OPEN Committee

 

mission

The vision of Ogden Parents Engaging Neighbors is to open doors, conversations, and perspectives in the learning community of Ogden Avenue Elementary School through the creation of experiences that value and celebrate multiple dimensions of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Established in 2022, the mission of OPEN is to engage families and students in fulfilling the Culture and Relationship Goal of the District 102 Equity Policy:

We commit to engage families and the community by eliminating barriers to access, in particular those related to culture, socioeconomic status, and language. We commit to identifying equitable practices that will improve engagement with all families and diverse community stakeholders.

The District recognizes the critical need to develop strong ties between the school and local communities, the need to ensure a positive, safe, and inclusive learning environment for all students, and the need to create a mindset of continuous improvement throughout the District.

Participating parents and guardians meet monthly regarding new business, sub-committee progress, and learning opportunities related to the OPEN vision.

Resources

Following are some of the resources that have fueled discussions at OPEN events and meetings:

This year, the OPEN Committee is selecting books from notable book awards and will donate five books per month to our school’s Library Resource Center (LRC), in collaboration with Julie Pitelka, Ogden’s school librarian, and Ogden library assistants Kristen Kramer & Angela Layden.Below are recent selections. Be sure to tell your children to check them out in the library!

Here are brief descriptions of each highlighted Book Award:

  • Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.

  • Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards annually recognize children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.

  • Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

  • Pura Belpre Awards are named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

  • Carter G. Woodson Book Awards recognize the writing, publishing, and dissemination of outstanding social science books for young readers that treat topics related to ethnic minorities and relations sensitively and accurately.

upcoming events

  • Supporting Our LGBTQ+ Friends and Neighbors (March 13, 7:00 to 8:30 pm, Compassion Factory) - As the coming out age gets younger, children and families may have questions about the LGBTQ+ community. You may want to be more familiar with terminology or want to know more about the resources available in our community. You may want to know how to answer questions that your kids ask about gay or trans people in developmentally appropriate ways. The OPEN Committee is proud to host our next event on Wednesday, March 13 with Carolyn Wahlskog, Director of Operations and Programming at Youth Outlook, an organization that celebrates, empowers, advocates for, and provides services to meet the ever-evolving needs of LGBTQ+ youth. All are welcome at this event, including friends, family and neighbors from surrounding communities. Youth Outlook will facilitate a youth activity (suggested age: 3rd to 6th graders) about understanding gender diversity and a conversation for parents to practice answering questions and creating safe spaces. To sign up for this event, go to the Sign Up Genius. 

OPEN meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Ogden LRC.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Rebecca Ramana.

Interested in learning more about the OPEN Committee? Please email Rebecca Ramana.