04 — Family, Community Engagement & the Capstone

Why Family + Community Are Built Into This Course

Leadership doesn't live in a classroom. The students who keep their growth past
June are the ones whose families and community partners saw their growth and
asked them about it. We don't add family engagement at the end; we build it in
from Week 1.

Family Engagement Plan

Week 1

• Welcome Letter to families (mail + email + translated into top home

languages of your roster). Includes:
- Course outcomes & Leader Profile in plain language
- Friday Showcase invitation (standing)
- One ask: "Please tell your student one story this week about a time you
had to lead something."

Monthly

• Family postcard (digital is fine): "This month your student practiced ___.

Ask them: ___."

• One Family-Invited Friday Showcase per month.

Mid-Semester (Week 10)

• 5-minute video or written share-out from each student to one family member,

reflecting on growth. Replaces the traditional progress report.

End of Semester (Weeks 19–20)

• Capstone Public Showcase (Week 19) with families, partners, admin, board members.
• Leadership Letter ceremony (Week 20) — each student reads (or excerpts) their letter.

Tools for Reaching Every Family

• Phone calls before email when possible — especially for the first positive

contact (do this in Week 2 for every student).

• Translate at minimum the Welcome Letter, the monthly postcards, and the

Capstone Showcase invitation.

• Offer evening and morning Showcase slots; record for families who can't come.

Community Partner Network — How to Build One

Tier 1 — Always Have These

• A school-site partner (counselor, athletic director, principal)
• A district-level partner (board liaison or community engagement office)
• An alumni network of past Leadership students (start a private group Year 1)

Tier 2 — Build Over Years 1–3

• 2–3 local nonprofits (food bank, youth org, library)
• 2–3 small businesses willing to host job-shadow or mentor a capstone
• 1 public servant (city council member, fire chief, police community liaison)
• 1 higher-ed partner (Sierra College or CSU Sacramento education or

public-service program)

Partner Asks (be specific — don't ask for "support")

• 30 minutes for a Guest Leader visit
• 60–90 minutes hosting a service sprint
• A real problem they have that a student team can take on (capstone)
• A letter of feedback to a student at the end of the semester

Partner Care

• Always send a thank-you within 48 hours.
• Always send the Showcase invite.
• Always offer to write a letter of support / thank-you for their funder /

board / supervisor.

The Capstone — Service-Learning Project (Weeks 11–20)

Phases

Team Size

• Teams of 3–4. Solo capstones only with teacher approval.
• Roles within team: Lead, Liaison (with community partner), Maker, Storyteller.

Roles rotate halfway.

Examples of Past-Style Capstones (use as inspiration only)

• "Freshman First Days" — a peer-led orientation supplement for incoming 9th

graders, delivered to the counseling office.

• "Quiet Lunch" — a sensory-friendly weekly lunchroom partnership with the

resource teacher.

• "Voter-Ready 18" — a voter registration drive partnered with the County

Registrar of Voters.

• "Trail Friends" — a monthly cleanup at Maidu Regional Park co-run with

Roseville Parks & Rec.

• "Gear Closet" — collecting athletic gear for students who can't afford it,

with the AD as partner.

Capstone Guardrails

• Must have a named external stakeholder (not just the teacher).
• Must produce something the partner can use after the semester ends.
• Must include measurable impact — even small (e.g., "12 freshmen attended,

10/12 rated the session 4 or 5 out of 5").

• Must respect partner time — students email and meet on partner's schedule, not

ours.

Capstone Proposal Template (1 page)

1. Partner name & contact
2. Need (1 paragraph, evidence-based)
3. Goal (SMART)
4. Theory of change (If we do X, then Y, because Z)
5. Deliverable & audience
6. Timeline (key dates)
7. Roles
8. Risks & mitigations
9. How we will measure impact
10. Sign-offs: team, teacher, partner

Public Showcase (Week 19)

• Format: gallery walk + lightning talks (5 min per team).
• Invitees: families, partners, admin, feeder middle school leadership teachers,

board members.

• Logistics owned by students — they design invitations, signage, agenda, AV,

and clean-up.

• Teacher's job that night: greet at the door, take photos, write thank-you

notes by Sunday.

Equity Notes for Family/Community Work

• Don't assume internet, transportation, or English at home. Plan around it.
• Honor students whose families work multiple jobs and cannot attend — offer

recorded Showcase + a family viewing party at school the next week.

• Pair students who feel "alone" in the room with an alum mentor by Week 5.
• Make capstone partners reflect the community — partner with organizations

serving the languages, cultures, and neighborhoods your students come from.