Mt. Zion Elementary School Parental Involvement Plan
2016-2017
DRAFT COPY
260 Eureka Church Road
Carrollton, Georgia 30117
Cindy Parker, Principal
Heather Entrekin, Assistant Principal
Eagles Rise Up!
PART I: GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
2016-2017 School Parental Involvement Policy
School: Mt. Zion Elementary School District/LEA: Carroll County
In support of strengthening student academic achievement, each school that receives Title I, Part A funds must develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parental involvement policy, agreed on by such parents, that contains information required by section 1118 (b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) (school parental involvement policy). The policy establishes the school’s expectations for parental involvement and describes how the school will implement a number of specific parental involvement activities, and it is incorporated into the school’s plan submitted to the local educational agency (LEA).
The school will adhere to the following as required by law:
●Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under Title I, Part A, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parental involvement policy and the joint development of the schoolwide program plan under section 1114(b)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).
●Update the school parent involvement policy periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school and distribute it to the parents of participating children and make the parental involvement plan available to the local community.
●Provide full opportunities, to the extent practicable, for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 of the ESEA in an understandable and uniform format and including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.
●If the schoolwide program plan under section 1114 (b)(2) of the ESEA is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, submit any parent comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the local educational agency.
●Be governed by the following statutory definition of parental involvement and will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition:
Parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring –
(A)that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
(B)that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
(C)that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child;
(D)the carrying out of other activities, such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA.
PART II. DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE SCHOOL WILL IMPLEMENT REQUIRED SCHOOL-WIDE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS
- The Mt. Zion Elementary School will take the following actions to involve parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely manner in the planning, review, and improvement of Title I programs including involvement in the decisions regarding how funds for parental involvement will be used.
MZE administrators and school personnel involve all parents of Mt. Zion Elementary students in the development of the local Title I program by requesting that parents offer ideas and suggestions in writing. Mt. Zion has established focus groups (MZE School Council and PTO) that offer advice, recommendations, and support on planning and monitoring school progress and student achievement, as well as helping determine how Title I 1% Parental Involvement Set Aside funds are spent. Other parent input comes from parent volunteers, school partners, and concerned citizens/community members.
- The Mt. Zion Elementary School will take the following actions to conduct an annual meeting, at a convenient time, and encourage and invite all parents of participating children to attend, to inform them about the school’s Title I program, the nature of the Title I program, the parents’ requirements and the school parental involvement policy, the schoolwide plan, and the school-parent compact.
MZE holds an Annual Title I Meeting at the beginning of each school year. This meeting is held in the evening, and all parents are encouraged to attend. Parents are notified through the school sign, the local newspaper, written announcements being sent home with students, and through the School Messenger phone system. At this meeting, parents are informed about Title I and its components and how parents can participate. Items discussed include the Parent Involvement Plan, Funding and Budget, School-Parent Compacts, Title I School-wide Plan, the 1% Parent Involvement Set Aside, the “Parent’s Right to Know,” and our Title I School status. Draft copies of the School-Parent Compacts and Parent Involvement Plan are available for review at this meeting.
- The Mt. Zion Elementary Schoolwill take the following actions to offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide with Title I funds, transportation, child care or home visits, as such services relate to parental involvement.
MZE has evening meetings (PTO each month, Family Learning Nights in Sept., Jan., Mar., and Apr.), Grandparents Luncheon (Sept.), Fall Festival (Oct.), Thanksgiving Luncheon (Nov.), Book Fair Family Night (Fall/Spring), Family Math Night (Fall), Family Science Night (Spring), Family Literacy Night (Winter), Musical (Dec.) and morning sessions of involvement (Book Fair Breakfast (Fall/Spring) and two sessions of the Annual Title I meeting (evening and afternoon).
- The Mt. Zion Elementary School will take the following actions to provide parents of participating children the following:
●Timely information about the Title I programs;
●Description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessments used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet;
●Opportunities for regular meetings, if requested by parents, to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their child, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible;
All classroom newsletters are sent home weekly to inform parents of events happening in their child’s grade. We will also communicate with parents through the use of orientation packets, mid-progress reports, report cards, parent-teacher conferences, Student Support Team (SST) meetings, PTO meetings, Step-up Day activity, open house, parent portal, school messenger, personal contact, telephone calls, letters, marquee, student recognition assemblies, and e-mails. Standardized test scores are sent to parents after the school receives them. Parents are informed and reminded of upcoming Title I activities through flyers and school messenger calls. MZE explains the curriculum and expectations to parents at the Curriculum Night, Math Night, Science Night, and Literacy Night. The school’s assessments are discussed in the monthly newsletter, at Curriculum Night, Math Night, Science Night, Literacy Night, and parent conferences.
- The Mt. Zion Elementary School will take the following actions to jointly develop with parents of participating children a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the State’s high standards.
An annual parent survey is sent home to parents in the spring of each school year to gather feedback from parents. This data, along with input from School Council and PTO, are used to work jointly with parents of all children to monitor and update the Parent/ School Policies and Compacts. An updated copy of the policy is sent home to the parents for review each school year. During the school year 2004-2005, criteria for the “Parent Non-Negotiable Brochure”was established by the Parent/Community Involvement Committee. This brochure has been revised and has become our School Parent Compact. This outlines how parents share in the responsibility of their child’s education. Parents are asked for input throughout the year.
