CedarBridge Academy will be launching a series of 18 parent workshops next month to provide parents with effective strategies to support their child ren academically, socially, emotionally and physically.

CedarBridge Academy Principal Kalmar Richards yesterday said research showed that the higher the level of parent involvement, the higher the level of student achievement.

She said the school had some parents who did an excellent job of working to help their children, but there were some parents who were not as involved as she wanted.

"We need all parents to make their child's education a priority and we need to ensure that they know how to do what we require of them," she said.

Speaking at Hamilton Rotary Club, Mrs. Richards said CedarBridge Academy was taking some ownership to help equip parents with the skills and knowledge they needed to fulfil their role in the education process.

Referring to recent graduation results, Mrs. Richards said she made no excuses for the pass rate but added that it "must" improve.

Of the 154 students who started the S4 year at CedarBridge Academy last September, only 49 percent graduated.

"Although the percentage of students graduating is increasing, we are not satisfied with the current number of students who graduate each year," she said.

She added that the school had a student support team in place to monitor student's grades, attendance and conduct on an ongoing basis.

Students who do not meet the standards in one or more of these areas are placed on their student support team.

The team, she said, then liases with support personnel at the school and Ministry of Education to implement the services and interventions needed to help the student to get back on track for meeting the standards.

Students receive a combination of the following services: learning support provided by learning resource teachers, guidance and counselling, services from a social worker or school psychologist, education therapy, placement in extra small classes and regular or mandatory tutorials, additional classes and student workshops focusing on such areas as study skills, time management and organisation.

"Those students who get behind in their credits do not graduate at the end of the four years ? but it does not end there," she said.

These students still have an opportunity to take courses during summer school and graduate by the end of the summer or, if they need to, they are permitted to return for an additional year to take the required courses and earn their Bermuda School Certificate (BSC).

Of the 218 senior students ? from Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy who attended summer school this year, 179, or 82 percent passed the courses and got BSC credit.

"The perceptions, comments and responses to our students and school are negative and non-supportive," Mrs. Richards said. "We feel as though the community defines our students by the actions of a few. This stereotyping of students is very dangerous because these negative, divisive and non-constructive comments, behaviours and responses carry over into the school and they ultimately impact on what some students believe they can achieve. ... We cannot afford for students not to achieve."

Mrs. Richards said CedarBridge students should be given the same level of objectivity and support that is afforded students at other schools.

"We want to ask adults in our community who criticise the school what they have done to help us ? what time have they given at the school and what have they done to help our students succeed," she said.