By Julia Poliskey
staff writer
At the beginning of the year, students received a newsletter discussing different things being presented this year and what to expect throughout 2010 and 2011. Part of this letter informed students and parents on Parent Link Meetings. Run by Principal Pam Kastl, the reason Parent Link Meetings are held is to inform parents on what is going on at DHS. These meetings are held monthly, excluding December and March, from 7-8 p.m. in the media center.
“They are a way to give parents educational updates,” Kastl said. “They inform parents what we’re doing in the building.”
So far, these meetings have covered a variety of topics. At the beginning of the year, Home Access Center was introduced to the parents so that they were familiar with the new way to view grades online. The IB program has been covered thoroughly, giving parents helpful information on what to expect out of these types of classes. Presentations have also been given on the MME and ACT. These informed parents on how the schedule during MME week would work and also gave them information on how the scores of DHS students would affect the school. Another topic that has been discussed at these meetings is how students can volunteer more, whether for National Honor Society, scholarships in college, or simply meeting the graduation requirements.
These meeting have been very beneficial to Sheri Parker, the mother of DHS student Lauren Parker. Although they were available to go to last year as well, Parker finds that this year the meetings are more informative for a variety of reasons. Along with the increase of speakers from last year, Parker also likes the topics that are covered more.
“Mrs. Kastl usually tries to find things that parents are interested in,” Parker said. “She is also very straightforward about all of the questions asked, which I really like.”
The only thing that is disappointing to Parker is the lack of parents who attend. Although the Parent Link Meetings have grown more popular from the average of 15 people on the attendance list at the beginning of the year to the average of 30 currently, it is still a small percentage compared to the amount of parents of students at DHS.
“It’s sad because it’s such great information,” Parker said.
Parent Link Meetings will continue for the rest of the year and remain as a resource for parents to become more involved in their students’ educational career.
