March 22, 2024 • 25 mins
In part two of our conversation with SAUSD's FACE team, we unlock the treasure trove of cultural wealth and knowledge lying in the heart of our communities with Lisa Solomon and Elisa Briseño-Sandoval, who illuminate the paths to asset-based community engagement in education. This heartfelt conversation celebrates a collective endeavor towards inclusive school-community partnerships, where the richness of family elements is interwoven into student-focused events. You'll be inspired by stories of communities coming together, embracing equity, and empowering one another to lead in the technological and educational frontier looming ahead.
Feel the warmth of trust-building as we spotlight the FACE team's dedication to establishing genuine connections with families through two-way communication and open-door policies. These aren't mere strategies; they're invitations to a shared journey of support, growth, and transformation. Community events become more than just gatherings—they're the bedrock for social connection and empowerment, as parents step into the role of workshop leaders and ambassadors. Join us to hear how Lisa Solomon's and Elisa Briseño-Sandoval's personal tales of mentorship and relentless pursuit of learning craft the narrative of an education that's truly by and for the community.
Visit us at our Buzzsprout site for more ways to listen, links to our social media sites and any referenced materials, and complete transcripts of our full-length episodes: https://bit.ly/SAUSDAmplifyingLeadership
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Lisa Solomon (00:08):
Welcome back, Amplifiers, to the second part
of our inspiring conversationwith Lisa Solomon and Elisa
Elisa Briseño- (00:13):
Briseño-Sandoval .
We hope you enjoy theconclusion of this insightful
dialogue.
Bianca Barquin (00:22):
Elisa, can you describe the outreach and asset
building efforts and theiroutcomes?
Elisa Briseño-Sandoval (00:29):
So, on our end, in terms of really
building off of everything thateveryone has in terms of
experience and knowledge, whichis really looking at assets and
what people bring to the table,Lisa has mentioned some of the
efforts that we're doing, isdoing some of the capacity
building around cultural wealth,around funds of knowledge,
(00:50):
around asset-based thinking,right, and how do we reframe our
thinking when we're thinkingabout our families, our
students, and our community, andthat has been something that,
on our end, we've startedleading already with our
liaisons this year, but in theupcoming months, what we're
looking at doing with theseworkshops is really starting to
(01:11):
share that out to the largercommunity, with our principals,
with our staff, with ourfamilies, so that they also
understand the framework thatwe're working from and that they
understand that really it isabout them, it's about our
greater community coming backtogether for our families and
our students.
(01:31):
And some of the outreach effortsthat we're leading as well, you
know, in terms of family andcommunity engagement, is really
happening organically, I feel.
Every single week, it feltsince probably October, we've
been having some sort ofpartnership with another
department in terms of an effortthat they're doing to engage
(01:52):
families.
This last weekend we just didthe book literacy fair, Battle
of the Books, and they broughtin a family component.
They did a family resource fairto accompany what they've
traditionally just done forstudents, which is beautiful,
you know.
And we are getting all thesedifferent opportunities to just
(02:14):
partner with differentdepartments and bring in that
angle, that lens of like familyengagement and involvement and
how we can kind of rethink alittle bit how we've done school
traditionally and justinvolving the student and
amplify that to including ourfamilies and have them be a part
of the educational journeyright alongside their students.
Bianca Barquin (02:39):
You know what?
I 100% agree with that and whatit makes me think about is the
conversation you and I just hadaround the Santa Ana partnership
.
So remember, Lisa, I called youand I said, oh my gosh, one of
the domains is actually familyand community engagement.
It's so important for you to beat the table so we know what
(02:59):
our next steps are, so we canstrengthen our system.
So you're exactly right,there's integration everywhere.
Lisa Solomon (03:06):
And it goes back to, Bianca, what we said earlier
everyone is Family andCommunity Engagement.
It's not just the FACE liaison,it's everyone, from the office
staff to the entire Teaching andLearning Department, to EL,
Bilingual, to Support Services.
All of us are Family andCommunity Engagement.
It's not just one person, it'snot just one department, it's
(03:27):
all of us.
And that's what we've seen abig change.
We've all been working togetherand we've even developed a plan
and we started as part of ourvision where we're looking at
trainings that we're offeringfor parents, with the Graduate
Profile being our north star.
Designing trainings that gowith each of the different areas
of the Graduate Profile.
But then, beyond that, workingwith Diana Torres, EL D,
(03:51):
Bilingual, what staffdevelopment do we need that goes
under each of the specificareas of the Graduate Profile,
so then we're all supportingFamily and Community Engagement
and we're all supportingstudents' success to meeting
that goal of the GraduateProfile and our students being
as successful as possible.
Bianca Barquin (04:08):
I love it.
So let's expand a little bitmore on vision, right?
So moving forward, Lisa, whatis your vision for Family and
Community Engagement in SAUSD,and how do you see the FACE team
evolving to meet futurechallenges?
I mean, I think of everythingfrom the work we're doing around
immersive technology, anythingright, everything comes to mind.
You are exactly right (04:31):
FACE, Family and Community Engagement,
is a part of it all.
Lisa Solomon (04:37):
Well, I think for our vision, it's aligned with
the District's vision.
It's going back to our voicesbeing heard.
Are we being inclusive, makingsure everyone has a seat at the
table?
Are we being equitable and arewe really empowering our parents
?
That's what it's based on.
