Lot Whitcomb Elementary School Parent and Family Involvement Plan 2015-­2016 Describe key strategies planned to increase meaningful parental involvement that is designed to enhance home-­school partnerships and improve student learning. At Lot Whitcomb Elementary School, we recognize that parental involvement is directly related to children’s academic success. Therefore, we encourage family presence and parental leadership within our school community. A number of events are planned throughout the school year to help facilitate and encourage parent involvement at Lot Whitcomb Elementary School. Lot Whicomb’s Welcome Back Night, which happens the week prior to the beginning of school, allows families and students to tour the building, meet teachers and staff, and deliver school supplies to classrooms. A few weeks after school begins, Lot Whitcomb has a curriculum night for each grade level during which families can listen to informative presentations given by both the building principal as well as classroom teachers and some specialists. These presentations offer information from the district level as well as the classroom. Bilingual staff members are also included to assist families who speak a language other than English. Parent-­Teacher conferences are also conducted in a variety of formats, including direct parent-­teacher meetings. At these meetings, the teachers provide families with a copy of the Title 1 compacts. If necessary, interpreters are provided during these conferences. The highlight of our Title I program is our Winter Title I Family Reading Night. It is a time to bring all families together to participate in various reading activities. During this event, we explain that Lot Whitcomb Elementary School receives Title 1 funding and summarize how this funding supports students and programs at Lot Whitcomb. At the end of the event, each student will have received his/her own book to keep. This is intended to continue the gift of reading outside of the school setting. Lot Whitcomb Elementary School has an active Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The PTA is engaged in recruiting and organizing volunteers throughout the school community. The PTA holds monthly meetings led by parents, fundraises for school needs, and provides information of interest to parents. The PTA sponsors and organizes multiple evening events that bring parents into the school and that provide age-­appropriate entertainment for families at a reasonable (and sometimes free) cost. School newsletters and flyers are utilized frequently to keep parents up-­to-­date on events happening at school and within the community. Our newsletters are translated into students’ home languages. The school and the PTA both maintain websites to provide helpful information to parents. Throughout the year, parents and families are highly encouraged to volunteer in various roles at Lot Whitcomb Elementary School. The following is a partial list of volunteer opportunities available for consideration: ●
Help with vision/hearing screenings (K-­5) ●
Reading to students in English or another language (K-­5) ●
Assist teacher within classroom during learning time (K-­5) ●
Assist teacher by organizing papers before or after school (K-­5) ●
Crosswalk and/or parking lot duty (before or after school) ●
Assist with school-­wide fundraisers ●
Attend and participate in PTA meetings ●
Chaperone field trips outside of the school building (K-­5) ●
Assist teacher with celebrations within the classroom (K-­5) ●
Help organize students for school pictures (K-­5) ●
Become a member of Site Council/provide feedback for the School Improvement ●
Plan ●
Give input, organize, and distribute the school-­wide newsletter ●
Help organize Open House ●
Assist with organizing materials for the first day of school (mid-­August) ●
Help in welcoming families to our school throughout the year ●
Help with end of the year events such as Field Day Briefly describe the process used to develop and implement the Parent Compact. The compact for learning formalizes the relationship between parent and teacher to support each student. This includes providing the basic needs at home for learning, such as a quiet place to work, a focus on good nutrition, rest, and limited electronic distractions. The compact will be reviewed by the Lot Whitcomb Site Council and PTA in the spring to identify changes for the following school year. Describe the process used to meet with parents of students who have not met academic standards. Teachers are asked to identify students who are not meeting grade level standards. The Response to Intervention (RTI) core team meets with various teams of teachers to develop levels of academic support for groups and individual students. When a student receives additional support, teachers provide parents with a brochure outlining the RTI process. As the level of support becomes more intensive, parents are invited to be a part of the team in making decisions about specific interventions for home and/or school. Teachers also meet with parents and families to discuss progress during fall conferences and periodically throughout the year when students are not meeting academic standards. Parents receive a written report card three times each school year. Madres De Corazón/Mothers of the Heart Mission: To support school and community involvement of mothers cross culturally through caring relationships built around common interests involving emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual health. Activities: Group walking/running weekly Zumba weekly Basketball/Volleyball Tuesday morning coached by retired North Clackamas PE teacher and community member. Weekly intercambio with English and Spanish speaking school community members, facilitated by district ELD leader. Weekly eating and sharing of healthy recipes. Opportunities for leadership involvement in the school: greeters at parent nights, PALS(PTA) participation, input on school policy, volunteer coordinators, classroom volunteering. Weekly informal exchange of community resources including guest visitors/supporters. Cultural Elements: Building and preserving relationships by honoring what each person brings is the most important part of the program over agendas and activities. Recognizing the value of Motherhood, an important job and identity that needs to be supported and cherished. All ideas start informally and are built and grown naturally from the participants. No imposed agenda. Child friendly environments. Childcare provided for some activities. Informal time frames, late arrivals and delayed endings honored. Speaking another language is an asset. We value bilingualism and teachers and adults in the building whose first language is English work hard to learn Spanish as much as families whose first language is Spanish work hard to learn English. Realize the value of informal communication channels (peer to peer communication often by phone, text, or meeting in person, etc.) Sharing/gifting of food, honoring family recipes and cooking skills. Knowing someone else that is participating in the activities and may speak the same language makes involvement easier. Physical activities reduce language barriers and encourage relationship building. Intercambio Language Club This mixed group of parents and staff come together once a week for a guided language exchange in our school. Half of the time the group speaks in Spanish and the other half of the time in English. This group supports each other as we come together to gain language skills in both languages.