In this podcast, you'll learn the core principles of Restorative Discipline and how to create a safe environment where every child feels heard. These principles have been used in schools of all levels to address bullying and to prevent suicides. Every church and school leader needs to hear these tips! (Next week, we'll continue our conversation with Roxanna about what this can look like in our church-school partnerships.)

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Roxanna Barnes is a Prevention and Safe Schools Specialist and a Certified Restorative Discipline Coordinator. Roxanna has spent 20 years in education all in Alief ISD. Roxanna began her teaching career as a middle school Theatre and Speech teacher for 8 years and 10 years as a 6A high school Theatre Director. Roxanna spent the last 4 years of her teaching career not only working with students, but also coaching new teachers within Alief ISD in classroom management and meaningful relationships.

Roxanna has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Sul Ross State University and has had many accomplishments during her educational career. She was named the 2014 Secondary Teacher of the Year, 2014 Region 4 Teacher of the Year Finalist, 2015 West Houston Chamber of Commerce TOY Finalist, and the recipient of the 2015 Alma Slawinski Texas Theatre Educator of the Year Leadership Award. Roxanna is Stephen Covey trained and provides Professional Development in the following areas: Restorative Discipline, Safe and Civil Schools, PBIS, Love and Logic, Cultural Responsiveness, Empathy, Emotional Poverty, and Meaningful Relationships. Roxanna has spent 18 years of her educational career molding and mentoring students from K-12 grade. She spends her time now mentoring teachers and supporting administrators on their campuses with restorative practices, structure, behavior strategies, meaningful relationships, and campus climate. Her passion and purpose is helping students and teachers learn how to build those meaningful relationships that are necessary for student success.

If you do anything for 20+ years, you're sure to learn a thing or two! Chapelwood United Methodist has had many successes, but there are also a few things they'd do differently in their partnerships with Spring Branch ISD schools. Learn how to lead and empower your volunteers, how to partner effectively with other organizations, how to measure the impact of your work, and more! You'll notice very quickly that Suzanne is an amazing leader - listen in for some valuable tips and ideas for your church-school partnership!

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After a 20-year career as a CPA for Continental Airlines, Suzanne Harter decided to stay at home with her three children and volunteer at their schools. Three years ago, Suzanne became the Director of Local Missions at Chapelwood United Methodist Church and now puts both her CPA and volunteer skills to use as she leads and empowers volunteers to serve in multiple ministries across Greater Houston.

Long Point's partnership with Landrum Middle School began just after Hurricane Harvey back in 2017. At the time, the church only had about 20 people and yet they were committed to building a long-term partnership with the school. The relationship began with serving snow cones at a school event and has now developed into a real church-school *partnership* where both the church and school serve each other! It's been so neat to see this relationship develop over the past few years and we're excited to be able to share their story with you!

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Kevin is the Senior Pastor at Long Point Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, where he has served faithfully since 2011, as Youth Pastor and as of 2017, Senior Pastor. Kevin’s main goal in life is to point people to the truth of Jesus Christ through his teaching, shepherding, and personal lifestyle. In addition to pastoring at LPBC, Kevin is also an adjunct professor at The Bible Seminary in Katy, Texas. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Leadership from the College of Biblical Studies and a Master of Divinity degree from The Bible Seminary. Kevin has been married to his high school sweetheart Yvette for 17 years, and they reside in Katy, Texas, with their 3 teenage daughters.

Loving Houston helped start this partnership between The Bridge Fellowship and Pink Elementary 5 years ago - and just last year, Pink Elementary went from a D ranking to a B ranking! The school credits The Bridge for playing a huge role in this transformation. Churches, take heart - you ARE making a difference! Listen to this amazing church-school partnership story for tips, ideas, and inspiration for your own partnership!

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Tiffany Foster is the Principal at Pink Elementary in Lamar CISD. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston and a master's degree from Texas Southern University. Regina Garza is Pink's social worker. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston Downtown and a master's degree from the University of Houston. Both ladies have done an amazing job of creating a culture of community collaboration that has transformed the entire school!

Loving Houston helped start this partnership between The Bridge Fellowship and Pink Elementary 5 years ago - and just last year, Pink Elementary went from a D ranking to a B ranking! The school credits The Bridge for playing a huge role in this transformation. Churches, take heart - you ARE making a difference! Listen to this amazing church-school partnership story for tips, ideas, and inspiration for your own partnership!

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Tiffany Foster is the Principal at Pink Elementary in Lamar CISD. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston and a master's degree from Texas Southern University. Regina Garza is Pink's social worker. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston Downtown and a master's degree from the University of Houston. Both ladies have done an amazing job of creating a culture of community collaboration that has transformed the entire school!

Does it feel like your church is always trying to figure out how to get more new people through the door? What if we approached it a different way? Join us as we talk with one of Loving Houston's founders, retired pastor (and one of our favorite storytellers!) Dave Peterson. Hear practical tips for your church-school partnership along with a Biblical perspective on the importance of going beyond the walls of our churches.

