For Parents & Family

Parents and schools need to work together for the betterment of the students. Parents play an important role in providing support and building the confidence of their children. Parents should check some of the tips or activities they can use to develop their children’s confidence and improve their school experience. 

School Parent and Family Engagement Policy

Woolmarket Elementary School

2019-2020

Revised:  August 2019

 

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Woolmarket Elementary School receives Title I, Part A funds and therefore must jointly develop with, agree on with, and distribute to parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy, agreed on by such parents, that shall describe the means of carrying out the requirements of The Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) Section 1116.  Parents shall be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language the parents can understand.  Such policy shall be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of the parents and the school.  The policy establishes the school’s expectations for parent and family engagement and describes how the school will implement a number of specific parental and family engagement activities. 

 

Woolmarket Elementary School understands that parent and family engagement means the participation of parents and families in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:

  • Parents and families play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning
  • Parents and families are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school
  • Parents and families are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child

 

Woolmarket Elementary School agrees to implement the following requirements as outlined by ESSA Section 1116:

 

  1. ANNUAL TITLE I MEETING

    Woolmarket Elementary School will take the following actions to conduct an annual meeting, at a convenient time, and encourage and invite all parents of participating children to attend to inform them about the school’s Title I program, the nature of the Title I program, the parents’ requirements, the school parental involvement policy, the schoolwide plan, and the school-parent compact.

    On August 2, 2019 and again on September 10, 2019, Woolmarket Elementary School held its Annual Title 1 Meeting to inform parents of Title 1 requirements, including funding and parental involvement.  Every stakeholder will receive a Title 1 packet to inform parents on the services and resources provided through Title 1.  WES Facebook page and website will also have a Title 1 page for parent information.

     

  2. FLEXIBLE NUMBER OF MEETINGS

    Woolmarket Elementary School will offer a flexible number of engagement meetings at convenient times for families, such as meetings in the morning or evening (for which the school may use Title I funds to provide transportation, child care or home visits, as such services relate to parental involvement).

     

  3. JOINTLY DEVELOPED

    Woolmarket Elementary School will take the following actions to involve parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under Title I, Part A, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parent and family engagement policy and the joint development of the schoolwide program plan.  

    Parental involvement is highly encouraged.  Parents are involved in monthly activities hosted by Professional Learning Communities (PLC).  Parents will be advised of the Parent Engagement Policy during the first family activity.  Parents will have the opportunity to provide suggestions, ideas, and concerns on a questionnaire.  A parent survey will also be provided seeking feedback regarding the strengths and challenges of the Parent and Family Engagement Policy.

     

  4. COMMUNICATION

    Woolmarket Elementary School will provide parents of participating children timely information about programs under Title I, including:

  1. a description and explanation of the curriculum in use,
  2. forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress,
  3. achievement levels of the challenging State academic standards, and
  4. if requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicable possible.

    Information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, will be sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand

     

    The Parent and Family Engagement Policy will be discussed and made available during our scheduled parent conference meetings.  It will also be available on our school website.  All stakeholders will have the opportunity to have a voice in the policy.  We will review and discuss concerns as needed.  The Parent and Family Engagement Policy will be made available in languages needed to accommodate parents and to ensure understanding.

     

  1. DISSENSION PROCESS

    Woolmarket Elementary School will submit any comments/concerns to the Harrison County School District Superintendent’s office if the schoolwide plan and/or parent and family engagement policy is not satisfactory to parents. 

     

    Any comments/concerns can be emailed to the Director of Federal Programs, Melissa Garrison, at [email protected] or phone at 228-539-6500.

     

  2. SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT

    Woolmarket Elementary School will take the following actions to jointly develop with parents of participating children a school-parent compact that outlines how families, school, staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state’s high standard and how the plan is used, reviewed, and updated.

    Woolmarket Elementary will hold an annual Title 1 Parent meeting to review and discuss the School Compact.  The School Compact will provide a detailed outline regarding the expectations of home and school.  The student, teacher, and principal advise their strategies to reach a common goal.  During the Title 1 Parent Meeting, parents will be provided the opportunity to share feedback concerning the accountability of all stakeholders. 

     

  3. BUILD CAPACITY OF PARENTS

    Woolmarket Elementary School will build the parents’ capacity for strong parental involvement to ensure effective involvement of parents and families and to support a partnership among the school and the community to improve student academic achievement through the following:

  • Materials and training to help parents to work with their child to improve their child’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology (including education about the harms of copyright piracy), as appropriate, to foster parental involvement
  • Provide assistance to parents of participating children, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the following:
    • the State’s academic content standards,
    • the State’s student academic achievement standards,
    • the State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments,
    • the requirements of Title I, Part A,
    • how to monitor their child’s progress, and
    • how to work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.
  • Educate school personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, and other school leaders, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of the contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school.
  • Coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities with other Federal, State, and local programs, including public preschool programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents to fully participate in the education of their children.

    For the 2019-2020 school year the following Parent and Family Engagement Meetings are currently planned:

  • Districtwide Title 1 Meeting – details about Title 1 services, the Parent and Family Engagement Policy, the school compacts and the district’s Comprehensive Federal Programs plan will be discussed and attendees will be asked to provide feedback
  • State Testing – the District Test Coordinator will provide a brief overview for parents of the required state assessments
  • Family Reading Night – the Reading Specialist will be asked to present information for parents about how to help students read, as well a, help students and parents begin a Reading Fair Project
  • EL Parent and Family nights will also be planned in the year
  • District Resources – a list of district resources appears on the district’s website at www.harrison.k12.ms.us under the tab “For Parents”
  • Each school must also maintain a monthly parent workshop focused on helping parents help students at home.

     

  1. ACCESSIBILITY

Woolmarket Elementary School in carrying out the parent and family engagement requirements of this part, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities, for the participation of parents and family members (including parents and family members with limited English proficiency, parents and family members with disabilities, and parents and family members of migratory children), including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 in a format, and to the extent practicable, in a language such parents understand.

Parent meetings will be offered at flexible times throughout the school year. All announcements, to the extent practical, will be available through the district website and Facebook pages in a language that can be understood by parents. Progress reports, Report Cards, state assessment results and other information regarding student achievement will be sent to parents in a timely manner. HCSD will also maintain a district data site for parents to access student grades and assessment scores at any time. All schools, as well as, the district office maintain normal business hours and welcome feedback in the form of personal visits, conferences, emails and phone calls. Please note, appointments are preferred so that parents may be offered our full attention. In addition to HCSD Title I Parent Meetings, we will also hold parent meetings for parents of students that are also in the English Learner Program.