10/24/2016 AR HOLCOMB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (FAYETTEVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT) 2900 NORTH SALEM ROAD FAYETTEVILLE AR 72704 479-527-3610 School Parent Involvement Policy This form was adapted from, A Toolkit for Title I Parent Involvement. Ferguson, C. (2009). A Toolkit for Title I Parental Involvement. Austin, TX: SEDL.
Hint District Fayetteville Public Schools School Improvement Status Needs Improvement 2014 Grade Levels Pre-K through 4th grade Parent Involvement Coordinator Allison Houston Are you Title I Schoolwide?
g Yes c d e f b No c d e f g c N/A d e f g Percent of free and reduced lunch 36% Parent Involvement Committee Members (Select "Repeat" to open more entry fields to add addtional team members) Enter committee members First Name Mollie Last Name Samples Position Counselor Enter committee members First Name Brooke Last Name Parker Position 1st grade teacher Enter committee members First Name Julie Last Name Brandt Position 3rd grade teacher
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Enter committee members First Name Natalie Last Name Seifritz Position 3rd grade teacher Enter committee members First Name Angie Last Name Ellington Position Instructional facilitator and parent Enter committee members First Name Sandra Last Name Ware Position parent, PTA president 1. List various communication strategies used in your school to provide additional information to parents and to increase parental involvement in supporting classroom instruction. Holcomb Elementary School and the Holcomb PTA distributes a monthly newsletter, "News from the Nest" to parents that is developed with participation of the parent-school organization, principal, staff and parent volunteers. It includes school news, a calendar of school activities, and parenting tips related to school achievement such as homework tips, organizational skills, and study skills. The PTA also utilizes Peach Jar (an email newsletter) to send parents information containing upcoming events that involve our school and communitly. Holcomb has a web site to house classroom Web sites for each teacher. Pertinent classroom information will be available on classroom Web sites. Also, parents can access their child's grades using a school ID number they received at the beginning of the school year. Parents may use e-mail to communicate with members of the school staff. The published list of required supplies needed by each student for the school year will be distributed and posted in late summer. Each Friday, Holcomb has a Rise and Shine assembly recognizing students and teachers, and promotes character and leadership words. A translator is provided to assist with communication between ESL families and school personnel. The school marquee is updated weekly with upcoming school events. Each teacher sends home a folder containing student papers and work samples each day. Parents are asked to sign the folder and send it back to school each day. Teachers prepare weekly and/or monthly newsletters that give a specific calendar for their classroom and grade, curriculum that will be covered, reminders of upcoming events, and how to contact them. These are sent home via home folders and/or email. Teachers will routinely contact parents on an individual basis to communicate about their child's progress. The school will provide to parents progress reports at the 5th week of each quarter and Report cards quarterly with information regarding their child's academic progress and upcoming classroom and school news. 2. List the proposed parent meeting, conferences and activities regularly throughout this year and the dates providing flexible meeting times that you have planned to increase parental involvement and build staff and parent capacity to engage in these types of efforts. (Must include the 2 state mandated parent/teacher conferences each year.) The district will designate two PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES (October 20, 21 and March 30, 31) each school year. Yardstick pamphlets explaining academic, social-emotional, and physical development of students will be purchased and handed out to each parent. The pamphlets are supplemental in nature and over and above the state's requirement for parent/teacher conferences. Parents will review student performance samples on open-response problems in mathematics during parent/teacher conferences. In addition to requirements already funded with local monies, materials and supplies will be purchased throughout the year to make available additional opportunities to enable and encourage parents and students to practice open-response problems at home. Holcomb hosts Family Nights (that provide an opportunity for parents and their child to experience the school situation in a positive and helpful manner while school staff may provide any needed assistance or encouragement. Parents play educational games with their children and learn about strategies they can use at home to help their children be
