Eight migrant parents, including the Dads, attended the Building Bridges Annual Conference held at Region One on Feb. 28^th.   Migrant Parents listened intently to speakers who explained the benefits of the Building Bridges Program. Our parents were eager to participate in activities. Each participant was provided with a bag full of goodies that included a storybook and a puppet.  They were given time to role-play with one another utilizing the puppets for story telling.  After the conference, our parents were treated to lunch, compliments of the Rio Hondo ISD Migrant Program.

Building Bridges is a home- based program for Migrant three and four year olds, which consists of activities to be taught at home.  Children learn to compare, to sort, to classify and to solve problems and listen to stories in English or Spanish.  Throughout the activities the home educator involves the parent so that the parent is comfortable interacting with the child.  The home educator’s weekly home visit includes demonstration of new activities and discussions about child development for that age.  Building Bridges will soon be implemented in Rio Hondo.  Upon completing the training, Leonor Sanchez will be the home educator who will provide services for migrant three and four year olds.

Rio Hondo Migrant Parents Empowered With Knowledge

Fifteen Rio Hondo parents of migrant students participated in the "Congreso De Padres Migrantes" sponsored by Region One in Edinburg. This trip coordinated by Leonor Sanchez (Recruiter) and Adela Perez (Data Entry Specialist) was a huge success.  Rio Hondo was among the districts with the largest number of parents in attendance. We even received a call from the Harlingen Migrant Program asking how we had managed to get so many parents to attend.

During the session, parents listened to Spanish language presentations on diverse topics.  Region One Education Specialists enlightened parents on the benefits of their district’s migrant programs, requirements for high school graduation including graduation plans, and tutoring services available to their children.   Other topics that were covered included TAKS, late enrollment and early withdrawal and how these factors impact their children’s education.  Most importantly, parents were made aware of how their support and involvement play a major role in their children’s accomplishments. Parents were given the opportunity to intermingle with other parents via group activities.  Our parents got really involved and participated in all the activities. Rio Hondo Migrant Program provided our parents with T-Shirts displaying our migrant logo. We are very proud of our Migrant Parents. 

Migrant recruiter Leonor Sanchez assists Mrs. Arenas (migrant Parent) with selecting the correct uniform sizes for her children.

A large number of parents attended the Parent Advisory Committee Meeting held in November 2007. Elda Garza (Director of Federal Programs) informed parents that laptops will be accessible for migrant students who need to work on research papers. Mrs. Rita Lopez (Elementary Curriculum Facilitator and Leonor Sanchez (Migrant Education Recruiter) also attended the meeting.

The Rio Hondo Migrant Education Program provides school uniforms/clothes for migrant students.

Texas Migrant Education PAC (Parent Advisory Committee) Pictured from left to right: Lupita Ortega (President), Maricela Chavana (Region One), Delia Villarreal (State PAC President), and Adela Perez (Data Entry Specialist)

Adela Perez (left) and Leonor Sanchez (right) attended the 2007 Texas Migrant Education Conference held in San Antonio. Mrs. Sanchez received a certificate of achievement from Identification and Recruitment Academy: Mrs. Perez obtained her certificate of achievement from New Generation System Academy.