The Parent Center at Van Nuys High School will be offering classes for parents on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Parent Center Director and family educator Ms. Rose Avetisyan and Newcomer Counselor Mr. Evan Zekofsky will be hosting the classes in the Parent Center in Room 423.

Morning classes will begin on Sept. 13 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Evening classes will begin on Oct. 2 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.  

Parents who attend five sessions or more will receive a certificate of completion.

In these classes, participants are taught English and knitting and provided with various workshops.

Some topics that the “Family Support for Students Success Workshops” will cover include “Hand Values,” “Questions Parents Ask About Working with Your School,” “About Your Child’s Report Card,” “What is the LAUSD Parent Portal?” and more.

“There are several workshops we are putting together,” says Ms. Avetisyan. “How we can spend time with each other is another good one.”

In these workshops, parents learn various methods to help improve their relationships with their children and how to be more involved in their lives.

The Parent Center aims to help parents interact with their children with greater confidence and effectiveness. The curriculum will primarily focus on providing parents with knowledge to help their children succeed in school and life.

One activity that parents participate in is called “Hand Values,” where they are asked to draw an outline of their hand on a piece of paper and write down the essential values that should be taught to their children. They are asked to think of the methods that can be taken to achieve their objective.

Ms. Avetisyan, in particular, emphasizes the importance of rules.   

“Rules are really important because after you finish high school, you go to college or you work, and wherever you are, there is going to be some rule to follow,” says Ms. Avetisyan. “And that is an essential thing to do. If a person grew up following the rules, they are going to carry it throughout their whole life.”