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Title 1 Parent and Family Engagement Policy

McDermoth Elementary: Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy

McDermoth Elementary is committed to the goal of providing quality education for every child in this district. To this end, we want to establish partnerships with families and with the community. Everyone gains if our school and families work together to promote high achievement by our children. Neither home nor school can do the job alone. Families play an extremely important role as children’s first teachers. Support for their children and for the school is critical to children’s success at every step along the way.

McDermoth Elementary recognizes that some students may need the extra assistance available through the Title I program to reach the rigorous Common Core State Standards. We would like to include families in all aspects of the school’s Title I program. The goal is a school-home partnership that will help all students to succeed.

Part I 

SCHOOL FAMILY INVOLVEMENT POLICY REQUIRED COMPONENTS

  1. McDermoth Elementary will partner with families to develop and revise the School Family Involvement Policy and Procedures and distribute it to families of participating children and also make it available to the local community via:
    • School Web page 
    • Student Handbook
    • PTO meetings
    • Yearly PTO meetings for the review of the Title I Parent Involvement Policy 
    • Annual Title 1 online family survey
      1. Also available in print form

 

  1. Convene annual meetings, at a convenient time, to which all families of participating children shall be invited and encouraged to attend. The intent is to inform families of their school’s Title 1 participation and to explain the requirements, and the right of the families to be involved.
    • Families’ Guide and right to be informed documents are shared during yearly Title 1 PTO meeting (typically in November).
    • Parent / Teacher conferences in November and March, with morning, afternoon, and evening times available for families to attend
    • Teachers willing to schedule meetings with families as needed
    • Title 1 families guide, and right to be informed information is available on the school website, at the office, in the newsletter, and during conference week family engagement activities.
    • Open House at the beginning of the school year
  2. Offer flexible meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening as such services relate to family involvement.
    • PTO meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30 PM.
    • Parent / Teacher conferences in November and March with morning, afternoon, and evening times available for families to attend.
    • Family engagement activities are offered at times when the entire family would be available to attend together. 
    • Teachers willing to meet with families at any scheduled times, as needed.
    • For families, unable to attend scheduled meetings, conferences via telephone, email, or notes home are made available.
      1. These opportunities are available in English and in Spanish
  3. Involve families in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of the school plan under Section 1112, school-wide under Section 1114, and the process of the school review and improvement under Section 1116. 
    • A copy of the School Improvement Plan is available to families online.
    • A copy of our OSPI School Report Card is available to families.
    • Principal maintains a regular spot on the PTO agenda for providing reports and information regarding school activities and issues.
  4.  Provide families of participating children–
    1. Timely information about programs under this part.
    2. A description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
    3. If requested by families, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practically possible.
    • During Open House
      1. Families are given a description and explanation of the curriculum that is used at the school.
      2. Information about Title 1 program is shared.
    • During report card conferences
      1. Teachers share assessment data with families.
      2. Provide information about the proficiency level that students are expected to meet.
      3. Inform families of extra support provided through Title 1 / LAP programs.
    • Families are invited to Student Study Team (SST) meetings when there are additional academic concerns.
  2. If the school-wide program plan is not satisfactory to the families of participating children, families may submit any comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the district at a public school board meeting. 
    • Input from families is gathered 
      1. Informally on an ongoing basis
      2. By the yearly Title 1 family survey online (or hardcopy)

 

Part 2 

REQUIRED SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HIGH STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (SCHOOL/PARENT/STUDENT COMPACT)

  1. As a component of the School Family Involvement Policy, each school shall jointly develop with families, a school-family-student compact. This compact, outlines how families, the school staff, and students will share the responsibility and develop a partnership for improving academic achievement, and achieving the Common Core State Standards.
    • Annual PTO meetings for discussion, input, and feedback for McDermoth / Family / student Compact.
    • Parent / Teacher conferences in November and March, during which the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the child’s academic achievement. 
    • McDermoth will provide translation services for Spanish-speaking families during these conferences and meetings.
    • Provide frequent reports to families on their children’s progress. Report cards are provided to families in November, March, and June. There are family conferences in November and March to go over report cards. 

