Adopt-A-School partners engage across Olathe Public Schools

By Jim Bradford, Chapter Co-Chair at Mission Trail Middle School for Father’s Club

When it comes to raising children, they say it takes a village, right? It takes some help from family, friends, neighbors, teachers, administrators and even an occasional vague acquaintance. No one can do it alone.

And it’s not just the parents that need the help. The kids need some help along the way. They need some support, guidance, encouragement. That’s the specific reason that Father’s Club was created, to help students navigate the middle and high school years with a bit of that support, guidance, encouragement.

The schools and administration need help along the way, too. That’s another, more indirect, reason that Father’s Club was created. That support thing again. Remember, it takes a village, right?

Olathe Public Schools – It Takes a Village

That’s where the Olathe Public Schools have pioneered a program that helps support both schools AND students at the same time through their Adopt-A-School partnerships.

The Olathe Adopt-A-School partnership allows for developing a relationship between an outside organization or group and a particular school. Partnership examples include youth mentors, weekend back pack programs, building and landscape improvement projects, after school tutoring community service learning and much more.

Each school in Olathe has a faith partner, a business partner and parent partner. Traditionally, the parent partner has been the parent teacher organization, but that’s beginning to change with the new Father’s Club chapters starting across the Olathe district. Some schools are lucky enough to have a couple of parent partners with both a PTO and a Father’s Club.

As the school year began in early August, Olathe Public Schools dedicated a couple of afternoons to getting all of those partners together to work out a plan for the school year. It was an opportunity for the faith, business and parent partners to meet with the school administrators all at one time.

They heard from the Olathe Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brent Yeager, along with a representative from the Olathe Public Schools Foundation and the Olathe Chamber of Commerce. It was the perfect chance for all these groups to discuss how they can support one another.

They discussed:

• Preparation
• Coordinated relationships
• Assessed needs
• Developed and implemented an action plan
• Developed timelines and checkpoints

Over the years, the gathering has become paramount to each school’s success, to the success of the entire district.

For each of the partners, it’s the kickoff to a year of collaboration. It’s an opportunity re-acquaint, re-engage and review why they’re a part of the program.

For the schools lucky enough to have a Father’s Club, it’s a way to help the rest of our community understand our goal, our vision. And it helps us all realize that we’re not alone.

We’re all part of the village and we know what it takes. Now it’s time to execute.

Next Steps

• To get involved with a Father’s Club chapter at your school, visit the Chapters page on our website.
• If there isn’t a chapter currently at your school and you would like to know more about starting a Father’s Club chapter, visit the Contact page and fill out the form with your details and we will be in touch!