Partnership Night is a yearly event that occurs near the end of the first quarter at Dominion. The event allows parents and students to converse with their teachers and discuss their performance in the classroom. Usually, Partnership Night is open to every parent and student, however, the circumstances are different this year. The school administration implemented a new policy change regarding the event based on feedback from last year. Instead of all parents welcome to the event, the administration placed an emphasis on students who are at risk of failing a class. Therefore, only a select few parents and students will have the opportunity to meet with the teachers. 

The changes are affecting students who are struggling academically at the moment. Instead of previous years where any parent was allowed to create a conference with their child’s teacher, the conferences would only between the students who are having trouble. This change targets the kids who are struggling and Dominion calls the families directly to set up a conference between the teachers and the family. Together, they create a plan of action for their child to succeed in the class for the rest of the school year.

The main purpose for the change was to focus more on the students that need help instead of the students who are performing well academically. Mrs. Vereb, one of the assistant principals that helped decide the changes for the event, said,“What we [the school leadership team] found over the last 15 years is that an overwhelming majority of the parents that attend partnership night, their students are performing quite well, academically,” she added, “We weren’t getting the parents that we really needed to meet with.” 

While the specific meetings between teachers and students are being targeted for students who are struggling academically, all parents are encouraged to come. “We’re going to be doing informational sessions all throughout the evening. There’s like anywhere from 30 to 45 minute sessions,” Mrs. Vereb.

The changes to partnership night are also welcomed by some of the teaching staff as necessary. “I think it’s probably a positive move, something had to change,” Mr. Hicks, an AP US History and Psychology teacher at Dominion, said, and also added, “Anytime you try something new, we got to reflect on it. But I think we have to get kids who need longer conferences because something’s going on in their academic career.” 

 Still for those concerned about not having the opportunity to talk to teachers, Mr. Hicks said, “All parents can request meetings through guidance if they think their son or daughter is having an issue, or they just want to talk about things. So it’s not like those, the parents who don’t get to come in today don’t have an opportunity to talk to the teachers.” 

Still, Dominion is very excited about the changes coming to Partnership Night. “We’re really excited about Partnership Night and there’s been a lot of effort and time it’s been poured into it. It’s a significant change for all of our previous years, so we’re hopeful that, you know, our parents and our students get the most out of it,” Mrs. Vereb said.