Mosheim Elementary/Middle School

Mosheim Elementary/Middle
School

Parent Involvement Plan

2007-2008

Parent/Family Involvement Plan

Mosheim Elementary/Middle School has jointly developed with parents a Parent/Family Involvement Plan to provide in-depth support to ensure understanding and implementation of Federal, State, and local standards for family engagement at Mosheim.

A School-Parent Compact has been developed jointly between parents and school staff. This School-Parent Compact outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share responsibility for improving student achievement by entering into a partnership to help children achieve the State’s high standards.

This plan is a living document. The Mosheim Elementary/Middle School Parent Involvement Plan team comprised of parents, administrators, and teachers will meet in October and March of each school year to review and update this plan in order to assess the needs for engagement of the families of the Mosheim School community. Discussion of the Parent/Family Involvement Plan will also take place at our Parent Advisory Committee meetings held every other month.

Mosheim Elementary/Middle School Parent-Teacher Meetings

A. Mosheim Scho ol will have an annual Open House at the beginning of

the school year in which all parents/guardians are invited.

1. Parents are encouraged to be involved with their child’s school

activities.

2. Parents meet their child’s teacher and listen to information about class scheduling and curriculum.

3. Yhona Jones, Principal of Mosheim Elementary/Middle School, informs parents of her role and the school’s responsibilities as a Title 1 school.

4. Mrs. Jones, principal, will inform parents of the monthly school newsletter, calendar, school website, and monthly elementary and middle school age parent tips.

5. Announce the annual Parenting Fair which is held in March.

B. Mosheim School will hold many flexible meetings for parents.

1. Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled after every grading

period from 3:15-5:15.

2. Teachers are available every school day during their planning

period for parent convenience.

3. Teachers are available at PTO meetings if their grade level is

performing.

4. Teachers will meet with parents at their convenience if the

scheduled conference times are not convenient.

5. Teachers will schedule grade level meetings to be held the first

week of the school year to inform parents of the expectations and

events that will happen at that grade level for the year.

C. Mosheim School has involved parents in an organized, ongoing, and

timely way in many programs at the school level.

1. Mosheim School staff, along with parents and community

leaders, developed a School Improvement Plan to aid

in promoting high expectations and academic strategies

for the students. This plan will be reviewed in May of

every school year to assess meeting the needs of the

students.

2. Mosheim School developed a Bully Free Program with

input from parents. This will be reviewed in April of every

school year at the final Parent Advisory Committee meeting.

3. Elected parent officers and teachers will meet monthly at the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) in a short meeting before the large meeting.

4. Band parents will meet monthly with appropriate school staff

in a cooperative effort to determine the needs of making the band program successful.

5. Parents and appropriate staff members will meet monthly as an organized Athletic Booster Club to foster a good school athletic

program that promotes school spirit, good sportsmanship, and the

importance of high academic achievement.

D. Mosheim School will provide parents timely information about programs concerning parent involvement.

1. Teacher newsletters sent home weekly in primary grades.

2. Parents will receive a monthly newsletter via mail that will

include information about parent involvement programs.

3. Parents will receive a monthly calendar mailing that will

show events of parent involvement. . 4. The school website includes the school calendar and other

school events involving parents.

5. The School Marquee will be kept up-to-date with listings of

upcoming events at the school.

6. Local media will be informed of activities in which parents may

participate

7. Monthly PTO programs will keep parents informed of events.

8. Phone calls made by school personnel will enable parents to

participate in school activities.

i. Parents will be provided a description and explanation of

the curriculum at the school at grade level meetings the first

week of the school year.

a. The curriculum for each grade is accessible on both

the district and state website. The curriculum

description is reference to Standard Performance

Objectives which are linked to the Tennessee

Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP).

b. Home information pamphlets are issued to each child

before administration of Tennessee Writing Assessment and before the Achievement Test for elementary students. Following assessment, scoring information is provided to students to take home.

c. Mosheim School newsletter will advertise upcoming

assessments and their content.

d. The grading system for the Greene County School

System is defined in local Board policy and by the

State Board of Education. This information will be made available to parents via the Mosheim School Handbook, school newsletter, Report Cards, and on the system/school website.

ii. Parents will be provided with opportunities for regular

meetings to be involved with decisions regarding the

education of their children.

a. Open House- To give parents the opportunity to tour the school and meet the staff.

b. Parent-Teacher Conferences- the school will schedule 4 open sessions per year. The school will respond to parent needs in meeting at any time convenient to the parent/family member.

c. Mosheim School will assist and participate in the formation and operation in PTO.

d. Mosheim School will have an active Parent Advisory Committee. This committee will meet every other month with the school administration.

e. Interim reports every three weeks allow parents an opportunity to schedule conferences in order to monitor student progress.

