Willow Elementary Parent Involvement Policy
2015-2016
Willow Elementary’s Vision of Parent Involvement
Willow Elementary is committed to the goal of providing quality education for every
child. To this end, we want to establish partnerships with parents and with the community.
Everyone gains if school and home work together to promote high achievement by our
children. Neither home nor school can do the job alone. Parents play an extremely
important role as children’s first teachers. Their support for their children and for the school
is critical to their children’s success every step along the way.
Willow Elementary recognizes that some students may need the extra assistance
available through the Title I program to reach the state’s high academic standards. Willow
Elementary intends to include parents in all aspects of the school’s Title I program. The goal
is a school-home partnership that will help all students to succeed and shall be done
through the following steps:
A. Willow Elementary will jointly develop/revise with parents the school parent involvement
policy and distribute it to parents of participating children and make available the parent
involvement plan to the local community.
The updated policy for the 2015-2016 school year will be reviewed by staff and
parents and any revisions will be made after a review meeting which will be held during the
coffee with the principal meeting scheduled for September 11, 2015. Feedback from
parents and staff was requested through staff meetings and school newsletter.
A link to a pdf version of the 2015-2016 policy will be added to the school website as
soon as the suggested revisions have been made. The link will be announced through the
school newsletter as soon as it has been added. Also, after the updates have been made,
electronic copies will be distributed to the Willow Area Community Organization (WACO).
Copies will also be given to the Willow area Lions Club. Paper copies will be posted on
community bulletin boards throughout town. Paper copies will also be available at the
school office.
B. Convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of participating
children shall be invited and encouraged to attend, to inform parents of their school’s
participation under this part and to explain the requirements of this part, and the right of the
parents to be involved;
PTA/Willow Elementary Open House was held August 26, 2015. A presentation was
made to all parents and families that attended. The event was announced through flyers
which were sent home. The event was also advertised in school newsletters. A connect-ed
phone message/email/text was delivered to families before the meeting. A copy of the
presentation is posted on the school website.
C. Offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and
may provide, with funds provided under this part, transportation, child care, or home visits,
as such services relate to parental involvement;
Meetings during the 2015-2016 school year have and will continue to be held at
different times and days of the week during this school year. Phone conferences will also be
offered.
D. Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review,
improvement, and development of the Title I school plan
Willow Elementary will continue to use the STEPP (Steps Toward Educational
Progress and Partnership) evaluation and planning tool. Meetings will be held at different
times and on different days throughout the school year for the evaluation/planning process.
Parents and staff members will be invited to participate and provide input for this plan.
Announcements of meetings will be made through flyers, phone messages, school
newsletter, school website, and in-person contacts.
E. Involve parents and school staff in the development of a School- Parent Compact that
explains ways the school staff, parents, and students will work together to increase student
achievement.
The Parent-Student-Teacher Compact was provided during Open House for parents
to review and suggest changes; none were offered. Mr. McDermott also discussed last
year’s compact with parents during Coffee with the Principal on September 11, 2015. There
were no suggested revisions to this document. Staff will be revising this document into
flyers this school year. A working document has been uploaded to the school website and to
our STEPP plan.
F. Provide parents timely information about –
a. the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to
measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet;
and
The presentation during the Open House provided all of this information. The slide
show from the annual meeting is posted on the school website. Newsletters, website, parent
conferences, and coffee with the principal (provided nearly every Friday) are used to
discuss school needs and/or issues. Parent/teacher conferences are also used as an
opportunity to provide parents with assessment information and progress.
b. if requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate
suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education
of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practically
possible.
Coffee with the principal is a regularly scheduled meeting. No requests for other
regular meetings have been made, but we will make accommodations if they are made in
the future.
c. a description of the Title I program in the school
Two family nights will be held in the fall of 2015. An Open House/Annual
Meeting/PTA Picnic was held on August 26, 2015. A Muffins for Mom’s event will be held
during the month of November. There are plans for at three more family nights in the spring
of 2016.
The Title I .25 Tutor Advisor has been providing direct tutoring services for students
who are at risk in the areas of literacy and math. Other intervention groups will be provided
as determined by the school RTI teams. The Title I tutor advisor will continue to provide
direct services and help plan intervention support services for our at risk children.
The Title I program funds various technology and teaching materials for the staff and
students at Willow Elementary. It also provides focused professional development to
improve instruction for all students. In addition a school wide attendance quarterly rewards
program will be funded with Title I funds. There are several free book giveaways to the
students in our school throughout the school year, all funded through Title I and community
donations.
G. If the school wide program plan is not satisfactory to the parents, submit any parent
comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the community.