BUILDING CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS FOR INVOLVEMENT 

To ensure effective family engagement and to support a partnership among the school, families, and the community, to improve student academic achievement, each school and district under this part-

  1. Shall provide assistance to the families of children served by the school or district, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the state’s academic content standards and state student academic achievement standards. State and district assessments, the requirements of this part, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children. 
    • Families are made aware of the OSPI website and its resources
      1. Common Core Standards and assessment data.  
      2. School report card.
    • On the Aberdeen School District website, families can access what their child is expected to learn at each grade level.
    • The Aberdeen School District uses a standard based report card, which aligns with grade level expectations.
  1. Shall provide materials and training to help families work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster family involvement. 
    • McDermoth provides an after-school program during which students can receive help in completing homework, as well as other enrichment activities.
    • Families have available materials that they can use with their children at home that will further reinforce the children’s learning.
      1. Imagine Learning Language and Literacy, and Imagine Math are available for student use at home.
      2. McDermoth will provide family engagement events at various times throughout the school year.
      3. Online version of Accelerated Reader that will allow families to track their students’ independent reading records from home.
    • Provide families with reasonable access to staff and opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class. There is a formal process in place for screening parent volunteers in the district. families are encouraged to participate as chaperones on field trips and volunteer in classrooms as requested by teachers or families.
  1. Shall educate teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff, with the assistance of families, in the value and utility of contributions of families, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with families as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between families and the school. 
    • The McKinney-Vento Homeless liaison coordinates training and information for the staff regarding how to best serve homeless families and families in transition.
    • McDermoth PTO meets monthly and is working to strengthen the connection between home and school. 
    • McDermoth distributes a monthly school newsletter that keeps families informed of the current events happening at school.
  1. Shall to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, the Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the families as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support families in more fully participating in the education of their children. 
  • Kindergarten teachers are participating in conducting home/school visits with the family of each child at the beginning of the school year as part of our slow start for the purpose of coordinating home-to-school connection in a positive, relaxed manner. 
  • Area Preschools pay a yearly visit to McDermoth Kindergarten classes to introduce the teachers and give students and families an idea of what to expect in Kindergarten.
  1.   Shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the families of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language families can understand. 
  • The school newsletter is sent home in both English and Spanish on the last Wednesday of every month
  • All correspondence is sent home to families in both English and Spanish.
  • McDermoth West has a Spanish translator onsite for parent communication support.

 

  1.  Shall provide such other reasonable support for family involvement activities under this part as families may request. 
    • Parent requests are solicited informally through incidental conversations and formally through PTO and other meeting settings.
    • Conferences and family engagement activities have extended schedules when possible to meet the needs of busy families.
  1. May involve families in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training.
  2. May provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the district has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for such training.
  3.  May pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local family involvement activities.
    • Providing dinner at monthly PTO meetings to encourage attendance during a family meal time. 
    • Community programming such as the Hands On Museum family nights and the Pacific Science Center family nights
  1.  May train families to enhance the involvement of other families.
  2.  May arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with families who are unable to attend such conferences at school, in order to maximize family involvement and participation.
  • McDermoth schedules several days, times, and an evening for parent conferences.
  • McDermoth PTO meets monthly, information provided on PTO facebook page.
  • Counselor contacts families to provide support
  • Back-to-School open house night
  • Monthly Student of the Month assembly, with letters of student recognition sent to families via mail
  1. May adopt and implement model approaches to improving family involvement.
  2. May establish a district parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to family involvement in programs supported under this section.
  3. May develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parent involvement activities.

Part 3 

ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 

In carrying out the family involvement requirements, districts and schools, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of families with children with limited English proficiency, families with children with disabilities, and families of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language such that families can understand. 

  • All letters sent to families are sent in both English and Spanish.
  • McDermoth employs a bilingual para-educator who is available during school hours to facilitate communication with Spanish-speaking families and students.
  • Interpreters are provided for meetings when needed.