But our vision is also how arewe helping to make our students
more successful, our familiesmore successful in our community
(04:59):
?
I mean, students are always atthe center of it and by us kind
of being the hub of ourcommunity not FACE, but just our
schools being the hub of thecommunity, we're really going to
be able to get our parents andour students ready for what's to
come in the future.
We have to be future thinking.
So we've been doing workshops onAI, virtual reality, changes in
(05:21):
how we're teaching throughProject Lead the Way.
That's one of the examples.
We've been offering trainingsto parents so that they can see
the future of education, theycan see their role and they can
also see what they can do tohelp better prepare our kids and
support our kids, our schools,and our community.
So they're at the cutting edgeas well as we are.
(05:42):
If we're learning about AI,then we right away think okay,
what can I do to make sure thatparents know about this, they
know how they can support, theyknow how they can use it
themselves.
So our parents have been excitedto be participants in all these
trainings.
I mean, imagine traveling toanother country using virtual
reality or going to visit theWhite House and seeing that, oh
wow, they have gold curtains atthe White House.
(06:03):
I have gold curtains too.
Making connections to whatthey're learning about.
And then, through Project Leadthe Way, just learning how our
students are learning in theclassroom and knowing that we're
making learning more engaging,we're making it fun, we're
making it exciting.
So then our kids are going tohopefully be motivated and we're
connecting it to what's comingin the future, we're connecting
(06:25):
it to their careers, we'reconnecting it to what we see
happening, and our kids aren'tgoing to be left behind, and
neither are our families throughthe work that we're doing.
Bianca Barquin (06:34):
What's interesting is, I spent my
morning in Strategic Foresighttraining, and that's exactly
what we were thinking about, andI really even want our parents
to be able to engage in thatprocess using foresight tools in
a more formalized way, becauseI think it will do exactly that.
(06:54):
It's going to set up not onlyour students, not only our
families, but our entirecommunity for success, right?
So I agree with that, and Iknow, Elisa, you were going to
add something.
Elisa Briseño-Sandoval (07:06):
Yeah, I think one of the most powerful
things you know really havingLisa come in and give us her
vision is we're really walkingwith our families.
And I have a wonderful examplethat actually just happened this
morning at Budget Town Hall.
I ran into one of our moms thathas been very actively involved
with us, and she told me, I'mlike so excited to be here this
(07:30):
morning, you know, and I waslike, oh really, well, we're
excited to have you here.
She's like, no, you don'tunderstand.
Like I got ready like as if I'mgoing to church on Sunday, like
this is how important this is tome.
I want to be here, I want to beengaged, I want to learn about
what the District is doing.
I am bringing like my Sundaybest and this to me, this work,
(07:53):
I'm so proud of it.
She's like, and I want otherfamilies to understand how
important this is.
And she's like, I went to aworkshop last night and she's
like, I was just so excited tosee new faces.
I was excited to see that newfamilies are now participating
in workshops.
And when she said that it justwas beautiful and I was just so
(08:17):
excited because that's exactlyhow we want our families to feel
.
Bianca Barquin (08:22):
You're exactly right.
Thank you for sharing that.
That was powerful.
Okay, question for you, Lisa.
How will the FACE team continueto foster trusting
relationships and opencommunication among family,
schools, and community partners?
Lisa Solomon (08:40):
I think we're going to continue the work that
we've been doing, Bianca, andsome of those things that we've
done is making sure that we haveregular communication with our
families, that we're outreachingnot just to give information
but as a way to be able tointeract with our families,
where it's a two-waycommunication.
Things like having open- doorpolicies within our wellness
centers, establishing warmenvironments within the schools,
(09:03):
greeting in front of the schoolevery day so parents know that
we're accessible.
Those are the things that helpus to continue to build
connections and relationshipswith our families.
On top of it, continuing toprovide resources and supports
that our families need, beingresponsive and being responsive
in a timely manner.
We've had so many families thathave gone through different
(09:24):
crises and they want, they needsupport, they need help.
It's making sure that we'reconnecting them to the resource
and then that we're alsofollowing up that they know that
we are there for them.
On top of it, it's about makingconnections with people.
I'm going to say buildingrelationships will always be
number one, because we do it inso many different ways.
We host community events andthey may be an informational
(09:46):
fair, but it ends up turninginto like a party, like a
quinceañera and everyone'sdancing and having fun, but it's
our way of connecting, where afamily will spend four hours
with us at a community fair.
It's not just information beinghanded out.
It's about the connectionswe're making.
We're all dancing together,we're laughing together, we're
(10:06):
breaking bread together.
Our FACE liaisons do specialthings with families where they
might have like clothesgiveaways, like, or uniform
exchanges.
We also do community hourswhere they're painting.
They're painting together, allof us with our assets, whatever
we bring to the table.
I may only be able to draw astick figure, but by the end I
have this beautiful paintingbecause we worked on it together
(10:29):
.
We have parent-led workshopswhere families will be learning
how to crochet, and it turnsinto like a social gathering
where we're talking aboutdifferent issues we've dealt
with in our lives.
We bring in a mental healthsupport.
Those are the ways that we'regoing to continue to build those
relationships with our families, to connect with them.
It's about taking time forpeople and listening to people,
(10:52):
slowing it down, becausesometimes we are a little bit
crazy busy, all of us, and weneed to slow down and make sure
that we're being there for ourfamilies, that we're working
together to support them.
