Family Advocacy Team
The Family Advocacy team seeks to engage both APS families and the community through information sharing and thoughtful partnerships. We aim to build capacity in families to contribute to their student’s experience as thought partners and decision makers, and we work hard to connect our APS families to resources and various supports. Our work can be explored through the following areas:
School Accountability Committees
Aurora Public Schools aims to have a School Accountability Committee in each school by May of 2025. This goal supports our efforts to include parents/guardians, and community voice as decision makers in the student educational experience. School Accountability Committees, or SACs are established at each school and meet on a quarterly basis (some schools may choose to meet more frequently) and serve as an organizational structure and authority for making program, policy, fiscal and standards decisions and implementing best practices at each school.
Each SAC is comprised of the following members:
- Parent chair (1)
- Parent (2+)
- Principal or designee
- Teacher (1+)
- PTA/PTO (1+)
- Community Representatives (1+) Representatives must reflect the student population and not be employed by the school.
The FACE Team is committed to guiding each school through the journey of either creating a SAC or collaborating to bolster already existing SACs. We are passionate about this approach to intentionally guide parents/guardians and community members to the table to discuss the issues that are most impactful upon our students. We strongly encourage all who are interested in being part of the SAC at their student's school, to reach directly to the school to inquire about upcoming SAC meetings, or to reach out to the FACE Team to get connected with their school's SAC team.
Please view this flyer to learn more about School Accountability Committees in Aurora Public Schools, and help us raise the bar in parent and community engagement in APS by exercising your right to be part of important conversations impacting our students. Your voice is valued and needs to be heard!
Family Education and Engagement Sessions
The FACE Team is committed to providing our families and guardians as well as our community members with learning and resources associated with the issues and topics that are most closely related to them and their student’s experience. Our team will aim to host monthly education and engagement sessions open to families/guardians as well as community members throughout APS, so that we can learn and grow together.
As we build these education and engagement sessions, we are actively looking for APS district partners who are interested in collaborating to provide a rich and comprehensive experience for our families/guardians and community. If you are an Aurora Public Schools department looking to collaborate with the FACE Team with the goal of providing a rich learning experience to our APS families and communities, please
In October 2024, we collaborated with The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking to provide our APS community with a presentation focused on Human Trafficking, the warning signs, and how to connect to anti-trafficking resources.
Family Liaison Professional Development (PD)
The Family Advocacy team provides monthly professional development for Family Liaisons across the district. These monthly meetings are a way for Family Liaisons to come together to learn about new district initiatives and information that will have a direct impact on their school. Coupled with the information shared at each meeting, Family Liaisons are encouraged to share a Promising Practice that they have implemented in their school to encourage and strengthen family and community engagement efforts.
The Family School Community Partnership Framework established by CDE, serves as a foundation for the work we do with Family Liaisons, as we seek to create strong relationships of reciprocity between schools and the families and communities they serve, while also building capacity within Family Liaisons to create authentic engagement opportunities that open the door for parent/guardian leadership and lasting relationships.
Each meeting is aimed at building understanding and skills in our Family Liaisons by carefully partnering with various community based groups and organizations as well as APS departments to provide engaging learning experiences with applicable knowledge and skills Family Liaisons can immediately apply to their school setting.
The FACE Team plans and facilitates monthly Professional Development sessions for our Family Liaisons beginning in August and extending to May. Below is a list of our 2024/2025 Family Liaison Professional Development Sessions:
- August 27, 2024
- September 18, 2024
- October 9, 2024
- November 20, 2024
- December 18, 2024
- January 15, 2025
- February 26, 2025
- March 19, 2025
- April 16, 2025
- May 21, 2025
Current Aurora Public Schools staff can view the information slide decks of many of the Family Liaisons PD sessions held so far this year.
(Only accessible through APS Google accounts)
If you are an APS District Team or community group or partner who would like to present at one of our Family Liaison Professional Development Sessions, please reach out to Christina Abeyta-Greene at [email protected].
District Collaboration for Family Education and Engagement
Consulting for District-wide or school-based family and community partnership projects
The FACE Team is committed to providing our families and guardians as well as our community members with learning and resources associated with the issues and topics that are most closely related to them and their student’s experience. Our team will aim to host monthly education and engagement sessions open to families/guardians as well as community members throughout APS, so that we can learn and grow together.
As we build these education and engagement sessions, we are actively looking for APS district partners who are interested in collaborating to provide a rich and comprehensive experience for our families/guardians and community. If you are an Aurora Public Schools department looking to collaborate with the FACE Team with the goal of providing a rich learning experience to our APS families and communities, please
Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC) Assistance
The Aurora Public Schools FARE team and APS Welcome Center administer the energy outreach grant. If you have a student at APS and you need assistance with your energy bill, please email [email protected] or call 303-344-860 ext. 20360 so we can guide you through the process.