Families Committed to TLSParent Engagement
About Our Parents
A key component of The Loyola School is required parent participation in the program, which involves paying administrative fees to support the cost of our program, volunteering at the school, and attending monthly parent education programs.
Parent engagement is essential to students’ higher academic achievement. Our teachers mentor parents and encourage them to participate actively in their children’s education.
Engaging with families in an inclusive and reciprocal way helps teachers understand a family’s culture and values, which then informs the development of culturally responsive learning experiences.
Family engagement often involves providing feedback on children’s progress and discussing how parents can sustain learning activities at home.
This can take many forms, including:
- Regular parent-teacher conferences,
- Frequent communications between teachers and families, and
- Other events intended to build an inclusive community.
High-quality parent-teacher engagement activities help build trusting and positive relationships between teachers and families.
Parent Volunteers
Parents or grandparents are responsible for volunteering 20 hours per year.
Volunteer activities can include reading to a class, serving meals to the students, attending field trips, supporting the administrative tasks of the school, and representing the school at community events.
In addition to volunteering, every family is asked to contribute a monthly student fee and attend the Family Education sessions once a month.
Parent's Association
The Loyola School Parents’ Association is all about connections: connecting school to home; connecting parents to teachers and staff members; connecting one family to another or to many others.
“Our agenda is to keep connecting with families and building a bond with The Loyola School administration to show how important it is to have a parents’ association and how the association can help with making TLS a better school,” said Jacque Madison, president of The Loyola School Parents’ Association.
Officially established in the 2023-2024 school year – Covid delayed the initial start – The Parents’ Association works on communications, acts as a sounding board for families’ concerns and encourages community by sponsoring activities for both adults and children.
Because communication is the key to involving families, the association solicits family members to volunteer as class parents for each classroom.
“The class parents’ main responsibility is improving communication between the association and the families,” said Madison. Some class parents visit classrooms to see what is going on, but most keep families informed of upcoming events, activities and school news through emails and texts. “Our class parents are our point of contact,” she added. The association also maintains an Instagram account.
Among the events the association sponsors are a Halloween Trunk or Treat; a Family Fun Day that is an indoor field day with games and “friendly competitions;” and a spring dance. The 2025 dance will be an “Enchanted Forest Prom” for the children though an adult must accompany them. The group sponsors various fundraisers throughout the year to support their activities.
The association members are looking for more ways to offer the children new educational experiences, such as cooking classes, an etiquette class at a local restaurant or a story hour led by the Baltimore City Fire Department.
Association members also lend their hands to schoolwide activities, such as helping to organize the fall Block Party, assisting the school’s social workers with the December Toy Swap and maintaining a donation closet of gently used clothing.
“Our goal is to continue building relationships with The Loyola School families and students and establish community partnerships so the families and students can enjoy some different experiences. We want to get more people involved. If there is something you want to see done, you get involved.”
Jacque Madison
President of TLS Parents’ Association
