Families
Family Ambassador
What is a Family Ambassador?
A family ambassador is an important part of the school community whose roles and responsibilities all point toward helping others. A family ambassador acts as a bridge or link between the school and home. This partnership between school and home is necessary to maximize student achievements. There are a variety of ways that a family ambassador helps to promote this partnership. They include: coaching families on how to be active members of their student’s academic team, prompting and encouraging families to advocate for their student’s education, connecting families to community-based services, the school counselor and/or the school social worker, expanding volunteer opportunities, and maintaining two-way communication with families regarding important school information.
Meet Our Family Ambassador, Sarah Bowman
At Northtowne, our family ambassador is Sarah Bowman. Ms. Bowman is a graduate of this school district and has two children who attend Columbus City Schools. Ms. Bowman’s father is also a retired teacher from the district. Three generations of family involvement in the district means that Ms. Bowman has an understanding of how our past continues to influence our present and future. She also understands that a single event or situation can be seen from many perspectives, and recognizes the importance of those perspectives being communicated fairly and respectfully.
Families of Northtowne can expect to receive regular communication from the family ambassador, school principal, and classroom teachers. Our school emphasizes using the TalkingPoints communication platform for two-way communication with families. We strongly encourage you to download the free TalkingPoints app at https://bit.ly/3OHpsGO for the best experience! TalkingPoints messages are automatically translated to and from each family’s preferred language as listed in Infinite Campus/Parent Portal. Our family ambassador also puts out a monthly newsletter, the Northtowne News, through the electronic platform called S’more. The newsletter is sent through email, TalkingPoints message, and it is posted to the school website. The S’more platform also has the ability to translate the newsletters with a few simple clicks. Communications may also come through mass phone dialers or email.
If a student’s legal guardian is not receiving texts, emails, and phone calls from school staff it most likely means that contact information is in need of an update. To update phone number, email address and home address an Annual Update through the Parent Portal account is required. If a legal guardian needs assistance with accessing their Parent Portal account or completing the Annual Update, the family ambassador can help. Just send her a message to request assistance.
Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports (PBIS)
Northtowne Elementary PBIS Mission Statement
I am prepared and ready to learn.
I will be Respectful, Responsible, and Focused.
I will make choices that focus on teaching and learning.
My hands are for helping, not hurting, and my words are for encouraging.
I will be the best me I can be!
RRF=Respectful, Responsible, Focused
Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) is a school wide model meant to teach and encourage students to choose school-appropriate behaviors. Northtowne Elementary has selected three positive behaviors to be our focus. These behaviors are Respectful, Responsible, and Focused (RRF).
At Northtowne, Respect: means treating people, places, and things in a way that shows that you care. Responsibility: means making good choices and being accountable for your actions. Finally, when we talk about Focus, we mean putting all of your energy into one task. While this plan was developed specifically for our school, the teachers and staff believe that a wider use of these concepts is also a benefit in our general community.
This is why we wanted to take a moment to share the Northtowne Elementary PBIS Mission Statement and definitions of the terms we use. We hope that our families will join with us in consistently reinforcing these ideas in your homes. Thank you for entrusting your child to us for their education.