Jefferson Middle School is holding monthly Brown Bag Lunches to give families the chance to visit with school representatives and learn what is happening in the school. The first Brown Bag Lunch was with Principal Chad Bongiovanni. Brown Bag Lunches have been done across the country in schools. Jamestown Community Learning Council’s Home & School Liaison, Sue Cunningham, who is in all the JPS middle schools helping to improve family engagement, thought it would be a great idea. Mrs. Cunningham works to support families in many ways; the Brown Bag Lunches are just one way.

“The Brown Bag Lunches are an opportunity to keep the lines of communication open, build partnerships and for families to feel connected to their child’s school,” said Mrs. Cunningham. “We know that one of the most important ways for students to succeed in school is support from their parents and families. The Brown Bag Lunches are just one way we are helping families find out more about their school and to ask questions and get more information. Families have been very enthusiastic about the idea.”

Each month there will be either a school or community representative available to talk to families who are chosen randomly based on those who expressed interest in attending. The Brown Bag Lunches are purposely kept small in order to foster a casual, easygoing atmosphere where families feel comfortable having open discussions, and also, asking parents for their advice on their school. Mrs. Cunningham will provide a take-home activity for each family and a follow-up phone call will be made to see if the lunch benefited the family. There will also be a specific lunch, with an interpreter, for Spanish-speaking families.

“I think it’s a good idea to have the Brown Bag Lunches as it is not everyday that I can sit down and speak with Mr. Bongiovanni one-on-one,” said Jefferson Middle School parent, Meretta Smith. “I work all the time and don’t often have the chance to have face-to-face conversations with people at the school. It really helps for me to know what is going on at Jefferson School.”

“It’s nice to have a proactive communication with parents” said Mr. Bongiovanni. “This is a great way for us to find out directly from parents what is working well at Jefferson and where we might need to do better. Something like the Brown Bag Lunch is a completely volunteer basis and a positive way to improve parent engagement.”