Family / Community Engagement Committee

Th​e Family/Community Engagement ​Committee was created in 2022 by the Rio Grande School Board of Trustees with the understanding that solid community connections create a strong school.

As society continues to move into fractions and polarities increase, at RGS, we believe in centering humanity with one another. We believe that in order to disrupt the ideology of separation, we have to make space for coming together in real and meaningful ways. 

Fostering and maintaining strong relationships (school-families, family-to-family, and with the wider Santa Fe community) is a core value at RGS. 

We strive to have our students connect intentionally in their classrooms to listen and understand stories and perspectives that differ from theirs. 

 

In 2023, with coaching from Roots ConnectED, the committee launched a multi-year family engagement initiative ​to cultivate a sense of belonging for all families and deepen connections across lines of difference. We used the INTENT Framework to help families come together, share perspectives, and engage in community-building activities that allow them to connect to their child’s school experience and develop deep relationships with one another."

Our first family workshop activity was The Peace Crane Project (peacecraneproject.org). We enjoyed dinner together, used guiding norms to engage in conversations, and began making a mobile of hand-folded origami paper cranes carrying messages of peace on their wings.  We added to this mobile throughout the year to symbolize coming together to build peace. 

We are committed to creating spaces throughout the year that allow these types of connections.
We will use the INTENT framework to host 2 to 3 intentional spaces for community building throughout the year. 

We welcome you to join us as we bring families together to share perspectives and engage in activities that foster deep relationships.