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Lily, Cypress Springs ES Student: Hey, welcome back to Mondays with Maria. Today, my mom is talking to the super attendant about Parent Academies. Stay tuned.

Announcer: Presented by Addition Financial Credit Union. Here's OCPS Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez.

Dr. Vazquez: Hi everyone. Thank you, Lily. One of our wonderful students from Cypress Springs Elementary gave a wonderful introduction. Mariel Milano is here with me today. She is the Director of Family and Community Engagement in Orange County Public Schools. So, Mariel, I think you might know Lily. 

Mariel Milano, Director: She is my daughter. She's my youngest of four daughters. So, I really understand what it means to be a busy parent. 

Dr. Vazquez: She's adorable. And you are also one of the points of contact for all things Parent Academy. Our parent academies are so popular, and you've done just an amazing job organizing them and growing them for several years now.

Mariel Milano, Director: Thank you so much. I definitely don't do it alone. We have an amazing team of people who have school-aged children themselves. Parent Academy was started, though, because we want parents to feel supported all year long, not just at report card conferences or back to school. And since 2013, we've helped prepare parents to empower their students at home. And last year alone, we reached 10,000 families.

Dr. Vazquez: Wow. Well, and even though we've just started school, the parent academies are back. Right. The first one was held in August at Edgewater High School, correct? Yes. And I heard it was an incredible turnout.

Mariel Milano: Thank you so much. Yes. We had an amazing turnout, and we can see just how connected families want to be. Over 400 families and 270 students came out. And we love hearing them say things like, I got connected to Skyward. I know how to help my child at home, and I am ready for the year.

Dr. Vazquez: Wow. I'm just blown away by the numbers. So, the Parent Academy events provide a great deal of helpful information and resources for our parents and guardians. What are some of the topics for our future parent academies?

Mariel Milano: People are most familiar with our Saturday parent academies. And our next one is Saturday, September 20th. And it is our biggest event of the year, the Fall College and Career Fair.

Dr. Vazquez: That is a very, very important topic.

Mariel Milano: Yes. We have over 80 colleges, institutions, and post-secondary places of business where they can come and talk to admissions representatives and also go to sessions on financial planning, the college application process, etc. So, we're so excited. 

Dr. Vazquez: So, for someone who has not gone right to a parent academy, they may not understand that it's really like a mini, mini conference, correct. And so, they get to pick sessions. Their children can also learn and do some things, but not with their parents or guardians. So, the parent has that time to learn and engage and really focus and not worry about maybe their little ones or sometimes even the teenagers. 

Mariel Milano: Yes. They can come in and drop off their students aged three through grade eight at our Youth Academy. Students will get to participate in crafts and storytelling, PE, and a full-day camp, while their parents learn in sessions of their choosing at no charge. And later this year, we'll have Spring College and Career Fair. Oh, great. A day specifically on empowering multilingual families. And an event that's near and dear to my heart, our ESE Transition Fair, which focuses on preparing students in the exceptional student education program and their families for their college career and life after graduation. 

Dr. Vazquez: Wow. Those are great topics. So, if I'm a parent and I can't come face to face, right, we all know, especially on Saturdays. Yeah. You know, baseball, football, soccer, and dance. There are all kinds of things that are going on. But we offer opportunities for families who can't attend face-to-face events. You want to share some of that information?

Mariel Milano: Yes, absolutely. So, I know Lily is in gymnastics all the time. We offer virtual mini academies that are 30 minutes to one hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there is a full catalog of them available online. Wow. And at schools. And you can tune in from your couch. You don't even need to have your camera on, and you can learn from anywhere. And then we also have a second option called Lunch and Learns. And those happen once a month. You can tune in, live on the OCPS Facebook channel, and ask questions live to somebody about a pressing topic. Our next one is definitely a hot topic. It's accessing Skyward family access and using it to help your child. You can come and talk to us all about it.

Dr. Vazquez: Yeah. Well, and that's wonderful that the topics are timely. It's they're about things that our parents are asking for and help them to connect right. With their school, their teacher, because we know we can't do this alone. Right. We need them to partner with us so that we are preparing and inspiring our children alongside the family. So thank you and your team for all that you do for our families. I am just in awe of how much this program has grown, and the participation opportunities for our families are incredible. So thank you so much. Thank you for watching. Don't forget to like, follow, and subscribe. We'll have more on our podcast. Just go to wherever you get your podcast and search for Mondays with Maria. Have a wonderful week.

Lily, Cypress Springs ES Student: But wait, look what a Parent Engagement Liaison does.

Lisa Hardeman, Parent Engagement Liaison at Hiawassee ES: Hi, my name is Lisa Hardeman. I'm the Parent Engagement Liaison here at Hiawassee Elementary. This information is very important. Your children get ready to test even next week. Part of my role is to make sure the parents and teachers communicate. I also make sure that we have a food pantry here, so that our families get food if needed. Our students, if they need clothes, they get them, not just the students. Even if the parents need clothes, they need different resources. If our parents need to go back to school themselves, I will help them out with that information. I help out at the front desk. Hi, how can I help you? I help out at the nurses ' station and do whatever I need to do. If my hands can help, I will be able to. I just help out.

Sharon Jenkins, Former Principal at Hiawassee ES: She's incredible at taking things off your plate. From the time I met her, she's always been that cheerleader in your corner because she loves the school and she wants to see it do well. So, anyone who comes in, she embraces them, and she figures out how she can support you.

Felicia Appleton, Hiawassee ES Parent: It was times I wanted to give up. And her being there, her having the personality that she has, her being the person that she is, she always gave me relief. I don't know where I would be if she weren't in the school.

Lisa Hardeman: Love covers a multitude of things. So love covers everything. So if you love, it's hard to hate. This is the foundation. So if we could get a great foundation, that's what I tell anybody. Even with learning, if you start with a great foundation, as they grow, they'll develop more than their character. So I love this because this is the foundation. 

Announcer: For an extended conversation on today's topic. Listen to the Mondays with Maria podcast. Available wherever you get your podcasts. Mondays with Maria. It's presented by Addition Financial Credit Union. Count us in for every step of your financial journey. Learn more at AdditionFi.com. For more OCPS news and information, visit TheSlice.OCPS.net. I'm your announcer. Emily Hannon, a student at Audubon Park School. Thanks for watching, and have a great week.