Wheat Elementary Parental and Family Engagement Policy

WISD Mission Statement

As a public education provider for our community we are to ensure quality education skills through EXCELLENT instruction in a POSITIVE environment for MAXIMIZING each student’s potential.

Statement of Purpose

Wheat Elementary is committed to the goal of providing quality education for every student in the district. To this end, we want to establish partnerships with parents and with the community. Neither Home nor school can do the job alone. Parents play an extremely important role as the children’s first teachers. Their support for their children and for the school is critical to their children’s success at every step of the way. The purpose of parent involvement is to promote a school-home partnership that will help all students on all campuses succeed. Everyone gains if school and homework together to promote high achievement for our children. Grade level goals for the students of Wheat Elementary will be distributed to all parents with the expectation that all students will work toward these goals. We recognize that some students may need the extra assistance available through the Title I program, as well as other programs, to reach these goals.

1. The LEA –Local Education Agency/Campus involves parents in the joint development of the campus plan and the process of school review and improvement.

Wheat Elementary intends to include parents in all aspects of the campus Title I Program and Parental Involvement Policy. The goal is a school-home partnership that will help all students on the campus succeed. Parents and campus personnel will meet to develop the Wheat Elementary Parental Involvement Policy in an understandable and uniform format, and to the extent practicable, in a language parents can understand. Parents will be invited from our school attendance zone to be part of the process.

2. The LEA will provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist the participating school in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance.

Wheat Elementary will provide support and training to principals and teachers to promote the parent involvement activities and understand the value and utility of contributions of parents.

3. Build the school’s and parents’ capacity for strong parent involvement.

In order to build a dynamic home-school partnership, Wheat Elementary will provide the following:

• An annual meeting where parents will learn about the requirements of the school’s Title I program, and be given an opportunity to become involved with their child’s education. The annual meeting will be held during the first nine-week period. A letter will be sent to each child’s parents, informing them of the date and time.

• Parent meetings and conferences held at different times during the day to accommodate the needs of the parents. Communication With Parents will be in a format and a language that they can understand.

• Coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement programs, activities, and strategies with other Federal, State, and local programs and activities, such as early child programs, college, career, and military ready resources or organizations, parent resource centers, or other programs, as applicable.

• A description and explanation of the curriculum used, the forms of academic assessments used to measure student progress, and proficiency levels students are expected to meet, will be provided to parents through a letter or conference.

• Assistance to parents in understanding the state’s academic content standards,known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the state student achievement standards based on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), will be communicated through school-wide meetings and a letter from the principal.

• A school-parent compact designed by parents and school staff that outlines how parents, the entire campus staff, and the students will share the responsibility for improvement in student academic achievement.

• A minimum of one scheduled parent conference where the school-parent compact will be discussed as it relates to the progress of the student, as well as the expectations for the grade level school curriculum,test information, and any other concerns the teacher or parent may have.

• Parents will have the opportunity to help review, plan for and make suggestions to improve the Title I program, as well as the Parental Involvement Policy and the School-Parent Compact. Two meetings will be provided in the fall, one in the morning and one in the evening, and one meeting will be scheduled in the spring. Title I funds may be used to assist in transportation, home visits, and child care to prevent barriers in participation.

• Appropriate parent participation opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to their child’s education, if requested by the parent. Parents may request a meeting with the principal by phone, e-mail or in writing.In addition, parents may attend the scheduled yearly and semester meetings.

• Information relating to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities will be sent to parents in a timely manner. Information will be given to parents through newsletters from the school and from the classroom teacher. In addition, the school website and Woodville ISD app will be used to inform parents of dates of programs, meetings and activities.

• Materials and specific training to help parents work with their children to improve achievement.

Parents and community members are always welcome on our campus. By using their suggestions to improve our schools and by working together,we can make all the students in our school successful learners.

4. Wheat Elementary with the involvement of parents, conducts an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the campus Title I Parental Involvement Policy with regard to:

• improving the academic quality of the Title I, Part A school

• identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in activities of the Title I, Part A school, giving particular attention to parents who:

• oare economically disadvantaged

• or disabled

• have limited English proficiency

• or have limited literacy

• or are of any racial or

  ethnic minority background

Campus personnel and parents will evaluate the parental involvement activities and the Parental Involvement Policy. Use the findings of such evaluation, and recommendations in designing strategies for more effective parental involvement, and revising if necessary.

5. Wheat Elementary will involve parents in the activities of Title I, Part A. Timely communication and an inviting and family-friendly atmosphere will enhance parent involvement in the activities of the Title I, Part A participating campus. Parents will receive information in a language they can understand that will detail the activities of the school, and will be asked to participate. The school may use communication strategies such as personal contact, newsletters, notes sent home with students, email, the school website and Woodville ISD app to invite parents to participate in the school’s activities. Parents and community members are always welcome on our campus. By working together and making suggestions for improvement, we can make all the students on our campus successful learners.