Rose Hill's Family Liaison

Our Rose Hill family liaison serves as a link between our families and our schools. She facilitates family-school communication, which empowers families to become more active partners in their children’s education.

Mrs. Kate Pennington works in our school and community to help families get the information and assistance they need to support their children at home and to ensure their academic success. She represents a variety of cultures, languages, and races and is one component of our school’s effort to enhance family involvement. Mrs. Pennington is at our school building every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm and Tuesday from 1:30 - 4:30.  She can be reached via email at  @email .

Parent Engagement and School Success

Your presence and engagement in your child’s education are critical factors to student achievement and overall school success.

When parents are actively engaged in their child's education, students benefit in many ways:

• Higher grades and test scores

• Better attitudes and behavior

• Better school attendance

• More completed homework assignments

• Greater likelihood of graduating from high school 

• Better chance of enrolling in postsecondary education.

How You Can Become Actively Engaged in Your Child’s Learning, Both at Home and at School:

• Show an interest in your child's education; ask your child each day to tell you something he or she learned.

• Set high expectations for achievement; strive for excellence, not perfection.

• Let your child know you believe in his or her ability to succeed in school; remember to praise effort as well as results.

• Reinforce good study habits; establish a daily routine and a safe, quiet place at home where your child can study with minimal distraction.

• Volunteer and participate in school events and take advantage of opportunities to show your child that you care and are committed to his or her learning and school success.

Support Your Child’s School by:

• Speaking positively about your child's teachers and counselors.

• Talking to your child about why education is important to his or her future.

• Making sure your child gets to school well-rested, well-fed, and on time.

• Attending Back-to-School Nights and parent-teacher conferences.

• Promptly answering notes and calls from your child's teacher.

Encourage Reading and Writing by:

• Keeping age-appropriate books, magazines, and newspapers in your home.

• Taking your child to the library to get his or her own library card and check out books.

• Reading aloud with your child and discussing the pictures and story line.

• Encouraging your child to write notes to grandparents and other relatives.

• Encouraging your child to keep a journal and record his or her thoughts.

The impact of parent engagement on school success:

• Parental engagement is between two and 10 times as big a factor in student achievement as socio-economic status, race, or gender. The benefits are greatest when parents are engaged in education consistently and from a young age.

• What parents/families do in the home environment remains significantly more important to student achievement than what they do in the school setting.

Note: Information based on research by: Henderson, A.T., and Berla, N. (2002, p. 24). A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement, National Center for Family & Community Connections with Schools; The Office of Special Education Programs, United States Department of Education; Michigan Department of Education; Urban Education Journal,(40)3, 259-260), 2005.

 Family and School Partnerships - Fairfax County Public Schools -  www.fcps.edu