E. Mosheim School has jointly developed with parents a school-parent compact. Each child has a school-parent compact on file.

2. School-Parent Compact

A. The School-Parent Compact will provide a description of the school’s

responsibility to provide high- quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables students to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards.

1. School staff curricular responsibilities are outlined as follows:

a. Provide opportunities for ongoing communication between parents and teachers through, at a minimum:

(1) annual parent-teacher conferences,

(2) frequent reports regarding your child’s progress

(3) opportunities to talk with teachers and observe

classroom activities

b. Provide high-quality curriculum and learning materials for students, and

c. Provide parents with assistance in understanding academic achievement standards and assessments and how to monitor their child’s progress.

2. School staff learning environment responsibilities are outlined

as follows:

a. Provide a safe environment.

b. Make the school Safety Plan available to parents in the offices

c. Maintain locked safety doors

d. Faculty, Staff, Substitutes, and Parent Volunteers wear identification badges

e. A visitor log is maintained in the office.

f. Law Enforcement is provided by a partnership between the school and the PTA.

B. The School-Parent Compact will provide a description of parent’s

responsibilities for supporting their children’s learning.

1. Parent responsibilities concerning student learning are outlined as follows:

a. Make every effort to provide for the physical needs of the child

b. Ensure child’s compliance with school attendance; get child to school on time with his/her supplies

c. Strive to prepare the child emotionally and socially to be receptive to learning and discipline

d. Encourage and lead the child to develop proper study habits at home, and review homework; check to see if information is sent home, promptly read and sign it

e. Monitor television watching/non-educational video computer games and encourage positive use of child’s extracurricular time.

f. Participate in meaningful parent-teacher conferences to discuss school progress and welfare of the child

2. Parent engagement responsibilities are outlined as follows:

a. Volunteer in school and classroom if time or schedule permits, and

b. Develop a communicative relationship between teacher and parent.

C. The School-Parent Compact stresses the importance of communication

between parents and teachers on an ongoing basis through many types of communication.

1. Monthly newsletter from Mrs. Jones mailed home.

2. Monthly calendar mailed home.

3. Teacher notes and newsletters sent home.

4. Website

5. Phone communication

6. Email

7. Local news media

i. The School-Parent Compact will be discussed at the beginning of the school year. Teachers will keep signed compacts on file.

ii. Frequent student progress reports will be sent in a timely fashion to parents.

1. Student interim reports

2. Student report cards

3. Periodic student progress notes

4. Student folders

5. Phone calls

6. IEP meetings (Special Education Individualized Education Program)

7. TCAP reports (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program)

iii. Parents will be invited to participate, to volunteer, and observe

in the classroom.

1. Newsletters

2. PTA meetings

3. Parent Advisory Committee

3. Mosheim School has made a written school level parent involvement plan

available to parents.

1. The School’s Parent Involvement Plan will be posted on the school’s website.

2. Copies of the Parent Involvement Plan will be available at Mosheim School

3. The PTO President will be provided a copy to share with members.

4. All members of the Parent Advisory Committee will be provided a copy to share with other parents, community members, etc.

4. Parents will be notified about the written Parent Involvement Plan.

1. Monthly newsletter from Mrs. Jones mailed home.

2. The Parent Involvement Plan will be included in the school’s

handbook.

3. School website

4. Copies of the Parent Involvement Plan will be provided in Spanish to

parents who do not speak English as their native language.

5. The Parent Involvement Plan is available to the local community.

1. Monthly newsletter informed parents of plan completion.

2. The plan is on the school website for easy access.

3. The plan was presented to parents, Partners-in-Education,

community leaders, and faculty and staff at the December, 2007 PTA meeting.

6. The Parent Involvement Plan is periodically updated to meet changing

needs.

1. The Parent Involvement Plan is a living document that will be

updated as needed to meet the changing needs of the parents,

school and community.