- The Mt. Zion Elementary School will build the school’s and parents’ capacity for strong parental involvement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, through the following activities specifically described below:
A.The Mt. Zion Elementary School will provide assistance to parents of participating children, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the following, by undertaking the actions described in this paragraph –
●the State’s academic content standards;
●the State’s student academic achievement standards;
●the State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments;
●the requirements of Part A;
●how to monitor their child’s progress, and
●how to work with educators
To assist parents in understanding various areas of their children’s education, a student agenda will be given to each child enrolled at MZE. This agenda will include the system calendar, board policies for attendance, administration of medicine, student code of conduct and bus rules. A monthly school-wide newsletter containing parenting tips and explanations of major education issues and upcoming events is sent home. The principal and guidance counselor write a column in the school’s newsletter for parents related to testing and other pertinent issues dealing with special programs, services, and topics dealing with students. Periodically throughout the school year, special occasions and events for parents and students provide opportunities for home school/school collaboration. Other curriculum-related activities for parents and students to discuss the State’s academic content and achievement standards include the following: Math and Science Night (October.), English Language Arts and Social Studies Night (January), and other curricular–related activities that provide opportunities to share strategies and materials to improve academic performance. Parents are informed about state and local assessments at the Fall PTO meeting. Parents are educated about how to monitor their child’s progress and how to work with educators during parent conferences, SST meetings, and through the school newsletter messages by the principal and counselor.
B.The Mt. Zion Elementary School will provide materials and training to help parents to work with their child to improve their child’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement, by;
Parents are invited to attend Parent Nights in October , January and March to receive training, as well as other programs throughout the year. MZE will conduct a parent survey at the beginning of the year to determine other types of training classes that parents would be interested in. These will be held at the school at times convenient to parents and childcare will be provided.
C.The Mt. Zion Elementary School will provide training to educate the teachers, pupil services personnel, principal, and other staff in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school, by:
MZE faculty and staff will use annual survey results, suggestions, recommendations, informal meetings, and evaluations completed by parents to improve parental involvement, classes offered to parents, and revise our Parental Involvement Policy as needed. Monthly faculty meetings will include topics to educate faculty and staff of the value and utility of parents as partners. MZE will also host evening classes to help parents understand the content, standards, and assessments that their students are learning. We will offer classes/meetings to help parents’ understanding of technology, parenting tips, and how to help their students with their homework.
D.The Mt. Zion Elementary School will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Even Start, Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children, by:
A parent resource area is available in the Parenting Center to provide parents with books, magazines, and other resources on child development, parenting, and rearing issues. Additionally, the school system provides training to parents through system-wide workshops. These materials are available for checkout at the school. Parent resource topics include spelling, reading, math, testing, study skills, motivation, working together with the school. Pre-K parents are included in all parent involvement activities.
E.The primary language spoken in the homes of Mt. Zion Elementary students is English. Mt. Zion Elementary has a 14% Hispanic population. The Mt. Zion Elementary School will take the following actions to ensure that information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand:
To ensure that information to parents is in the language used in the homes, our school district provides contractual services with an interpreter who translates written communication and provides oral translations whenever needed and possible. Upon notification, our ESOL Lead Teacher attends parent conferences and SST meetings to serve as a support for our ELL parents and staff. The Rosetta Stone computer program and Google Translate help us communicate more effectively with parents and students in that parent correspondence is written in Spanish.
F.The Mt. Zion Elementary School will provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under section 1118 as parents may request, by;
MZE Parent Involvement Coordinator assists staff and parent groups at the school to provide coordination, technical assistance and other support in planning and implementing effective parent involvement programs. The coordinator provides assistance to the school by: planning special programs, scheduling volunteers to work with teachers and students, and offering any other support identified by the annual parent survey, questionnaires and/ or parent meetings that may arise.
PART III. DISCRETIONARY SCHOOL LEVEL PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS
Indicate which of the following discretionary school level parental involvement policy components the school will implement to improve parental involvement.
✓In order to maximize parental involvement and participation in their child’s education, arrange school meetings at a variety of times or conduct in-home conferences with teachers or other educators who work directly with participating children and parents who are unable to attend conferences at school;
MZE holds parent conferences at times when it is convenient for the parent, including before school, during the day, and after school. We also conduct phone conferences and home visits as needed.
✓Establish a school-wide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in Title I, Part A programs;
MZE has established focus groups (MZE School Council and PTO) that offer advice, recommendations, and support on planning and monitoring school progress and student achievement. Other parent input comes from parent volunteers, school partners, and concerned citizens/community members. MZE follows the guidelines put forth by the Georgia School Council Association to select and operate our School Council.
✓Develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses, including faith-based organizations, in parental involvement activities.
MZE works hard to establish partnerships with businesses and churches in the area. Business partners donate items for student incentives and money for various school initiatives. We also have community and business volunteers who come read to students and help with school activities. We involve dual language volunteers when appropriate, such as Open House, the Annual Title I Meeting, etc.
Eagles Rise Up!