Sparks High School Parent Involvement Policy: 2015-2016
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Sparks High School knows parent engagement is a fundamental aspect in achieving students’
academic success. Sparks High School believes parents, faculty, and community members
should work together as a unit to build successful leaders of tomorrow. Sparks High School’s
objective for the school year 2015-2016 is to provide tools and motivate our parents to be
engaged in their students’ educational goals and hopes for the future.
8
9
Fall 2015
10

11
12
13
14
15
16
17

18
19
20

21
22
23
24

25
26
27


28
29
30
31

32
33
34
35
1) Open House Night- We welcomed students and families to our school on August, 2015.
Open House events included: starting in the gym to introduce administrators and staff, a
Title I budget/Provision II information session, an Infinite Campus workshop to help
parents learn how to navigate the system, an open lab to assist parents with the on-line
lunch application, classrooms were accessible for parents to visit, teachers and
administrators were available for questions or concerns, Parent Involvement Facilitators
were present to welcome families and for interpreting as needed.
2) Handouts will be sent home with students to share with parents. The goal of this is to
inform them of how to access the SIP Report through the webpage
http://www.nevadareportcard.com.
3) Parents are informed of the High School Proficiency Exams and the PSAT via emails,
letters, Connect ED, text messaging, and school newsletters. Sparks High School has boot
camps to help students prepare for the High School Proficiency Exams and parents are
informed via Connect Ed, emails and text messages.
4) The Sparks High School Parent Involvement Policy will be communicated to parents
and guardians on the school’s website and through the school newsletter.
5) The Educational Involvement Accord is part of the registration packet.
6) The Parent Involvement Department will host a Graduation Requirements Night. The
event will help Sparks High School families understand the requirements for graduation
such as credits, High School Proficiency Exams, the WCSD attendance policy, and the
school curriculum.
7) The Counseling and Parent Involvement Department will host a Road to College Night
to give parents general information about college, financial aid, and the college
enrollment process. TMCC and UNR will host a session in Spanish and English. Parent
Involvement Facilitators will make personal calls to invite parents both in English and
Spanish.
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
Winter 2015

8) In the winter, the school counselors receive the PSAT results. The counselors will host
an information night for parents. In the PSAT Information Night, the sophomore
counselor will explain the PSAT data to the parents and go over individual results. The
PSAT results will help parents acknowledge their students’ academic strengths and
deficiencies, giving the parents an opportunity to work with their student in improving
specific academic areas. PSAT results are also mailed home.
9) Sparks High School strongly believes in working together with the community,
offering our families the best resources and programs available in the Reno/Sparks area.
The Silver Legacy and Bank of America are our partners in education. Both companies
donate a lot to the school. Our choir and band perform at the Silver Legacy a couple of
times during the year. We work together with the stores in our area that help with
donations to put together food baskets for our families during the holiday season.
Counselors and Parent Involvement Facilitators are trained periodically on community
resources. We work closely and often refer our parents and students to the Children’s
Cabinet, Student Behavioral Services and the Family Resource Center. We offer in
school services such as a food pantry stocked by the Northern Nevada Food Bank.
Sparks High School has a school social worker. Referrals are sent by the counselors and
the Parent Involvement Facilitators. Sparks High School also offers WCSD childhood
program, and STEM girls program - who works with the Girls Scouts to offer at risk
girls an opportunity to explore the careers in science and math. The Avid program is
offered to our students to help them be successful during their four years of high school
and in their transition to college. There are two bilingual Parent Involvement Facilitators
that can help parents communicate and build a relationship with the educators at the
school. Counselors and PIFs work together with TMCC and UNR to bring our parents
and students the most accurate, local, and up to date college information.
43
44

45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
Spring 2015

65
66
67
68

69
70
10) The Counseling and Parent Involvement Department will have two Financial Aid
workshops to help parents with the FAFSA application. TMCC and UNR will have a
representative on site to help parents with questions or concerns. Spanish speakers will be
available to help translate.
11) During prep periods, the Parents Involvement Facilitators will have a presentation
about the importance of parent involvement and creating relationships between the school
and the parents. The presentation will be for teachers, administrators, and all support staff.
71
All year
72

73
74
75
76


77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85

12) The Parent Involvement Department will develop a parent committee that will meet
once a month to review the Parent Involvement Plan and help revise the plan on a yearly
basis.
13) Two parent newsletters with Title I information, available in both English and Spanish
14) Several staff and faculty members have been trained on the Parent Teacher Home Visit
Project. Our team plans to complete 166 home visits this year. During the first home visits
with the families the topic will be the goals and dreams parents have for their students. The
second home visits to the families will focus on academic concerns and graduation
requirements.
15) Parent Involvement Facilitators are a bridge between the school and the families;
therefore, during the school year the PIFs host several events and workshops to give
families the tools and information to empower them as parents. The PIFs will offer Infinite
Campus Workshops to help parents access their students’ grades, attendance, and
communication with teachers. Cup of Coffee is held quarterly and will host different guests
86
87
88
89
90
91

92
93
94
95

96
97
98
99
100

to share valuable information to parents. During Cup of Coffee parents are asked if they
have any requests for workshops or events they may find helpful. We will also offer open
labs to assist parents with the on-line lunch application process and Parent University will
offer a variety of classes such as advocacy, college and career readiness, and technology
classes to help parents with the school communication.
16) Our parents are notified of our events and any important information (tests, exams,
resources, programs, etc.) through Connect Ed, text messages, emails, letters, school
newsletters, the school website, school media such as Twitter and Facebook, fliers,
personal calls, and meetings, both in English and Spanish.
17) Parent Involvement Facilitators will make individual calls to the parents of students
who are failing core classes. The Parent Involvement Facilitators will work together with
the counselors to facilitate parent meetings with students who are credit deficient.
18) Counselors, PIFs, and administrators will hold parent conferences to discuss
academic, behavior, and attendance concerns. Counselors will discuss the crucial aspects
of the High School Proficiency Exams/MAP/ AP/ PSAT/ ACT/ SAT and earning credits.