Then I think, too, working withother people, knowing that I'm
not the only person that's hereto help and serve and work with
our families.
We're working with otherdepartments.
(11:13):
We work with Support Services,Dave Ritchie, to help improve
attendance.
Everyone's working together andthat's what it's about.
We know who to go to and inSanta Ana we have so many
resources.
It's making sure that ourfamilies know how to connect
with them.
Then, I think, too, going backto making sure we're being
inclusive, welcoming, everyonehas a sense of belonging, and I
(11:37):
think, too, through thepartnerships that we've had,
we've been able to bring indifferent community partners
that come in to meet a need, butthey've also been able to
connect with our families andhelp in additional ways.
We have organizations that dodiaper distributions, food
distributions, but then, on topof it, they offer medical
services, they offer financialsupports for funerals.
(11:57):
We've been able to connect withpartners in different ways
where we're kind of helping eachother.
And I hope that we continue todo that work to foster the
relationships.
It's about taking time withpeople, listening to them and
then really helping to beresponsive to their needs.
It doesn't mean I'm fixingevery single problem.
Sometimes people just needsomeone to listen to, and when
(12:21):
we sit down and we listen,that's where we gain insight
into what we need to do next,how we need to support our
families.
Bianca Barquin (12:29):
The recurring theme I keep hearing, which is
the name of your future podcastBetter Together, right?
Because we can't do this workalone.
So, Lisa, I know you touched onthis a little bit: what are
your long-term goals for theFACE team and how do you plan to
achieve them?
So, maybe some things that wehaven't discussed so far.
Lisa Solomon (12:49):
Of course, as I had stated earlier, we're going
to continue to work on buildingthose trusting relationships
that we just talked about.
But I think the other thing iswe really want to get to a place
where we have parent-ledworkshops, where they're leading
and driving all the work thatwe're doing, so parents' voices
are being heard, that we'reco-designing initiatives,
programs.
Even as we're looking at thisparent education plan, we're
(13:13):
planning on bringing parents into help us design: what is a
world-ready scholar, what wouldyou, as a parent, need to be
able to support your child?
So we want to make sure thatwe're continuing that, but then
having the parents lead theworkshops.
We're hoping to develop aparent ambassador program and we
want it to be like Disney.
So we'd like to have lanyardswith pins that parents earn.
(13:34):
Maybe that'll lead up to likemedals and certificates.
That's one of our long-termgoals.
It's one of the pie in the skydreams where we have parents who
become the ambassadors for eachschool site, where they're
sharing the information, they'releading the workshops, they're
sharing their experiences plusknowledge that other parents
need.
And then I think one of theother long-term goals that we
(13:55):
have is improving ourcommunication channels,
continuing to work on it andwe've been working on it,
definitely getting streamliningit, but we want to make it even
better so not one parent missesout on information that would be
pertinent to them that will beavailable for them.
And then the last goal is tomake sure that our entire system
(14:15):
knows the important role theyplay in family and community
engagement.
That means working withprincipals, office managers,
custodians.
We all play a role in familyand community engagement and we
need each and every person tomake sure that our students are
successful and that our familiesare strong and that we will be
successful as a community, onceagain, better together.
(14:36):
So we've got to bring everyonetogether.
Bianca Barquin (14:38):
Oh my gosh, I can see all of this going in so
many different directions from,eventually your podcast gets to
a point where parents areactually leading the podcast.
How amazing would that be?
I can see in the future notjust parent-led workshops
individually, right, but what ifit's a parent co-designed
(14:59):
conference for parents, thatevery workshop is led by a
parent?
I think that would be amazing,so I'm excited.
Before we wrap up, I want totouch upon the significant
efforts in areas like the SantaAna Early Learning Initiative
and the integration of arts intoour programs, or into your
programs specifically.
(15:19):
Elisa, can you give us someinsight into these initiatives?
Elisa Briseño-Sandoval (15:24):
Yes, definitely.
so So the work that we've beenreally co-leading with the Santa
Ana Learning Initiative hasbeen so powerful.
We have over 200 parents thatcome to these meetings on a
monthly basis.
I mean 200 parents at the DelhiCenter.
Just so much excitement andenergy and motivation as soon as
(15:47):
you walk into the room where wehave those meetings.
And a lot of that work is havingour parents lead projects,
spark projects out in thecommunity, where they are now
the ones that are talking toother families and the community
, the greater community in termsto how do we support our
youngest learners, how do wemore effectively engage our
(16:09):
future students that are not inthe system yet?
What types of things can theybe doing at home, such as
reading or learning activitieswith things that they might have
at home, which I think isbeautiful?
We're really starting thelearning earlier and we know
where the science points interms to how important and
powerful it is for our littleones to have those opportunities
(16:33):
within the homes.
So a lot of that work withSAELI has just been beautiful
and it has been so powerful tosee our families coming into the
spaces and really seeingthemselves as leaders and
advocates.
Lisa Solomon (16:46):
Also, I think it's a perfect model, Bianca, for
what true community-familypartnerships look like, because
it's the San Ana Unified SchoolDistrict working with parents,
developing leadership skills.
Parents have learned about thedevelopmental stages for early
learning so they know what kidsshould be doing by six months,
12 months.
(17:07):
They're sharing it out into thecommunity so they're spreading
the word, and we're working withcommunity partners like SAELI,
UCI.
We're working with Project Risethat is helping not only to
build the capacity withinparents but also within our
staff.