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Dave Peterson is a second-generation pastor and a first generation Texan. He was born and raised in Oregon where his father served several congregations. He’s a graduate of Lewis and Clark College, San Francisco Theological Seminary (M.Div) and Western Theological Seminary (D. Min). He served congregations in Washington State, Nevada and Michigan before accepting the call to serve as Senior Pastor of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston (1995 – 2013). He has served on many non-profit boards and currently serves on the boards of The Souper Bowl of Caring and Loving Houston.

Since “retirement” he has served as Director of Community Programs for the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, has written daily devotionals for the HEB Family Foundation and served as Interim Pastor at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Dave speaks frequently at conferences and has written Receiving and Giving: Unleashing the Bless Challenge in Your Life and has co-authored, with Sam Gainer, The World Through Our Eyes, a book of photographs and reflections. He and Terri and have been married for 50 years; they have four married children and 7 grandchildren.

It's not a typo - this partnership is between TWO churches and one school! Last week, Dr. Bob Sanborn shared about high-performing high-poverty schools. Hairgrove is an example of one! This podcast is packed with ideas and practical tips about how to love a local school and how to develop a healthy volunteer team. You don't want to miss this - in fact, you'll probably want to listen to it more than once!

P.S. Email [email protected] to start or deepen a church-school partnership. Check out https://www.faithwalking.us to transform your volunteer team.

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Jeff McGee has served on staff in various roles at Calvary Community Church in Houston since 1982. Jeff and his wife, Tammy, helped start the church. Jeff began leading Calvary as Senior Pastor in June 2017. As Senior Pastor, Jeff gives leadership to the ministry staff and the ministries at Calvary, directs the vision of Calvary, and leads out in the pulpit ministry. He participates in ministries and missions locally and globally. Locally, Jeff has served different transformational efforts with Faithwalking, Somebody Cares Houston, Union Baptist Association, pastors' prayer groups, and other collaborations. His heart beats to see the church mobilized, equipped, and released in order to extend the kingdom of God in the earth. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University and received his Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Jeff and Tammy are blessed to have three grown children living for the Lord, and they have two grandchildren!

Cherri Taylor is a wife, mother, and grandmother who has lived in the Houston area for nearly 40 years. She is a retired teacher who volunteers her time in many areas of service including ten years with the Hairgrove School Partnership with Copperfield Church and Calvary Church. She is a Victorian storyteller as her alter ego Miss Delphinia Beasley, who speaks for groups, churches, and schools. She also writes stories about lessons from the classroom of life.

Let's follow the data! Research and advocacy organization CHILDREN AT RISK has discovered several characteristics common to high-performing, high-poverty schools. How can churches use this research to help our partner schools in ways that make a difference and move the needle for our students? Listen to this podcast to find out!

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Dr. Bob Sanborn is a noted leader, advocate, and activist for education and children and the President and CEO of CHILDREN AT RISK. He earned his undergraduate degree at Florida State University and his doctorate at Columbia University in New York City. Before entering the non-profit sector, he had a distinguished career in higher education at institutions such as Rice University and Hampshire College.

Under his leadership, CHILDREN AT RISK has expanded its influence considerably. Notable achievements include opening up centers in Dallas and Fort Worth; launching the Public Policy & Law Center, the CHILDREN AT RISK Institute, the Center for Parenting and Family Well-Being and the Center to End Trafficking and Exploitation of Children. Sanborn is the Executive Editor of two peer reviewed, open-access academic journals, the Journal of Applied Research on Children and the Journal of Family Strengths. He is also the host of the popular radio program and podcast Growing Up in America on the Pacifica Radio Network.

Let's follow the data! Research and advocacy organization CHILDREN AT RISK has discovered several characteristics common to high-performing, high-poverty schools. How can churches use this research to help our partner schools in ways that make a difference and move the needle for our students? Listen to this podcast to find out!

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Dr. Bob Sanborn is a noted leader, advocate, and activist for education and children and the President and CEO of CHILDREN AT RISK. He earned his undergraduate degree at Florida State University and his doctorate at Columbia University in New York City. Before entering the non-profit sector, he had a distinguished career in higher education at institutions such as Rice University and Hampshire College.

Under his leadership, CHILDREN AT RISK has expanded its influence considerably. Notable achievements include opening up centers in Dallas and Fort Worth; launching the Public Policy & Law Center, the CHILDREN AT RISK Institute, the Center for Parenting and Family Well-Being and the Center to End Trafficking and Exploitation of Children. Sanborn is the Executive Editor of two peer reviewed, open-access academic journals, the Journal of Applied Research on Children and the Journal of Family Strengths. He is also the host of the popular radio program and podcast Growing Up in America on the Pacifica Radio Network.

Be honest about what you can do - but when you commit to something, be faithful and follow through! Mosaic is a small church of about 40 people, but their two year old partnership with Ridgegate Elementary is already making a big difference. Hear from our Loving Houston Director of Operations, Melissa Emerson, about how a church of any size can serve a local school. Near the end of the podcast, she'll also share valuable tips about who to work with if your partnership is in Fort Bend ISD. This is one of our shorter podcasts, but it's packed with great tips and ideas - enjoy!