As I reflect on the April 21st Positive Outcomes Charter School ParentCamp, the one thing that comes to mind is family. I’m not talking about family in the traditional sense of the word- father, mother, children. I’m talking about family in a different way. Family as belonging to an interconnected group of people supporting younger people in a way that is different from most schools I encounter. Positive Outcomes has developed a family where the traditional roles are blurred. Adults step up to support and encourage students in ways that don’t go unnoticed. The adults are a team, taking roles as needed and oftentimes finding connections in ways that others won’t or can’t. The staff at Positive Outcomes becomes a part of each students’ family and this is apparent as the topics at ParentCamp are discussed and dissected in ways that best support each student.
The topics at this ParentCamp- Partnering to Protect: A discussion on alcohol and drug use, Fear of the Phone Call: How families and school staff can partner around behavior concerns, and Get Off the Couch: Getting students out of the house this summer- all show that the staff and families care about more than academics. They care about the entire child and they want to support each other to make sure the child, and their family, is supported. My favorite parts of the evening are listening outside of the rooms to all of the discussions that are taking place. The care for one another is amazing!
As I put together the story of this ParentCamp (found in this link), one of the quotes that caught my attention came from one of the staff at Positive Outcomes.
“Hearing the parents say how much we care and consider us extended family and that they know we truly care was special. It meant a lot to me.”
This is just one example of the connections that are made at ParentCamps. And I really think that’s why so many staff at Positive Outcomes continue to come back to participate. You can see it in the faces of those who attend (check out the photo album found in this link). They really relish that opportunity to connect and support one another.
We certainly hope that this short blogpost is a bit of encouragement to attend Positive Outcomes ParentCamps next year. We will be getting together again on October 22nd at 5:15PM. The remainder of the 2026-2027 Positive Outcomes ParentCamps are December 10th, February 11th and April 22nd. Please come and join us to and share in our connections and conversation. We look forward to seeing you!