They're taking on theseprojects where they're seeing a
need.
They're analyzing data.
(17:28):
At my school we need to workmore on a physical component of
school readiness, which meansworking on gross and fine motor
skills.
Parents now know what like thatmeans and they're developing
projects that they are going tolead around these areas to get
out into their community.
The parents were learning howto advocate and learning all
(17:49):
this information.
They're sharing it out, notjust to parents at our school,
but they're going out into theneighborhood so they're bringing
a true change into thecommunity.
So it has the partners, it hasschool staff, it has parents and
it has a leadership componentwhere we're all coming together,
once again, to make sure thatwe're improving not only
(18:10):
students' success, schoolsuccess, but now community
success as well.
Bianca Barquin (18:15):
Yeah, those neighborhood leadership teams is
what we're actually talkingabout, right?
Beautiful work.
Okay.
So, before we sign off, it'stime for our Amplifier
Acknowledgement segment.
Lisa and Elisa, if you couldamplify the message or lesson of
one educator or leader who'smade a significant impact in
(18:39):
your journey, who would it beand what would that resonating
message be?
We'll start with you, Lisa.
Lisa Solomon (18:46):
Okay, Bianca, you know me and I couldn't keep it
to one, because there's twopeople who've had a huge impact
in my life.
One was Judy Magsaysay.
She was a principal here inSanta Ana and she left me with
some words that have like driventhe work that I've done, and
her words were, it's aboutpeople before paper.
That's kind of what'sestablished within me, why it's
(19:10):
so important to listen to people, build relationships, care for
them.
Then the second person is myNana, because my Nana taught me
that every person needs to bevalued and that our job here on
earth is to serve others.
That's why God put us here.
That's what she taught me, andI feel like that's what I've
(19:32):
carried on and I've hopefullyshared it with others, so then
we can carry that on throughoutour district, even in my home
life, to my kids.
That's what our purpose is hereon earth to help others and
serve others.
Bianca Barquin (19:44):
Honestly, Lisa, you live both of those messages
daily in not only your words butyour actions.
I love both.
I love your Nana and I actuallydeeply loved your Nana and I
actually loved Judy Magsaysay.
Judy Magsaysay was a socialworker, right, wasn't that her
background?
Lisa Solomon (20:05):
I think so, but honestly, everything that we did
and she trained us when we wereat Pio Pico, which is now a
community school and I'm soproud of that fact, everything
that we worked on was aboutbuilding that strong sense of
community.
I honestly don't know if shedid have a background in social
work, but I have to tell youeverything she did was about
making sure that we were takingcare of our families and that
(20:26):
when we focus on the whole child, that we really are helping our
students to be more successful.
Bianca Barquin (20:33):
Maybe I'm mistaken, but her love of
community, that's just whatautomatically comes to mind with
Judy.
Thank you for sharing.
Elisa Briseño-Sandoval (20:42):
So for me it's also very hard to
pinpoint to one person, butfirst and foremost has always
been my mom and my dad.
My mom is that woman of, échaleganas, tu puedues, like you can
overcome anything andeverything if you just work hard
.
And that message with me andall of the difficulties and
(21:04):
challenges of life always stickswith me that we have to work
hard, we can't give up, we cando bigger and better things than
we even imagine or fathom if wejust have hope.
And so that message to me hasreally carried me, like along
all my life journeys.
And for my dad, he has inspiredand instilled in me the love of
(21:28):
learning.
My dad, every single night whenI was little, he would come
home after a long days of workand pick up a book, which is
beautiful.
I mean, seeing your dad everysingle night learn something new
, share something new, reallyinstilled the love of reading
and what education can bring toyou.
(21:50):
I think really instilled in memy love for education and my
love for always learning andhaving that growth mindset.
And, you know, in terms of likementor leader, for me, that
really has inspired me andmotivated all this time, was
working closely with nowSupervisor Vicente Sarmiento.
(22:11):
He actually took me on when Iwas 21 years old.
I was an intern forCongresswoman Loretta Sanchez
and he was coming to Washington,DC to do a tour the Capitol and
you know, like he told me, likeyou know what, you're one of
ours, you know you're from SantaAna.
When you come back, you can workwith me and from there, like it
(22:32):
really led, seeing in myselfyou know that I could be a
leader just like him, that youknow messages such as, as long
as you love what you do, you'regonna be successful, has stayed
with me.
Seeing him as that advocate forthe community and really being,
you know, the person that seeshimself as listening to others
(22:53):
all the time and as he'slistening, then making those
decisions about how we moveforward as a city or a county,
has just been so powerful interms of my work and now what I
do with face and how Lisamentioned listening is so
important because it's not likewe're the ones that are leading
the work.
It's our families telling uswhere we're moving and what
(23:13):
we're gonna do next, for theirbest interest, in the best
interests of our kids.
Bianca Barquin (23:19):
Thank you for sharing Elisa.
Now I actually see where youroptimism and resilience comes
from, so awesome.
Such powerful acknowledgements.
Remember, leadership is notjust about guiding, but also
celebrating and acknowledgingthose who've paved the way.
I'd like to extend a heartfeltthank you to our esteemed guests
(23:40):
Lisa Solomon and ElisaBriseños-Sandoval for being here
today.
Your stories and thegroundbreaking efforts of the
Family and Community Engagementteam have truly illuminated the
spirit of collaboration andtransformation within our
district.
