The event brought together 400 members of the Milwaukee Scholars school community and included resources and fun for the whole family. Danielle Jones, Milwaukee Scholars’ student/family liaison, led the organization efforts and was excited to connect families with resources they need.
Scholars were able to get a free haircut at Milwaukee Scholars’ Back to School Bash.
As scholars were getting in the back-to-school spirit, families were able to learn about a dentist available at school, gather more information about scholar transportation, connect with the fire department and get uniforms or clothes from donations made to the school.
“We wanted to provide a lot of resources,” Jones said. “We gave them a variety of options of things they can do or provided information about what’s available to them. Sometimes, there are resources families don’t know about, so we wanted to offer them a lot of free resources.”
The event connected families with community resources like the local fire department.
Another resource the school is offering this year is Parent University, a series of educational sessions for families to build a stronger foundation and learn successful parenting techniques. Jones said she was grateful to share information about this program with families.
For the older students at Milwaukee Scholars, high school is right around the corner. Various local high schools attended the Back to School Bash to connect with families, provide more information, and help with the registration process.
Among the fun was a group activity where scholars played the drums together in a circle.
Families also checked off haircuts from their back-to-school to-do list. Hairstylists and barbers were at the event to give scholars a fresh cut before returning to school. Jones said families were excited that hairstylists were on site.Celebrating the return of the school year brought with it a professional DJ as well as performances from The Lion Heart Experience, which is a music and art performance, teaching kids of all ages about anti-bullying, mental health, and self-esteem among many other topics.
Scholars participated in fun activities like face painting.
With staff members also at this annual celebration, families met with their scholars’ teacher and started this year’s partnership on the right foot.
“I just love how we’re able to connect our families with our community partners,” Jones said. “We had great feedback on how well it was put together and how many resources we offered.”
What a great event! Thanks to Danielle, and all of Milwaukee Scholars for their hard work!
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About Milwaukee Scholars
Milwaukee Scholars is a tuition-free, public charter school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving students in kindergarten-four through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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