A new kind of PEP at St Hilda’s Diocesan High School
Parent Engagement Day builds relationships
Published:Wednesday | June 18, 2025 | 12:10 AMCarl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer
There’s a new kind of PEP trending and it’s not the Primary Exit Profile that is used to place primary school students in high school. It’s the kind that gets parents involved in their children’s well-being as it relates to their education, according to Vanessa Thompson-Walters, vice principal at St Hilda’s Diocesan High School in Brown’s Town, St Ann.
The all-girls institution has implemented a strategic initiative dubbed the Parent Engagement Programme, “aimed at enhancing parental involvement in all aspects of school life”, Thompson-Walters informed The Gleaner.
“The programme seeks to highlight and strengthen the role of parents as vital partners in their daughters’ education by fostering meaningful collaboration through open communication and active participation,” she explained, adding, “Through this initiative, the school is committed to building a sustainable culture of parental engagement that supports student success and strengthens the home-school partnership.”
A Parent Engagement Committee, established in January 2025, planned and executed a series of activities aimed at deepening parental engagement and fostering a strong sense of community.
Some of these dynamic, relationship-building undertakings include dad and daughter twin day, mom and daughter twin day, competitions that involve parents such as a mother-daughter cook-off.
PARENTS IN ACTION CAMPAIGN
During Child Month in May, the school introduced a strategy as part of its Parents in Action campaign, entitled Parents Speak Videos. For this, parents recorded powerful video messages to increase awareness and advocacy for child protection.
The list of activities under the Parent Engagement Programme includes.
• Dad and Daughter Twin Day – A special day of bonding activities celebrating the important role of fathers. Fathers participated in empowerment sessions and shared meaningful experiences with their daughters.
• Mom and Daughter Twin Day – Aimed at nurturing the unique and beautiful bond between mothers and daughters through shared activities and themed engagement.
• Parent Pre-Sports Day activities – Parents actively participated in friendly competitions representing their child’s house team, promoting school spirit and camaraderie.
• Grade-Level ‘Getting to Know You’ sessions – Informal social gatherings designed to foster meaningful interaction between parents and academic staff, building trust and mutual support.
• Parent competitions – Two exciting cook-off competitions were held to celebrate parent-student collaboration and culinary creativity. A Mother-Daughter Cook-Off took place on Mom and Daughter Twin Day, highlighting teamwork and bonding through food. Additionally, in recognition of World Home Economics Day, a separate Parent Cook-Off Competition was hosted, allowing parents to showcase their culinary skills in a spirited and engaging environment.
• Parents Speak Videos – As part of the ‘Parents in Action’ campaign for Child Month 2025, under the theme ‘Act Now! Stand Against Child Abuse and Exploitation’, parents recorded powerful video messages to raise awareness and advocate for child protection.
“The implementation of targeted interventions under the Parent Engagement Programme has yielded significant positive outcomes in addressing the issue of low parental engagement at St Hilda’s Diocesan High School,” Thompson-Walters revealed.
“The presence and involvement of parents in school life contributed to a more supportive and inclusive school environment. Students expressed pride and motivation seeing their parents engaged, while teachers reported feeling more supported in reinforcing school values and expectations.”
The activities created positive interactions between parents and staff at the school. As a result, several parents not just expressed a greater appreciation of the school’s role in helping to develop their daughters but committed to play a more meaningful role going forward.
The vice principal said while efforts are needed to maintain and deepen the engagement, the progress made so far demonstrates that right strategies can effectively address parental disengagement, thus leading to a lasting partnership.
“We believe there is a lot of value in highlighting this initiative as it can be a model for other schools seeking to improve their parental engagement,” Thompson-Walters said.