2. The Parent Advisory Committee will continue to meet 4 times during the school year, and committee members involved in the development of the plan will meet in April to determine if changes need to be made.

7. The Parent Involvement Plan has been submitted for parent comments.

1. The plan has been approved by all parents involved in its development.

2. The plan was approved unanimously at the December PTO meeting by all stakeholders that were present.

8. Mosheim School has provided assistance to parents in understanding

academic achievement.

1. Parent Orientation will be held the first week of the school year for parents to learn more about the expectations for their child. Each grade has grade level on different nights so they do not overlap with meetings for siblings. These are opportunities for parents to meet teachers and ask questions about the upcoming school year.

2. Third grade teachers hold a transition meeting for second graders and their parents in the spring in order for them to become familiar with SPI’s and look through textbooks. This meeting will give parents and students an opportunity to become familiar with curriculum, state testing procedures, and the importance of parents in the academic success of their children.

3. Agendas will be provided to students each year at the beginning of the school year to help students become more organized, and they also serve as a wonderful communication tool for teachers and parents. Each grade requires students to write down assignments daily, and teachers write notes in the agendas to keep the lines of communication open daily.

4. Parents will be provided training on how to interpret TCAP scores. When test scores become available, a school-wide training will be held for teachers to meet with parents and explain test scores.

9. Mosheim School will provide materials and training for parents to help

improve student achievement.

1. Mosheim School website provides links for parents to assist their child with homework.

2. Parent newsletters will be sent home monthly to parents to keep them informed of school activities, and copies of newsletters related directly to parenting tips and homework help are provided for parents, as well.

3. A county-wide Parenting Fair will be held in March to provide a wide range of information for parents and offers a liaison atmosphere for schools, staff, and parents.

10. Training activities will be available from the District for faculty and

staff to ensure they are able to communicate with and work with

parents as equal partners.

1. The training will allow teachers and staff to coordinate parent programs and build ties between parents and school.

2. The District provided ongoing training on October 6, 2005 about the requirements of NCLB monitoring and developing a Parent Involvement Plan.

3. The District provided ongoing training to faculty on January 3, 2006 during an in-service day at Mosheim School. This training l provided information to teachers about how to develop partnerships with parents to increase student achievement.

11. Parent involvement programs and activities are integrated with the school.

1. A local philanthropist has provided a grant for a literacy outreach for young parents. The grant also provides training on nutrition and child- care.

2. GED classes are provided on the Mosheim School campus.

3. “Study Buddy”- parents will come in two hours on Fridays and be a “study buddy” to students.

4. “Homeroom Parent”- to aid teacher in organizing classroom activities.

5. Opportunities are available throughout the year to volunteer in PTO school-related activities.

12. Parents of Mosheim students are provided information related to school and parent programs and meetings in several formats so parents can easily obtain the information.

1. PTO meetings provide information monthly for parents including updates on activities that have been completed and information about upcoming events.

2. The Parent Advisory Committee provides liaisons for parents to voice their ideas and know they are heard.

3. The school marquee provides a quick glimpse of major events that are occurring during the month.

4. A marquee calendar inside the building also provides information of upcoming events within the school month.

5. Monthly newsletter will be sent home.

6. Monthly calendar will be sent home.

7. School bulletin board located outside of elementary office has news items concerning school activities.

13. Support is provided for parents in a variety of ways.

1. PASSport- program to train parents to work with their child at home to instill concrete skills that are linked to success in school.

2. ESP- Extended School Program after-school that provides students with homework assistance.

3. Summer School is offered to help support parents in helping their child academically.

4. After-school tutoring is offered for grades 2-8 to aid in academic achievement.

5. GED classes are provided on the Mosheim School campus.

6. Family Literacy class is offered to young parents one day a week on Mosheim School campus.

7. Email- Mosheim School’s website lists all teachers email addresses. Parents may go to the website and click on the appropriate teacher in order to contact them.

14. Mosheim School provides full opportunities for participation of all students.

1. Every effort will be made to help parents with limited English, disabilities, and migrants to ensure they have access to the Parent Involvement Plan.

2. Parents with limited English, disabilities, and migrants will be given access to school information and performance reports written in an understandable format.

3. Special accommodations needed for these cases will be addressed on a case-by-case method to determine the best plan.