Parents can make comments using the modalities of: E-mail, written notes,
conversations with teachers and/or staff, by attending “Coffee with the Principal” on Friday
mornings, or on surveys at parent nights. Parents were also invited to read and provide
feedback on this year’s Parent Involvement Policy at the August 26th meeting and
September 11th coffee.
H. The staff of Willow Elementary, parents, and students shall work together to share the
responsibility for improved student academic achievement by:
 conducting parent/teacher conferences, annually (at a minimum)
 the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual
child’s achievement;
 Providing frequent reports to parents on their children’s progress; and
 Providing parents with reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer
and participate in their child’s class and observation of classroom activities.
 Providing parents with regular meeting to make suggestions and participate
in decisions relating to the education of their children.
There are two formal parent teacher conferences per school year, one in the fall and
one in the spring. The Compact was reviewed at the open house and during Coffee with
the Principal. It will be revised into flyer form and sent home before the 2015-2016 Winter
Break. Progress reports are provided halfway through the quarter for every student who is
being graded using a letter grade report card. Teachers using standards based report cards
contact parents as needed. Parents can contact teachers through e-mail or phone calls
(teacher room phone numbers are published in every newsletter so that parents can easily
contact teachers).The use of iParent is also encouraged by staff members. During
registration a computer was available with support personnel, for parents to register for this
service.
Parent volunteers are encouraged and individual staff members coordinate with
parents to structure volunteer time and make it meaningful. Teachers are willing and
encourage parent meetings as needed. The first Friday morning of every month there is an
hour of time where any parent or interested community member can come in and visit with
the principal. Snacks and coffee/tea are provided during this meeting. There is an open
door policy for parents to come in and visit the school and comment about their needs and
goals.
To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school,
parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, Willow Elementary–
I. Shall provide assistance to the parents of children served by the school or local
educational agency, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the State’s academic
content standards and State student academic achievement standards, State and local
academic assessments, the requirements of this part, and how to monitor a child’s progress
and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children;
The MSBSD has on its website our standards for children to meet. The state EED
website also has Alaska School Performance Index (ASPI) results and state standards
posted. A direct link to these standards has been added on the Willow School Website. All
teachers have copies of the standards which can be made available during Parent Teacher
Conferences. Parents will be provided a copy of their child’s testing results and progress at
least quarterly and more frequently if their child shows the need. Standard based report
cards are used as a way to share grade level expectations and standards with parents.
J. Shall provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to improve
their children’s achievement, such as literacy, math, and technology training, as
appropriate, to foster parental involvement;
A Science night and other family nights which support learning are planned for the
school year. There are several opportunities during the school year for all students to
receive free books both during the regular attendance hours and at family nights. Connect
ed phone calls, emails, and texts will be made as reminders. The school website and
newsletter along with flyers will also be used for communication about these events.
Teachers provide parents with information on how to access textbook websites and
the resources provided by those sites. Parents will also be made aware of the free access
they have to academic programs and sites provided by the State and District via our school
newsletter.
A supportive training for parents in which to learn how best to assist their child in
using the new math curriculum and supplemental website activities is planned to address
many concerns our school has received about the new curriculum Go Math!
K. In carrying out the parental involvement requirements of this part, districts and schools,
to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with
children with limited English proficiency, parents with children with disabilities, and parents
of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in a format and, to
the extent practicable, in a language such parents can understand.
We provide information for parents of all students at family nights and will provide
targeted information to student population in terms of community events and support
organizations for students with different needs. Flyers for services and service providers will
be provided both at family nights and will be sent home to parents by teachers. We provide
instructional support for ELL students and students with disabilities. Willow staff members
have been trained in ways to support ELL students. There is also a high level of
collaboration between our Special Education teachers and classroom teachers. Any parent
is welcome and encouraged to attend any and all parent activities. We will look into
providing information in the home language to parents of ELL students when needed.
Willow Elementary Parental Involvement Policy has been developed/revised jointly with,
and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I program, as evidenced by
meeting minutes. The Parent Involvement Policy was developed/revised by Willow
Elementary parents and staff on September 11, 2015 and will be in effect for the period of
the school year. The school will distribute this Parent Involvement Policy to all parents and
make it available to the community on or before November 1, 2015.
_Andy McDermott ______________________
(Signature of Title I Authorized Representative)
___9/11/2015 ___________________________
(Date)
These parents and staff were involved with the review of this document:
Stephanie Richey
Kimber Wentworth
Casey Sanford
Lisa Heffernan
Tanya Davis
Andy McDermott
Tiffany Davidson