CARLSBAD UNIFIED CONNECTIONS
April 26, 2024
Classified Staff Spotlight:
Janette Torres
Community Liaison
There are many school protocols for parents – such as using the right parking lot pick-up lane, phoning the school when their child is sick, finding important afterschool programs, and staying in touch with their child's teacher about concerns with a student's educational progress. Navigating this world is more challenging for newcomer families and those confronting other barriers in their daily lives. Aeries, LCAP, Parent Square, and IEPs. Jog-a thons, Robotics clubs, and a proliferation of parental consent forms. It can all be daunting.
That’s where Community Liaisons come in. Carlsbad Unified recently hired five Community Liaisons district-wide to enhance the partnership between home and school. The Liaisons help connect families with the information and resources they need to help their children succeed in school.
Janette Torres is one of these relatively new Community Liaisons. She works with families, students, teachers, and staff at Hope Elementary, Magnolia Elementary, Calavera Hills Elementary, and Calavera Hills Middle School. Her job is to support families and facilitate their involvement in students’ educational programs and school-site activities.
As Ms. Torres has recognized, the key part of a liaison’s job is connecting with families – communicating with them by phone, email, Parent Square, and office visits. She helps them on a one-on-one basis to keep abreast of school requirements and assists them in accessing information – by, for example, teaching them how to log into Aeries, and keeping them current about upcoming events and meetings. Ms. Torres also serves as a translator for parent conferences and IEPs, assists in ELD testing, and organizes campus English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) meetings that she invites parents to attend.
Beyond the campus, Ms. Torres attends District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) and Youth Enrichment Services (YES) meetings, and meets monthly with the other community liaisons to share ideas and additional resources. Students and their families see her as a safe and friendly adult on campus who is there to help out.
Some of Ms. Torres’ “school families” face economic hardship in their lives, so she connects them to many community resources to help them out. Through her efforts, +Box offers nutritious fruit and vegetable deliveries once a week; Got Your Back San Diego, a weekend food assistance program for children, provides bags of food; and Calavera Hills Elementary hosts a food pantry for families experiencing food insecurity. Ms. Torres also coordinates the Assistance League’s annual shopping-voucher distribution, and delivers shoes through Footsteps for students in need.
“The school system can sometimes seem intimidating to families,” says CHE Principal Kimberly Fuentes. “Ms. Torres is warm, welcoming, and approachable. She is here to make our schools accessible for all families. She embodies the intent of these new positions. She has taken the ball and run with it.”
“I am very thankful for the opportunity to work with wonderful parents, children, and the dedicated administrators, staff, and teachers at my schools,” says Ms. Torres. “I love having the opportunity to connect families to all that our schools and community have to offer.”
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Carlsbad Unified School District
Email: cusd@carlsbadusd.net
Website: https://www.carlsbadusd.net
Location: 6225 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Phone: 760-331-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/CarlsbadUnifiedSchools
Twitter: @CarlsbadUSD