Lisa, Elisa, your unwaveringcommitment and passion are not
(24:02):
just changing the narrative;they're sculpting a brighter
future for our schools andweaving a tighter fabric of
community.
We are deeply grateful for yourvisionary leadership and the
tangible impacts of yourdedication.
To our listeners, your presenceand support breathe life into
SA USD's Amplifying Leadership.
(24:23):
This journey we're on is builton the belief that unity,
collaboration, and sharedpurpose can elevate us all.
Together we're not justdreaming of a better future.
We are actively crafting it forour students and their families
.
So until next time, let's keepthis momentum of engagement and
(24:43):
inspiration alive.
Welcome back, Amplifiers, to the second part
of our inspiring conversationwith Lisa Solomon and Elisa
Elisa Briseño- (00:13):
Briseño-Sandoval .
We hope you enjoy theconclusion of this insightful
dialogue.
Bianca Barquin (00:22):
Elisa, can you describe the outreach and asset
building efforts and theiroutcomes?
Elisa Briseño-Sandoval (00:29):
So, on our end, in terms of really
building off of everything thateveryone has in terms of
experience and knowledge, whichis really looking at assets and
what people bring to the table,Lisa has mentioned some of the
efforts that we're doing, isdoing some of the capacity
building around cultural wealth,around funds of knowledge,
(00:50):
around asset-based thinking,right, and how do we reframe our
thinking when we're thinkingabout our families, our
students, and our community, andthat has been something that,
on our end, we've startedleading already with our
liaisons this year, but in theupcoming months, what we're
looking at doing with theseworkshops is really starting to
(01:11):
share that out to the largercommunity, with our principals,
with our staff, with ourfamilies, so that they also
understand the framework thatwe're working from and that they
understand that really it isabout them, it's about our
greater community coming backtogether for our families and
our students.
(01:31):
And some of the outreach effortsthat we're leading as well, you
know, in terms of family andcommunity engagement, is really
happening organically, I feel.
Every single week, it feltsince probably October, we've
been having some sort ofpartnership with another
department in terms of an effortthat they're doing to engage
(01:52):
families.
This last weekend we just didthe book literacy fair, Battle
of the Books, and they broughtin a family component.
They did a family resource fairto accompany what they've
traditionally just done forstudents, which is beautiful,
you know.
And we are getting all thesedifferent opportunities to just
(02:14):
partner with differentdepartments and bring in that
angle, that lens of like familyengagement and involvement and
how we can kind of rethink alittle bit how we've done school
traditionally and justinvolving the student and
amplify that to including ourfamilies and have them be a part
of the educational journeyright alongside their students.
Bianca Barquin (02:39):
You know what?
I 100% agree with that and whatit makes me think about is the
conversation you and I just hadaround the Santa Ana partnership
.
So remember, Lisa, I called youand I said, oh my gosh, one of
the domains is actually familyand community engagement.
It's so important for you to beat the table so we know what
(02:59):
our next steps are, so we canstrengthen our system.
So you're exactly right,there's integration everywhere.
Lisa Solomon (03:06):
And it goes back to, Bianca, what we said earlier
everyone is Family andCommunity Engagement.
It's not just the FACE liaison,it's everyone, from the office
staff to the entire Teaching andLearning Department, to EL,
Bilingual, to Support Services.
All of us are Family andCommunity Engagement.
It's not just one person, it'snot just one department, it's
(03:27):
all of us.
And that's what we've seen abig change.
We've all been working togetherand we've even developed a plan
and we started as part of ourvision where we're looking at
trainings that we're offeringfor parents, with the Graduate
Profile being our north star.
Designing trainings that gowith each of the different areas
of the Graduate Profile.
But then, beyond that, workingwith Diana Torres, EL D,
(03:51):
Bilingual, what staffdevelopment do we need that goes
under each of the specificareas of the Graduate Profile,
so then we're all supportingFamily and Community Engagement
and we're all supportingstudents' success to meeting
that goal of the GraduateProfile and our students being
as successful as possible.
Bianca Barquin (04:08):
I love it.
So let's expand a little bitmore on vision, right?
So moving forward, Lisa, whatis your vision for Family and
Community Engagement in SAUSD,and how do you see the FACE team
evolving to meet futurechallenges?
I mean, I think of everythingfrom the work we're doing around
immersive technology, anythingright, everything comes to mind.
You are exactly right (04:31):
FACE, Family and Community Engagement,
is a part of it all.
Lisa Solomon (04:37):
Well, I think for our vision, it's aligned with
the District's vision.
It's going back to our voicesbeing heard.
Are we being inclusive, makingsure everyone has a seat at the
table?
Are we being equitable and arewe really empowering our parents
?
That's what it's based on.
But our vision is also how arewe helping to make our students
more successful, our familiesmore successful in our community
(04:59):
?
I mean, students are always atthe center of it and by us kind
of being the hub of ourcommunity not FACE, but just our
schools being the hub of thecommunity, we're really going to
be able to get our parents andour students ready for what's to
come in the future.
We have to be future thinking.
So we've been doing workshops onAI, virtual reality, changes in
(05:21):
how we're teaching throughProject Lead the Way.
That's one of the examples.
We've been offering trainingsto parents so that they can see
the future of education, theycan see their role and they can
also see what they can do tohelp better prepare our kids and
support our kids, our schools,and our community.
So they're at the cutting edgeas well as we are.