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more successful at school. Holcomb hosts Curriculum Nights (August 25, 2016) for parents which provides an explanation of state testing results and standards. Parents also meet with teachers and learn about curriculum being taught and suggestions for coordinating school-parent efforts and explanations of homework and grading procedures. Holcomb encourages parents to be involved in the following types of roles as it will increase their involvement and support for student learning: library assistant, reading buddy, special parent lunches, book fair helpers, fall festival helpers, field day volunteers, family nights, PTA, Red Ribbon week, watch dog dads, grounds keeper. The school has grade level programs for K-4th throughout the school year; 4th is October 3, 3rd is December 5, 2nd is January 23, 1st is February 27, and Kindergarten is March 13. Parents are notified through various means of communication about the programs and opportunities to help set, decorate the stage, and assist in the programs. 3. How will your school provide information to parents about volunteer opportunities (must include state mandated parent training)? Holcomb provides opportunities for parents and community members to support the instructional program through events such as guest speakers, special friends, mystery readers, and reading buddies. Through newsletters and Holcomb's website, parents can learn about volunteering opportunities such as, Watch Dog Dads, Book Fair Helpers, PTA meetings, PTA officers, Multicultural celebration presenters, copy parents, classroom parties and field trip volunteers. Holcomb provides an orientation meeting and training for homeroom moms. (August) Each spring the Pre-K and kindergarten teachers and the special education teachers work together with outside agencies to transition students with special needs to the public school setting. Each spring Holt Middle School teachers and counselors meet with our 4th grade students to help ease the transition of starting middle school in the Fall. Administrators and teachers will receive at least 3 hours/2 hours training respectively to enhance understanding of effective parental involvement strategies. Home/school folders will be purchased to foster two way communication. Holcomb hosts Family Nights that provide an opportunity for parents and their child to experience the school situation in a positive and helpful manner while school staff may provide any needed assistance or encouragement. Parents play educational games with their children and learn about strategies they can use at home to help their children be more successful at school. 4. How will your school work with parents to create a School-Parent-Compact? Parents, teachers, and counselors collaborate to develop and distribute informational packets for each family that include: parental involvement/community connection plan, school calendar, school-parent compact, and district handbook. These packets are distributed in the Fall and collaboration meetings are held in the Fall and Spring. 5. How will your school provide opportunities for parents to be involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of the school wide school improvement plan, and the Annual Title I Meeting to engage them in the decision-making processes regarding the school's Title I, Part A Program? Holcomb has Open Forum nights each semester. These nights are opportunities for Holcomb alumni and parents to contribute to school improvement in a meaningful way. Holcomb has an active Parent Teacher Association (PTA) which helps foster parental involvement and communication efforts with the school. Parent surveys are given to address concerns, needs, successes, and areas of improvement. 6. How will your school provide resources for parents? The school has a designated area to be used as the Parent Center. Parenting books, magazines, and other informative materials are available to promote support responsible parenting. All parents will be invited to a curriculum night to welcome parents expectations for the school year. The school's process for resolving parental concerns will be discussed at this meeting. Descriptions and explanations of the curriculum as well as school and classroom procedures will be discussed. Open Forums will be held twice per year to discuss procedures, testing data, school improvements, and other topics declared needed based on survey comments. The building principal will designate one certified staff member as Parent Facilitator to increase awareness of trainings offered in our community for staff and parents and also undertake efforts to ensure that parental participation is recognized as an asset to the school. 7. How will your school engage parents in the evaluation of your parental involvement efforts? Effectiveness will be documented by results of parental involvement survey. These surveys are given during our Parent/teacher conferences as well. 8. How will your school use the parent interest surveys to select, plan and implement parental involvement activities that will be offered throughout the year? Teachers ask parents to fill out a parent interest survey at the the beginning of the year to get information concerning activities they feel will be most beneficial in the efforts to support their child academically. The school will use the results of the parent interest survey to plan the parental involvement activities for the year. The school will evaluate the activities that were suggested by the parents at the end of the year as part of the annual parental involvement plan evaluation (April or May).
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9. When will your school plan the Annual Title I Meeting that must be conducted separately? (It CANNOT be held in conjunction with any other meetings or activities.) The school is no longer a Title I school. *After completion of this form, the school should print and submit to district for review and approval. Once approved, the school is required to post their School Parent Plan on their website.
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