December 6, 2019 SPC Sister Schools

We are excited to announce a new SPC initiative we’d like to call, for now, sister schools.  Before we explain, we want everyone to know that the best part of the initiative is that no one is being asked to do anything.  It’s going to be easy and fun.  All we really ask is that our SPC Reps, general members and stakeholders come to our meetings and events, when they can, with an open mind and a collaborative spirit.  

One of the most amazing things about SUSD are the relationships and friendships we, as parents, teachers, administrators, community members, etc., have as a result of our students’ schooling.   We build those relationships naturally through convenience.   We learn things from our friends. We find different ways to support our children through these relationships.  So, at SPC, we want to encourage each other and our members to utilize our time together to open up our circle and build more relationships.  

At our first meeting of the school year, Erica Maxwell asked each of our attendees to get up from their seats and find a different person to sit next to. She had us all try to find someone from a school geographically furthest away from our own.  Then she had us talk about our perceptions and perspectives.   Some of us learned new things that day.  The goal was to discover the possibilities resulting from collaboration between people with different perspectives and perceptions.   

For this reason, we have been working with elementary school and K-8 principals to pair up schools for the purpose of building relationships at our Scottsdale Parent Council meetings and events.  So in effect, please think of these pairings as a glorified seating chart. 🙂  

Please note, schools and their supporting parent/teacher organization, if they have one, may have long-standing relationships with other schools.  The SPC initiative is a separate program with a different goal.  It is within the discretion of each principal and his or her support organization whether or not they want to build upon the relationships initiated by SPC.

Anasazi / Pueblo

Cherokee / Kiva

Cheyenne K-8 / Tonalea K-8

Cochise/Hopi/Hohokam

Copper Ridge K-8 / Echo Canyon K-8

Desert Canyon / Tavan

Laguna / Navajo

Pima / Redfield

Sequoya / Yavapai

We haven’t had the opportunity to speak with middle school and high school principals yet.  However, we plan to facilitate the sister relationship with SPC Reps from all five middle schools and all five high schools, respectively.

We can’t wait to begin this initiative at our next meeting on December 11, 2019.

~Lara Palles, President of Scottsdale Parent Council