(05:42):
If we're learning about AI,then we right away think okay,
what can I do to make sure thatparents know about this, they
know how they can support, theyknow how they can use it
themselves.
So our parents have been excitedto be participants in all these
trainings.
I mean, imagine traveling toanother country using virtual
reality or going to visit theWhite House and seeing that, oh
wow, they have gold curtains atthe White House.
(06:03):
I have gold curtains too.
Making connections to whatthey're learning about.
And then, through Project Leadthe Way, just learning how our
students are learning in theclassroom and knowing that we're
making learning more engaging,we're making it fun, we're
making it exciting.
So then our kids are going tohopefully be motivated and we're
connecting it to what's comingin the future, we're connecting
(06:25):
it to their careers, we'reconnecting it to what we see
happening, and our kids aren'tgoing to be left behind, and
neither are our families throughthe work that we're doing.
Bianca Barquin (06:34):
What's interesting is, I spent my
morning in Strategic Foresighttraining, and that's exactly
what we were thinking about, andI really even want our parents
to be able to engage in thatprocess using foresight tools in
a more formalized way, becauseI think it will do exactly that.
(06:54):
It's going to set up not onlyour students, not only our
families, but our entirecommunity for success, right?
So I agree with that, and Iknow, Elisa, you were going to
add something.
Elisa Briseño-Sandoval (07:06):
Yeah, I think one of the most powerful
things you know really havingLisa come in and give us her
vision is we're really walkingwith our families.
And I have a wonderful examplethat actually just happened this
morning at Budget Town Hall.
I ran into one of our moms thathas been very actively involved
with us, and she told me, I'mlike so excited to be here this
(07:30):
morning, you know, and I waslike, oh really, well, we're
excited to have you here.
She's like, no, you don'tunderstand.
Like I got ready like as if I'mgoing to church on Sunday, like
this is how important this is tome.
I want to be here, I want to beengaged, I want to learn about
what the District is doing.
I am bringing like my Sundaybest and this to me, this work,
(07:53):
I'm so proud of it.
She's like, and I want otherfamilies to understand how
important this is.
And she's like, I went to aworkshop last night and she's
like, I was just so excited tosee new faces.
I was excited to see that newfamilies are now participating
in workshops.
And when she said that it justwas beautiful and I was just so
(08:17):
excited because that's exactlyhow we want our families to feel
.
Bianca Barquin (08:22):
You're exactly right.
Thank you for sharing that.
That was powerful.
Okay, question for you, Lisa.
How will the FACE team continueto foster trusting
relationships and opencommunication among family,
schools, and community partners?
Lisa Solomon (08:40):
I think we're going to continue the work that
we've been doing, Bianca, andsome of those things that we've
done is making sure that we haveregular communication with our
families, that we're outreachingnot just to give information
but as a way to be able tointeract with our families,
where it's a two-waycommunication.
Things like having open- doorpolicies within our wellness
centers, establishing warmenvironments within the schools,
(09:03):
greeting in front of the schoolevery day so parents know that
we're accessible.
Those are the things that helpus to continue to build
connections and relationshipswith our families.
On top of it, continuing toprovide resources and supports
that our families need, beingresponsive and being responsive
in a timely manner.
We've had so many families thathave gone through different
(09:24):
crises and they want, they needsupport, they need help.
It's making sure that we'reconnecting them to the resource
and then that we're alsofollowing up that they know that
we are there for them.
On top of it, it's about makingconnections with people.
I'm going to say buildingrelationships will always be
number one, because we do it inso many different ways.
We host community events andthey may be an informational
(09:46):
fair, but it ends up turninginto like a party, like a
quinceañera and everyone'sdancing and having fun, but it's
our way of connecting, where afamily will spend four hours
with us at a community fair.
It's not just information beinghanded out.
It's about the connectionswe're making.
We're all dancing together,we're laughing together, we're
(10:06):
breaking bread together.
Our FACE liaisons do specialthings with families where they
might have like clothesgiveaways, like, or uniform
exchanges.
We also do community hourswhere they're painting.
They're painting together, allof us with our assets, whatever
we bring to the table.
I may only be able to draw astick figure, but by the end I
have this beautiful paintingbecause we worked on it together
(10:29):
.
We have parent-led workshopswhere families will be learning
how to crochet, and it turnsinto like a social gathering
where we're talking aboutdifferent issues we've dealt
with in our lives.
We bring in a mental healthsupport.
Those are the ways that we'regoing to continue to build those
relationships with our families, to connect with them.
It's about taking time forpeople and listening to people,
(10:52):
slowing it down, becausesometimes we are a little bit
crazy busy, all of us, and weneed to slow down and make sure
that we're being there for ourfamilies, that we're working
together to support them.
Then I think, too, working withother people, knowing that I'm
not the only person that's hereto help and serve and work with
our families.
We're working with otherdepartments.
(11:13):
We work with Support Services,Dave Ritchie, to help improve
attendance.
Everyone's working together andthat's what it's about.
We know who to go to and inSanta Ana we have so many
resources.
It's making sure that ourfamilies know how to connect
with them.
Then, I think, too, going backto making sure we're being
inclusive, welcoming, everyonehas a sense of belonging, and I
(11:37):
think, too, through thepartnerships that we've had,
we've been able to bring indifferent community partners
that come in to meet a need, butthey've also been able to
connect with our families andhelp in additional ways.
