Over 75 family members and students gathered at Shaw Avenue Elementary School on Jan. 11 for the school’s Parent University program. Family members were invited to an evening of exploration as they participated in workshops encompassing Google’s G Suite for Education, formally known as Google Apps.

Parent University is a district-wide initiative that allows family members to gain a better understanding of what tools their children are using inside of the classroom. The goal is to create meaningful involvement experiences that will assist and empower them in helping their children reach their fullest academic, social and emotional potential.

“We really want to engage our families with the school’s instructional technology,” said Principal Alejandro Rivera. “These workshops will allow family members to support their children with this technology outside of the classroom as well.”

Faculty members dressed in customized t-shirts with a special QR code on the back. Those that took a photo of the code on their smartphone, were directed to the district website. Teachers helped facilitate the workshops throughout the evening on topics such as Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Forms and QR codes.

Students helped their family members navigate the laptops and provided support. At the end of the workshops, parents and children were able to work together to see first-hand how the tools are transforming learning inside of the classroom.