MONTEBELLO – Dice clattered on the cafeteria tables at Bell Gardens Elementary School as parents and students matched the numbers to corresponding characters and story plot lines.

The parents created their own story from the details. The activity was featured in the first Montebello Unified Parent-Teacher Connection workshop held in December as part of a series of five workshops held throughout the school year.

“Montebello Unified is committed to developing and enhancing learning opportunities at school and at home,” MUSD President Benjamin Cárdenas said. “This workshop series illustrates our efforts to increase levels of engagement that will benefit our students, short-term and long-term.”

Montebello Unified teachers, along with Gabriela Gonzalez, David Keys and Janice Shah who also coordinated and presented at the workshops, created resources and toolkits for parents to use at home while enhancing their understanding of the new rigorous California state standards.

“The practitioner-led workshops will guide parents through highly effective strategies and resources that they can use at home to support classroom learning,” presenter and first- and second-grade Montebello Gardens Elementary teacher Gabriela Gonzalez said.

Parents have the opportunity to ask questions about activities and strategies presented at the workshops.

“We want to build strong ties with parents so that they feel comfortable asking their teachers questions both during and outside of the workshops,” Montebello District Parental Involvement Specialist Katie Navarro said. “This lets them become more familiar with activities while creating more parent involvement and support, which ultimately means a stronger educational foundation.”

Upcoming workshops will feature topics on math and literacy under the new state standards, including highly effective strategies, resources and activities that parents can learn and take home to practice at home with their children.

“The dedication of our teachers to create and lead workshops specifically for parents is an example of the strong community support within our District,” Superintendent of Schools Susanna Contreras Smith said. “I’m grateful to them and to our parents for investing in our students daily and through such innovative ways.”

The next workshop will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at Montebello Gardens Elementary from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:
WORKSHOP: As part of a series of five workshops held throughout the school year, Montebello Unified teachers created resources and toolkits for parents to support classroom learning at home while helping parents garner more understanding of the new rigorous California state standards.