We have organizations that dodiaper distributions, food
distributions, but then, on topof it, they offer medical
services, they offer financialsupports for funerals.
(11:57):
We've been able to connect withpartners in different ways
where we're kind of helping eachother.
And I hope that we continue todo that work to foster the
relationships.
It's about taking time withpeople, listening to them and
then really helping to beresponsive to their needs.
It doesn't mean I'm fixingevery single problem.
Sometimes people just needsomeone to listen to, and when
(12:21):
we sit down and we listen,that's where we gain insight
into what we need to do next,how we need to support our
families.
Bianca Barquin (12:29):
The recurring theme I keep hearing, which is
the name of your future podcastBetter Together, right?
Because we can't do this workalone.
So, Lisa, I know you touched onthis a little bit: what are
your long-term goals for theFACE team and how do you plan to
achieve them?
So, maybe some things that wehaven't discussed so far.
Lisa Solomon (12:49):
Of course, as I had stated earlier, we're going
to continue to work on buildingthose trusting relationships
that we just talked about.
But I think the other thing iswe really want to get to a place
where we have parent-ledworkshops, where they're leading
and driving all the work thatwe're doing, so parents' voices
are being heard, that we'reco-designing initiatives,
programs.
Even as we're looking at thisparent education plan, we're
(13:13):
planning on bringing parents into help us design: what is a
world-ready scholar, what wouldyou, as a parent, need to be
able to support your child?
So we want to make sure thatwe're continuing that, but then
having the parents lead theworkshops.
We're hoping to develop aparent ambassador program and we
want it to be like Disney.
So we'd like to have lanyardswith pins that parents earn.
(13:34):
Maybe that'll lead up to likemedals and certificates.
That's one of our long-termgoals.
It's one of the pie in the skydreams where we have parents who
become the ambassadors for eachschool site, where they're
sharing the information, they'releading the workshops, they're
sharing their experiences plusknowledge that other parents
need.
And then I think one of theother long-term goals that we
(13:55):
have is improving ourcommunication channels,
continuing to work on it andwe've been working on it,
definitely getting streamliningit, but we want to make it even
better so not one parent missesout on information that would be
pertinent to them that will beavailable for them.
And then the last goal is tomake sure that our entire system
(14:15):
knows the important role theyplay in family and community
engagement.
That means working withprincipals, office managers,
custodians.
We all play a role in familyand community engagement and we
need each and every person tomake sure that our students are
successful and that our familiesare strong and that we will be
successful as a community, onceagain, better together.
(14:36):
So we've got to bring everyonetogether.
Bianca Barquin (14:38):
Oh my gosh, I can see all of this going in so
many different directions from,eventually your podcast gets to
a point where parents areactually leading the podcast.
How amazing would that be?
I can see in the future notjust parent-led workshops
individually, right, but what ifit's a parent co-designed
(14:59):
conference for parents, thatevery workshop is led by a
parent?
I think that would be amazing,so I'm excited.
Before we wrap up, I want totouch upon the significant
efforts in areas like the SantaAna Early Learning Initiative
and the integration of arts intoour programs, or into your
programs specifically.
(15:19):
Elisa, can you give us someinsight into these initiatives?
Elisa Briseño-Sandoval (15:24):
Yes, definitely.
so So the work that we've beenreally co-leading with the Santa
Ana Learning Initiative hasbeen so powerful.
We have over 200 parents thatcome to these meetings on a
monthly basis.
I mean 200 parents at the DelhiCenter.
Just so much excitement andenergy and motivation as soon as
(15:47):
you walk into the room where wehave those meetings.
And a lot of that work is havingour parents lead projects,
spark projects out in thecommunity, where they are now
the ones that are talking toother families and the community
, the greater community in termsto how do we support our
youngest learners, how do wemore effectively engage our
(16:09):
future students that are not inthe system yet?
What types of things can theybe doing at home, such as
reading or learning activitieswith things that they might have
at home, which I think isbeautiful?
We're really starting thelearning earlier and we know
where the science points interms to how important and
powerful it is for our littleones to have those opportunities
(16:33):
within the homes.
So a lot of that work withSAELI has just been beautiful
and it has been so powerful tosee our families coming into the
spaces and really seeingthemselves as leaders and
advocates.
Lisa Solomon (16:46):
Also, I think it's a perfect model, Bianca, for
what true community-familypartnerships look like, because
it's the San Ana Unified SchoolDistrict working with parents,
developing leadership skills.
Parents have learned about thedevelopmental stages for early
learning so they know what kidsshould be doing by six months,
12 months.
(17:07):
They're sharing it out into thecommunity so they're spreading
the word, and we're working withcommunity partners like SAELI,
UCI.
We're working with Project Risethat is helping not only to
build the capacity withinparents but also within our
staff.
They're taking on theseprojects where they're seeing a
need.
They're analyzing data.
(17:28):
At my school we need to workmore on a physical component of
school readiness, which meansworking on gross and fine motor
skills.
Parents now know what like thatmeans and they're developing
projects that they are going tolead around these areas to get
out into their community.
The parents were learning howto advocate and learning all
(17:49):
this information.
They're sharing it out, notjust to parents at our school,
but they're going out into theneighborhood so they're bringing
a true change into thecommunity.
So it has the partners, it hasschool staff, it has parents and
it has a leadership componentwhere we're all coming together,
once again, to make sure thatwe're improving not only
(18:10):
students' success, schoolsuccess, but now community
success as well.
