

A first-generation American, Ms. Bencosme told the audience that her immigrant parents had very little English language skills when she was growing up, but that they always encouraged her to learn and to do well in school.

“My mom could tell if I was understanding my lessons even though she didn’t know English,” said Ms. Bencosme. “Even if we don’t know English, we know there’s something going on. We keep mental notes and we always have discussions with our child’s teachers.”

In a presentation on the dangers of smoking, RNs Alexia Taylor and Tara Diaz talked about the many cases of cancer they see each year at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where they work.

“Everyday 4,000 kids between the ages of 12 and 17 start smoking,” said Ms. Taylor, referring to recent national statistics. She added that using electronic cigarettes also poses a risk. “It takes one affected cell to turn into a malignancy and then you have cancer,” she said.

Over the next few months, both of them will visit high school health classes emphasizing the risks of smoking among teens and gaining students’ opinions on the topic.

The importance of attending parent-teacher meetings was also stressed during the event.

“Don’t wait until the parent-teacher conference to make that appointment,” said AHHS Principal Dr. Marc Baiocco.

Grady School teachers Debra Barbosa and Mary Ellen Pickens also talked about the difference between parent-teacher conferences and Back to School nights.

Parent-teacher conferences, they explained, are a time when parents should come with all of their questions, such as inquiring about their child’s report card and any other special needs they have.

Referring to the typical Back to School nights that are scheduled at the beginning of the school year, Ms. Barbosa said, “It’s really important to come to these so that you can meet your child’s teacher and learn about his or her individual teaching style.”

Elmsford Police Officer Doug Ramirez, a familiar face across the district, also participated in the morning event, warning participants about the prominence of phone and online scams and the danger of disclosing personal information to strangers.

High school guidance counselors Monica Ahern and Stephanie Luccioni walked parents through a timeline of information that middle and high school students should have as they prepare themselves for eventual graduation.

While the transition from the Alice E. Grady Elementary School to AHHS is a tough one for many students, they said, by the 10th grade students should be capable of taking the school’s more advanced courses and thinking about a possible college major.

“Parent outreach is important in the development of a school-home pipeline,” said Dr. Baiocco, who worked to teachers and parent volunteers to organize the event.

“It critical that we assess parents’ needs and provide the support to assist them with their child’s success. Our partnership is reciprocal and requires that we, as educators, ask what we can do to improve as well.”