By Tommy Chan
The Mirror
Staff Writer
By Tyler Jung The Mirror Staff
“Its goal? To build good leaders within the family to build good leaders for the future.”
CAMPUS NEWS
The VNHS Parent Center’s Year
June 7, 2017
NEWS: Family educator and Parent Center Coordinator Ms. Rose Avetisyan, gives a rundown of what happened at the Van Nuys High School Parent Center.
As the 2017-2018 year comes to a close, family educator and Parent Center Coordinator Ms. Rose Avetisyan, gives a rundown of what happened at the Van Nuys High School Parent Center:
Parenting Class
Ms. Avetisyan held several parenting classes throughout the school year for parents to share and learn from experiences at home. They also taught each other essential parenting skills to raise family values. “These classes have helped parents spend more time at home,” said Ms. Avetisyan. “We want parents to have more physical time to develop as a family unit.”
ESL (English Second Language) Classes
Ms. Avetisyan hosts her very own ESL classes for parents in the VNHS community on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The primary goal was to teach English to encourage communication within the family, whether it be between siblings or between parents and children. “Many times, I have parents who only speak a foreign language such as Spanish while their children speak only English. These ESL classes allow the parents to communicate more with their children to build family values and instill it in them,” Ms. Avetisyan said. “I would like to thank Ms. Gardea once again for being very supportive of this program and helping the community become closer as a family.”
It’s Your Birthday
Unfortunately, some parents here at Van Nuys do not have the opportunity to celebrate their birthday due to financial issues, or just time. However, Ms. Avetisyan believes that evryone’s special day should be celebrated regardless of their circumstances. To help parents, Ms. Avetisyan organized special individual surprises on parents’ birthdays. In June, Ms. Avetisyan bought two cakes for a parent: one for school and the other for home. “Most of these parents, especially moms, have a lot on their plates back home,” she said. “Usually when they come here, they are burnt out from work at home. We want to give them a monthly surprise to motivate their hard work for their children.”
Welcome Spring
During March, Ms. Avetisyan held an event where parents received flowers provided by the Parent Center and gave them to one another. “I want to spread positivity among the parents, to perhaps encourage them to always stay positive.” said Ms. Avetisyan. She also wants to make the parent center a welcoming, positive environment where parents can comfortably come into for help and community.
Angel of the Year Award
Every year, Ms. Avetisyan gives several Angel of the Year Awards to several staff members who have helped with the Parent Center and its events. Winners were chosen because of their contributions to the Parent Center, through donations and volunteer hours. Although there are different winners every year, Ms. Gardea wins one for her contributions in managing the Parent Center and making sure it is available for all parents at Van Nuys High School. “We give them a thank you card and a figurine resembling an angel, it’s important to say our thanks to the staff members who have gave so much to us,” said Ms. Avetisyan.
Computer Classes
To help parents further learn skills to relate and interact with their children, the Parent Center holds computer classes several times throughout the year. The classes help promote parent computer literacy and typing skills. Ms. Avetisyan believes that these skills go a long way and has seen several parents find better jobs because of the classes.
Field Trips to Pepperdine University and UCLA
This school year marked Van Nuys High School’s first parent school field trip to Pepperdine University and UCLA. This field trip allowed parents to visit these campuses and observe daily college life for themselves, as well as what they can expect for their children. “Parents are the engine of the ‘family train,’ and exposing parents to colleges can foster higher family education values and development,” said Ms. Avetisyan. She wishes to thank Ms. Gardea for allowing the Parent Center to set up, organize, and deliver this event in order to increase ties within our VNHS community.
Ms. Avetisyan also expressed gratitude to Project Steps, Educare, Journalism and the Voice of Van Nuys. She said that these various programs have helped organize events, provide resources, and spread awareness for the Parent Center. Again, she expressed her thanks to Ms. Gardea for her ongoing dedication to the Parent Center and its goal to build good leaders within the family to build good leaders for the future.