Bianca Barquin (18:15):
Yeah, those neighborhood leadership teams is
what we're actually talkingabout, right?
Beautiful work.
Okay.
So, before we sign off, it'stime for our Amplifier
Acknowledgement segment.
Lisa and Elisa, if you couldamplify the message or lesson of
one educator or leader who'smade a significant impact in
(18:39):
your journey, who would it beand what would that resonating
message be?
We'll start with you, Lisa.
Lisa Solomon (18:46):
Okay, Bianca, you know me and I couldn't keep it
to one, because there's twopeople who've had a huge impact
in my life.
One was Judy Magsaysay.
She was a principal here inSanta Ana and she left me with
some words that have like driventhe work that I've done, and
her words were, it's aboutpeople before paper.
That's kind of what'sestablished within me, why it's
(19:10):
so important to listen to people, build relationships, care for
them.
Then the second person is myNana, because my Nana taught me
that every person needs to bevalued and that our job here on
earth is to serve others.
That's why God put us here.
That's what she taught me, andI feel like that's what I've
(19:32):
carried on and I've hopefullyshared it with others, so then
we can carry that on throughoutour district, even in my home
life, to my kids.
That's what our purpose is hereon earth to help others and
serve others.
Bianca Barquin (19:44):
Honestly, Lisa, you live both of those messages
daily in not only your words butyour actions.
I love both.
I love your Nana and I actuallydeeply loved your Nana and I
actually loved Judy Magsaysay.
Judy Magsaysay was a socialworker, right, wasn't that her
background?
Lisa Solomon (20:05):
I think so, but honestly, everything that we did
and she trained us when we wereat Pio Pico, which is now a
community school and I'm soproud of that fact, everything
that we worked on was aboutbuilding that strong sense of
community.
I honestly don't know if shedid have a background in social
work, but I have to tell youeverything she did was about
making sure that we were takingcare of our families and that
(20:26):
when we focus on the whole child, that we really are helping our
students to be more successful.
Bianca Barquin (20:33):
Maybe I'm mistaken, but her love of
community, that's just whatautomatically comes to mind with
Judy.
Thank you for sharing.
Elisa Briseño-Sandoval (20:42):
So for me it's also very hard to
pinpoint to one person, butfirst and foremost has always
been my mom and my dad.
My mom is that woman of, échaleganas, tu puedues, like you can
overcome anything andeverything if you just work hard
.
And that message with me andall of the difficulties and
(21:04):
challenges of life always stickswith me that we have to work
hard, we can't give up, we cando bigger and better things than
we even imagine or fathom if wejust have hope.
And so that message to me hasreally carried me, like along
all my life journeys.
And for my dad, he has inspiredand instilled in me the love of
(21:28):
learning.
My dad, every single night whenI was little, he would come
home after a long days of workand pick up a book, which is
beautiful.
I mean, seeing your dad everysingle night learn something new
, share something new, reallyinstilled the love of reading
and what education can bring toyou.
(21:50):
I think really instilled in memy love for education and my
love for always learning andhaving that growth mindset.
And, you know, in terms of likementor leader, for me, that
really has inspired me andmotivated all this time, was
working closely with nowSupervisor Vicente Sarmiento.
(22:11):
He actually took me on when Iwas 21 years old.
I was an intern forCongresswoman Loretta Sanchez
and he was coming to Washington,DC to do a tour the Capitol and
you know, like he told me, likeyou know what, you're one of
ours, you know you're from SantaAna.
When you come back, you can workwith me and from there, like it
(22:32):
really led, seeing in myselfyou know that I could be a
leader just like him, that youknow messages such as, as long
as you love what you do, you'regonna be successful, has stayed
with me.
Seeing him as that advocate forthe community and really being,
you know, the person that seeshimself as listening to others
(22:53):
all the time and as he'slistening, then making those
decisions about how we moveforward as a city or a county,
has just been so powerful interms of my work and now what I
do with face and how Lisamentioned listening is so
important because it's not likewe're the ones that are leading
the work.
It's our families telling uswhere we're moving and what
(23:13):
we're gonna do next, for theirbest interest, in the best
interests of our kids.
Bianca Barquin (23:19):
Thank you for sharing Elisa.
Now I actually see where youroptimism and resilience comes
from, so awesome.
Such powerful acknowledgements.
Remember, leadership is notjust about guiding, but also
celebrating and acknowledgingthose who've paved the way.
I'd like to extend a heartfeltthank you to our esteemed guests
(23:40):
Lisa Solomon and ElisaBriseños-Sandoval for being here
today.
Your stories and thegroundbreaking efforts of the
Family and Community Engagementteam have truly illuminated the
spirit of collaboration andtransformation within our
district.
Lisa, Elisa, your unwaveringcommitment and passion are not
(24:02):
just changing the narrative;they're sculpting a brighter
future for our schools andweaving a tighter fabric of
community.
We are deeply grateful for yourvisionary leadership and the
tangible impacts of yourdedication.
To our listeners, your presenceand support breathe life into
SA USD's Amplifying Leadership.
(24:23):
This journey we're on is builton the belief that unity,
collaboration, and sharedpurpose can elevate us all.
Together we're not justdreaming of a better future.
We are actively crafting it forour students and their families
.
So until next time, let's keepthis momentum of engagement and
(24:43):
inspiration alive.
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