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parent school collaboration
As our children often spend more waking hours in school than at home, faculty and staff are often the first to note a problem or challenge that needs to be addressed. While no one individual has all the answers, the most successful formula is when parents and schools partner together to support their children and know that they have outside resources to rely upon when needed.
Amudim received a call from a high school principal in an out of town community, along with one of her faculty, who was concerned about a student engaging in at-risk behavior: cutting class, hanging out with the “wrong” crowd, missing schoolwork. They were seeking guidance on how to best help the student from their end while engaging the parents; the school also wanted to keep all communication as transparent and positive as possible.
Our case manager suggested having the student’s parents reach out so as to include them in what was going on with their daughter, Malky*, and what could be done to assist her. This would involve a two pronged approach: we provided support and education and explored strategies with the school’s administration and mental health staff that they could utilize to help Malky as well as any other students who were struggling. Once Malky’s parents called, our case manager completed a thorough intake to determine the background and needs of the family; it turned out that Malky had endured an earlier trauma that was ignored, which led to her current harmful behavior.
The family and Amudim are now working together to ensure that Malky gets the proper care and support. While this might not be a quick process, we are seeing slow and steady progress both in Malky’s personal and academic life.
Everyone realizes that there are red flags that could have been noticed earlier, but living in a world of “what ifs” and regrets will not help anyone in this case. The system worked as it should: a concerned teacher spoke up, her supervisor listened and did something, and a child and her family are now receiving the help they need to get through this.
If you see someone struggling or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Amudim is just a phone call away and here to help.
*Names and details have been changed for privacy purposes
parent school collaboration
Each week, Amudim fields calls covering a wide range of crises and addressing various human concerns, including addiction, depression, abuse, health and domestic emergencies and many others. We track the calls and breakdown of issues for many reasons, foremost of which is to consistently improve and strengthen our knowledge and ability to address community’s needs.
In the heart of Am Yisrael beats Hakaras Hatov.
With every page turned and every lesson learned, we say ‘Thank You, Hashem.’
parent school collaboration