BATTLE MOUNTAIN - The Lander County School District opened the doors of the new Parent Involvement and Resource Center (PIRC) to local families on Sept. 19 from 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Nearly 80 families stopped by to see what the PIRC was all about. The new center, which is located at 450 E. Sixth South St. in the Mary S. Black Elementary School building, was proposed and approved last May and renovations began over the summer.
A donation from Battle Mountain Parent Teacher Association (PTA) helped cover the majority of the costs. The PIRC is a K - 12 center offering support, information and volunteer opportunities for all families with children attending schools in Lander County.
Parents, grandparents and guardians can stop by for a hot cup of coffee when they drop kids off in the mornings or swing by while waiting for them to get out of school at the end of the day.
There are new signs up in every school encouraging parents to stop by and a new banner on the fence outside the center making it easy to locate.
Lander County School District staff members were treated to a sneak peek of the facility on Sept. 11 and 12. More than 40 teachers, administrators and other staff members stopped by throughout both days.
They enjoyed a quick bite to eat while touring the center. They were able to see what was being offered, make suggestions on what else could be added and leave with a good understanding of what the PIRC has to offer both our schools and families.
For now, the center will be open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. with Parent Involvement Coordinator Krissi Tucker and 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. with parent volunteer Karla Torres. Hours will be added as we find more volunteers to help.
"A lot of parents and grandparents have said they want to be more involved at their child's/grandchild's school but they either don't know how to go about it or if their help is needed or even wanted," said Tucker. "The PIRC is like a bridge connecting families and schools in our community. There are always needs and always people willing and able to help meet them. The trick is to find a way to match them up in a way that benefits everyone involved, especially the children. Our primary focus is to build a strong partnership between the families and schools here in Lander County. We want to make sure that families have a place to go where they can ask questions about their child's education, contribute ideas for improving our schools, donate their time or simply connect with other parents."
The new center will offer a Technology Center with three computers donated by Newmont where parents and guardians can learn to check grades on Power School, pay for hot lunch online, contact teachers and access educational sites which can be used at home.
There will also be links to various colleges, tech schools and armed forces for those interested additional educational opportunities. Links to local businesses will help parents and grandparents looking for employment opportunities in and around Battle Mountain and they are also welcome to visit the center to work on their resumes and job applications.
A lounge/meeting area is where parents are welcome to gather and connect over coffee or tea in the mornings or attend various meetings offered in the afternoons and evenings.
The lounge consists of a sectional and recliner donated by Haney's Furniture, a loveseat donated by Dan and Mindi Hammill and a coffee table donated by Mitch and Elaine Domagala.
A Kid's Corner will offer safe and fun space for little ones to play while parents utilize the center. There are foam alphabet tiles covering a 10 foot by 10 foot area full of gently used toys donated by Mary Edgar at Kid's Closet.
A lot of parents have said that they'd like to help out at school but they can't because they have younger children at home whom they can't bring with them.
Now they can bring their little ones with them while they volunteer in the center. While we do not offer childcare, the center is set up in a way that makes it easy for parents to keep an eye on their children while there.
There will be an informational center with all Lander County schools at a glance. Battle Mountain Elementary School, Eleanor Lemaire Elementary School, Battle Mountain Junior High School, Battle Mountain High School and Austin K - 12 calendars, newsletters, sports schedules and contact information as well as other parent resources and tips are available.
Surveys asking for input regarding what kinds of information parents would like to have access to in the PIRC were sent home in folders and also handed out during the grand opening.
"We want to make sure the information we are offering is information that is truly useful to families in our community," said Tucker.
Those who attended and completed the survey that night were entered into a drawing for a movie basket which went to Araceli Eusebio.
There will be a volunteer center where parents and guardians can sign up to help our schools by donating their time in various ways. While the center is located in the Mary S. Black building, it is a K - 12 center and all schools can take advantage of the services and volunteer opportunities offered at the PIRC.
Teachers from all local schools can fill out requests for help in and out of their classrooms. At the end of every school day, Tucker stops by each school, dropping off completed requests and picking up new ones to take to the PIRC.
Some examples of requests from teachers and school based groups are helpers for specific sports or school events, chaperoning field trips, working with students in the classroom on various math and reading skills or even requests for classroom "moms" or "dads."
For those who want to help but would rather donate their time in the PIRC than in the classroom, there are also teacher requests for copies, bulletin board projects, picture boards, scrapbooking projects and countless other activities that can be completed in the comfort of the center and then distributed to the other buildings.
The PIRC has already had a few surprise visitors stop by also. James W. Guthrie, the Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction, met with Superintendant Jim Squibb, Battle Mountain High School Principal Susan Baldwin, Battle Mountain Junior High School Principal Michelle Caramella, Eleanor Lemaire Elementary School and Austin Schools Principal Amy Nelson, Battle Mountain Elementary Schools Principal Lorrie Sparks and school board member Mark Lake on Sept. 11.
State Board of Education candidate Donna Clontz dropped by on her way to a meeting on Sept. 19 after seeing the grand opening information on the new Battle Mountain Civic Center sign.
School board trustees and principals visited on Sept. 26 to see how the center turned out and hear about our 1st week open to the public.
For more information about the new Parent Involvement and Resource Center, please stop by 450 E. 6th South St. or contact Tucker (775) 635-2889.
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