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BLOOMFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Learning and Growing Together
Welcoming Schools Report
Carmen Arace Intermediate School
Introduction
This report will serve as a document of the recommendations of the Welcoming
Schools Committee of Carmen Arace Intermediate School. We feel that the suggested
improvements will create a more welcoming environment for all who enter. The report
also includes commendations in each of the four areas covered by our training:
a.
b.
c.
d.
The Physical Environment
Public Relations
School-wide Practices and Policies
Written Materials
The Physical Environment
The physical appearance of the facility is an essential element in creating a
welcoming atmosphere. We gathered our welcoming schools data, on two separate
occasions, by touring the building, the school’s new main entrance and the side parking lot.
We also considered feedback given by parents and staff members throughout the school
year.
Commendations
1. The building is bright, clean and in good repair.
2. Resources (i.e. reading materials and school and community information) are
available in the CAIS main office.
3. A bulletin board in the center of the main office displays information for parents and
visitors (i.e. newsletter, notices, etc.)
4. It is obvious that CAIS is making an attempt be more welcoming (i.e., welcome signs
in multiple languages, multicultural flags)
Recommendations
1. Visitors and new parents coming to our school would not know which main
entrance to use. Signs need to be present as you enter the Arace parking lot
differentiating between CAIS & CAMS. Signs should make it clear as to the grade
levels each school services.
2. CAIS Visitor parking spaces no longer say “Visitors”. They need to be repainted or
identified in another way.
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BLOOMFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Learning and Growing Together
3. While both the CAIS & CAMS entrances have a person designated to greet our
visitors, there is no security system to prevent an unwelcome visitor from entering
through either of these entrances. If providing the necessary security system for
both entrances is cost prohibitive, we are recommending that all visitors use the
CAMS main entrance and that the CAIS entrance be locked at all times.
4. Additional signage needs to be purchased and posted in our school to help visitors
navigate their way around the Arace campus. Things like a staff directory and large
visible signs that indicate how to get to the many common areas (cafeteria, library,
gym, etc.) and our school hours are still needed.
Public Relations
The attitudes of the staff members are an essential element in creating a welcoming
atmosphere.
Commendations
1. Staff members and students are generally friendly to one another.
2. Visitors are generally greeted in a friendly manner and helped quickly in the CAIS
Main Office.
3. Staff members generally address inappropriate behavior and language in the
hallway.
4. Multicultural flags near our entrance and throughout our hallways celebrate
diversity.
5. We have relied upon two staff members who speak fluent Spanish for the families
that have struggled to communicate in English.
Recommendations
1. There should be a suggestion box where parents and other visitors can contribute
ideas as to how to improve our school.
2. Emphasis must be placed on answering the telephones in a timely and professional
manner and ensuring our 24 hour call back rule is upheld by all staff members.
3. Continued emphasis should be placed on greeting and helping our visitors quickly.
4. Confidential information must always be addressed in an area where others cannot
overhear. This is especially important for CAIS because our main conference room
exists within our office suite.
5. Improve our methods of communicating with parents regarding weekly and
monthly educational expectations (i.e., homework assignments, projects, upcoming
educational events, etc.) for their children.
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BLOOMFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Learning and Growing Together
School-wide Practices and Policies
School-wide practices and policies can enhance or undermine a welcoming
atmosphere.
Commendations
1. Our school handbook communicates a wide variety of information related to our
school and classroom policies, school rules, curriculum, parent teacher conferences,
and lunch procedures.
2. CAIS has effectively utilized the ConnectEd all call system to remind parents of
upcoming events and deadlines.
3. A formal procedure is in place to help transition incoming grade 5 students and
their families to CAIS.
4. CAIS effectively relied on a Parent Leadership Committee to gain parental feedback,
organize events and address areas that parents are concerned about during the
2011-2012 school year.
Recommendations
1. Teachers will be asked to make contact with each of their students’ families no less
than five times a year with a positive report.
2. Homeroom teachers will be asked to call all of their homeroom students’ families to
personally invite them to our Open House and/or our First Parent Teacher
Conferences.
3. More information is needed regarding other languages spoken in our students’
homes. This information can be used to establish “buddy families” and a school file
of multilingual resources.
4. We need to formalize our procedure to contact non-custodial parents regularly.
This will include keeping student files up to date.
5. The current school handbook will be reevaluated to ensure it is a valuable resource
to our students and families.
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BLOOMFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Learning and Growing Together
Written Materials
A more welcoming atmosphere is created when the printed materials sent home
from the school are clear, understandable, and meaningful to parents and others reading
them.
Commendations
1. The printed materials we reviewed appear to be free of educational jargon
2. Printed materials use a font and literacy level that is easy to read, neat, and clean to
look at.
3. Throughout the year, our bulletin boards are representative of a variety of programs
and our diverse student body.
4. CAIS currently has an informal process in place to welcome new students to our
school.
Recommendations
1. Formalize our procedures for welcoming new students and their families to our
school.
2. Seek the help of community and parental volunteers and showcase their efforts.
3. Involve the community in at least two of our many service learning projects that our
students take part in each year.
4. Improve our communication regarding our educational and extracurricular
offerings.
Implementation and Communication
How will the recommendations be implemented?
1. The recommendations listed in this report will become part of our school wide
yearly goals as stated in our School Accountability Plan. A committee will be formed
to help ensure that the recommendations are implemented. This committee will
work in conjunction with our Parent Leadership Team.
2. How will recommendations be communicated to staff members?
1. A copy of the Welcoming Schools report will be emailed to all staff members.
2. The Welcoming Schools recommendations will be a topic of discussion at aour
opening staff meeting.
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BLOOMFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Learning and Growing Together
How will the recommendations be communicated to parents?
1. The entire Welcoming Schools report will be placed on the Intermediate School’s
website.
3. A summary of the recommendations will be placed in the summer newsletter and
shared with the parental community at our Open House in the fall.
2. News about the changes and improvements to our building and campus will be
communicated to parents in a variety of ways.
Submitted by Tracy Youngberg with the assistance of the following CAIS Welcoming
Schools Committee members:
Patricia Brown (CAIS Parent Leadership Team Member)
Carla Ladson (CAIS Parent Leadership Team Member)
Michelle Hanson (CAIS Parent Leadership Team Member)
Hector Colon (CAIS Parent Leadership Team Member)
Khadijah Muta’ali (CAIS Special Education Tutor)
Leslie Stansfield (CAIS Math Tutor)
Jeannie Smith (CAIS Special Education Instructional Assistant)
Amy Paluska (CAIS Social Worker)
Susan Galuska (CAIS Math Coordinator)