Pelham Ridge Elementary Parent Involvement Plan 2016-2017

Pelham Ridge Elementary Parent Involvement Plan 2016-2017

Pelham Ridge Elementary Parent Involvement Plan 2016-2017

A. Parental Involvement: Describe how the school will convene an annual meeting to inform parents of the school’s participation in Title I and explain Title I requirements, including the 1% set-aside, and the right of parents to be involved.

PRES will provide a presentation of the Annual Meeting each Fall. Parents will be informed of the meetings through email/listserv, weekly communication folder from the teacher, and our school website. A Power Point presentation provided by the State Department of Education will be used to educate parents on aspects of the Title I program with an emphasis on parental rights.

The purpose of the annual meeting of parents of parents of Title I students is:

  • Informing parents of the school’s participation in Title I.
  • Explaining the requirements of Title I.
  • Explaining the rights of parents to be involved.

The topics covered in the Power Point are as follows:

  • What does it mean to be a Title I school?
  • What is the 1% Set-Aside for parental involvement?
  • What is the LEA Title I Plan?
  • What is the LEA Parental Involvement Plan?
  • What is a CIP?
  • What is the School-Parent Compact?
  • How do I request the qualifications of my child’s teacher(s)?
  • How will I be notified if my child is taught by a teacher who is not Highly Qualified?
  • How is the Annual Evaluation of the Parental involvement Plan conducted?
  • How can I be involved in all of these things I’m learning about?
  • How can I be involved in all of these things I’m learning about?

B. Describe: 1) How there will be a flexible number and format of parent meetings offered; 2) How parents will be involved in the planning, review and improvement of the Title I Program (Note: State the school’s process for how all Title I parents have the opportunity for involvement in decision-making.); and 3) How funds allocated for parent involvement are being used in the school.

1. The leadership and staff of Pelham Ridge Elementary School have a strong belief in the importance of parental involvement and therefore have put measures in place to offer parent meetings on a flexible schedule. Our annual meeting for Title I parents will be offered three separate times in English and Spanish. State-wide Parenting Day will be held each year in November. Parents may attend scheduled activities and visit their child’s classroom. Parents are invited to eat lunch after Labor Day.

2. Pelham Ridge Elementary School believes in involving parents in all aspects of its Title I programs. Parents have the following opportunities for involvement in the decision-making process:

We have a title one committee consisting of the principal, assistant principal, counselor, a teacher representative from each grade level, an ELL teacher, and a parent, who will be/have been trained on Title I, Part A, parental involvement, and parent’s rights. They serve as representatives on decision-making committees and as contact persons for the Title I parents to answer questions about parental involvement and parents’ rights. They keep parents informed of various committee works and receive input from parents for committee decisions. They assist in evaluating the parental involvement plan. Title I parents are introduced to the parent leaders at the annual meeting of Title I parents at the beginning of school. Parents are also given a timeline outlining various parent involvement opportunities throughout the year. Parents are also reminded each month through monthly calendar of events, and announcements, newsletters in monthly parent communication folders, and the school-wide website.

3. Pelham Ridge Elementary School uses its parental involvement funds as follows: To fund a part time interventionist and instructional coach, to provide subs for teachers to attend professional development, tutors, and literature for students at home. Instructional materials for home and school are also provided.

C. Describe how the school provides parents of participating children timely information in a uniform format and, to the extent practicable in a language they can understand, about programs under Title I, a description and explanation of the curriculum in use, forms of academic assessments, and achievement expectations used, and, if requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and participate as appropriate in decisions related to the education of their children.

At the parent meeting each fall, Pelham Ridge Elementary School presents information about its Title I programs, the curriculum, and forms of academic assessment used. Parents learn about the content standards in reading and math. They also learn about how to schedule parent-teacher conferences and are reminded about how they can participate in decisions related to the education of their child. Parents have the opportunity to have at least one parent-teacher conference each semester. We have an interpreter available to communicate with our Spanish speaking parents when needed. In addition, important documents are provided in Spanish.

D. Describe how parents, the school staff, and students share responsibility for improved student academic achievement for participating students (How the School-Parent Compact is jointly developed with Title I parents: how it is used, reviewed, and updated).

Pelham Ridge Elementary School developed our current school-parent compacts through a coordinated effort by teachers, administrators, and our Title I Parent Advisory Committee. All parents are given a copy of the compact. The compact is explained to the parents, and they are asked to sign the compacts signifying their commitment to working in partnership with the school in ensuring that their child is successful in school. Each teacher will be given the responsibility to explain the compact to the students and obtain the students’ signatures. The teacher will sign the compacts and the compacts will be kept on file and accessible to teachers and staff. The compacts are also available for review on our web site. Compacts may be reviewed at parent-teacher conferences. The compacts will be updated annually as new ideas and concerns will need to be addressed.

E. Describe procedures to allow parents to submit comments of dissatisfaction with the Continuous Improvement Plan.

Pelham Ridge Elementary follows the district Parent/Family Involvement Policy (Policy 7.11). Parents may provide comments of dissatisfaction for any section of the CIP through the methods in which they provide any other type of dissatisfaction – emails, conferences, phone calls, etc. If the complaint cannot be resolved at the school level, they will be submitted to the Federal Programs Supervisor at the Central Office.

F. Describe how the school will build capacity for parental involvement, including how parents will be encouraged to become equal partners in the education of their children. ( See NCLB Section 1118, requirements for building capacity in parental involvement.)

To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, our school:

  1. Shall provide training for parents of participating children in understanding such topics as the State’s academic achievement standards, State and local academic assessments, the requirements of Title I, and how to monitor their child’s progress and work with teachers to improve the achievement of their children.

Pelham Ridge Elementary School will accomplish this through its required annual Title I parent meeting held at the beginning of the school year. Parents will receive an overview of the state academic content standards, academic achievement standards, and assessments. In addition, an explanation will be given regarding Title I, what services will be offered, and how parents have the right to be involved in their children’s education. Parents will learn about their role in helping their child to be successful and the best ways to work in partnership with their child’s teachers. Also, progress folders and class newsletters are sent home weekly so that parents are able to monitor student progress and collaborate with the teacher to ensure students are achieving to the best of their ability at all times.

Shall provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.

Pelham Ridge Elementary School shall provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s achievement through take-home resources. Pelham Ridge Elementary School shall give all parents a Parent Involvement Future Workshop Topic Survey. The results of this survey will determine the top 3 choices for workshops that shall be provided for parents by our Math and Reading Coaches in order to better help their children succeed in school. Many parents, for the first time, may adopt home practices known to foster student achievement. These materials may provide parents with an opportunity to have something positive to do with their child while contributing to their knowledge of what their child is doing in school.

  1. Shall educate teachers, office personnel, and other school staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school.

The administrators at Pelham Ridge School educate teachers and other staff on how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners. In August we usually have Parent Night at each grade level, where teachers share their academic expectations and requirements regarding homework, assessment, and what their students will be doing in the classroom each day. Parents are invited to serve as volunteers, chaperones on field trips, or to eat lunch with their children. Parents and students come before school starts to ‘Meet the Teacher’.

The discipline team developed several parent contact documents and trained the faculty on how to use these documents. More training will be implemented at faculty meetings on how to conduct successful parent-teacher conferences. The critical relationship between school, community, and parents will also be facilitated through PTO meetings, active parent volunteer programs, weekly student progress folders, and monthly informational newsletters.

  1. Shall to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with other federal 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.

Pelham Ridge Elementary School coordinates its parent involvement program for all parents.

  1. Shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.

Important information will be sent home to parents in the parent’s primary language. Due to the growing number of ELL students at PRES, interpreters are provided by the district as needed for meetings. PRES has a full-time secretary in the front office that interprets and assists our parents who do not speak English.

  1. Shall provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request.

Pelham Ridge Elementary School makes every effort to work with parents in meeting their requests as related to their involvement in their children’s education. Parents are surveyed annually by the district and these results are used to plan parent involvement activities for the upcoming year.

G. Describe how the school will ensure the provision for participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory students; including providing information and school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand.

Pelham Ridge Elementary School provides opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory students. All important parent notifications are sent to parents in English as well as Spanish. Also, we use an interpreter for parent conferences when needed. Every effort is made to accommodate parents with disabilities. PRES is a handicapped-accessible building. We will address and work to accommodate the needs of our parents and our students