Parent and Family Engagement Plan
for 2018-2019
Parent and Family Engagement Plan for 2018-2019
TITLE I SCHOOL-WIDE PROGRAM
Who is it for? Elkins Pointe Middle School participates in Title I, Part A, Section 1116 of the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA) by supporting state, district, and school efforts to challenge academic standards by enhancing efforts to improve teaching and learning for all students. The Elkins Pointe Title I School-wide Program improves student achievement by including strategies to support family engagement.JOINTLY DEVELOPED
v What is the Parent and Family Engagement Plan: This written plan is jointly developed with the school and parents as equal partners. It outlines ways our school and families will work together to provide resources, opportunities, and support for parents and families to help their children at school and at home.
v How were parents and families involved in the development? The Parent and Family Engagement Plan was reviewed and revised using input from our parents and families. Parent and family input was collected via: at the Title I Stakeholder Input Meeting: For All Families, Staff and Community on May 10, 2018, School-wide Survey (March - May 2018), Online Survey (posted to website, newsletter, social media in May 2018), and comments (in-person and written) shared at Parent University Workshops (2018-2018). Input collected from our stakeholders was used to update our Parent and Family Engagement Plan, School-Family Compact, Title I Budget (1% Family Engagement and Carry-over) and School-wide Plan for 2018-2019.
v Where is the Parent and Family Engagement Plan available? The plan is available on our school website, linked in “Titan Talk” newsletter, shared on social media, placed in new Registration packets, offered at Parent University Workshops, available in the Parent Resource Center, issued to community stakeholders, i.e. local churches, NFCC, etc. and provided to parents upon request. The Parent and Family Engagement Plan will be distributed through the WINN class prior to November 1, 2018.
v How will Elkins Pointe update the plan to meet the changing needs of parents and our school? Input from our stakeholders will be collected and utilized to revise our Parent and Family Engagement Plan annually. In the Spring of 2019, all stakeholders (parents, families, community members, students, teachers/staff, business partners) will be invited to give input for the 2019-2020 school year at the Title I Stakeholder Input Meeting, via School-wide Survey (online and paper), and at Parent University Workshops, in-person, and via email/telephone during the 2018-2019 school year.
v Title I School-Wide Plan, submission of unsatisfactory comments: Outcomes from our Title I Stakeholder Input Meeting on May 10, 2018, School-wide Survey and Online Survey received an overall positive approval rating. In the event our Title I School-Wide Plan receives an unsatisfactory rating from our parents, our school will notify the District by contacting the District Title I Program Specialist assigned to Elkins Pointe MS.
Opportunities and meetings: Join us at our Annual Title I Parent Meeting, Title I Stakeholder Meeting, our monthly Parent University Workshops and visit the Parent Resource Center. If you would like to request to volunteer in the classroom or would like to set up a meeting, please contact the school or a parent liaison.ANNUAL TITLE I PARENT MEETING
v All parents, families, and community members are invited to our Annual Title I Parent Meeting on Aug. 22, 2018, at 6 pm in the Gym. Note: Invitations were on the website and newsletter prior August 1, 2018.
v The purpose of this meeting is to inform parents of Title I requirements, the Elkins Pointe Title I School-wide Plan, Parents’ Right to Know provided by Title I, Part A, Section 1116 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Although feedback is always accepted, this meeting is not for the purpose of collecting input.
COMMUNICATION
v The Parent and Family Engagement Plan and Family School Compact are written in family-friendly language, and in English/Spanish to be inclusive to our families. Methods include “Titan Talk” newsletter, school website, social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter), email via Constant Contact, School Messenger (email, phone, text messages), school marquee, Report Cards/Progress Reports, and Home Access Center/Student Access Center.
v To accommodate our parents, families, and the community, Title I Meetings and Parent University Workshops are offered at different times of the day ( before school in the mornings, during the school day, and evening).
v Title I Meetings and Parent University Workshops are conducted in-person, online (i.e. Facebook Live), and recorded (if and when possible) to maximize the opportunities for parents and families to participate.
If transportation or child-care are barriers to attending Title I and family engagement events, please call the school. If possible and when possible, a school representative will try to find a community partner or volunteer to provide transportation or child-care. If parents would like to request a home visit, please call the school. School-Parent Compact v Parents, the school, and students work together to jointly develop the School-Family Compact. v All parties agree to share responsibility for improved academic, student success. Parents, teachers/staff, and students partner together to achieve the state’s high standards. v To build and develop an equal partnership, our stakeholders will review and revise our School-Family Compact in Spring 2019 at the Title I Stakeholder Input Meeting and through School-wide surveys. Feedback is welcome throughout the year. The Elkins Pointe School-Family Compact for the 2018-2019 school-year will be distributed in multiple ways: through WINN class, posted to the school’s website prior to November 1, 2018, linked in “Titan Talk,” posted to social media, available in the Parent Resource Center, offered at Parent University Workshops, and given upon request. Reservation of Funds v Parent share in decision-making regarding how our Title I Budget (approx. $224K) is allocated. Title I stipulate that 1% of funds are set-aside to be budgeted for family engagement resources and activities. Parents determine how the 1% budget is spent. v Budget input for 2018-2019 school year was collected in Spring 2018. Budget input for the 2019-2020 school year will be collected in Spring 2019. In accordance with our feedback, EPMS will use Title I funds to impact ALL students by providing additional teachers and paraprofessionals to reduce class sizes and putting in place extra academic supports to include Professional Development and Instructional Coaches. Coordination of Services v Elkins Pointe coordinates and integrates family engagement programs, activities, and strategies to help parents more fully participate in the education of their child by reaching out to our feeder schools to invite families to events and activities, e.g. transition meetings, International Night, Get Connected Night. Building Capacity of Parents v The school’s curriculum is provided to parents at our Annual Title I Parent Meeting (see the presentation on the school’s website), Curriculum Night, Parent University Workshops, and Student-Led Conferences. v Parents may gain more information about their child’s academic assessment results and interpretation of those results during Student-Led Conference. Questions regarding your child’s individual results may be directed to your child’s teacher or any member of the admin team. v Elkins Pointe uses the following assessments GA Milestones and End Of Course Test (EOCT), FastBridge Testing, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), iReady (Math and Reading) to measure student progress and achievement levels of the challenging State academic standards. v Parents can learn more about The Georgia Standards of Excellence, Georgia Milestones, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), FastBridge Testing, End of Course Test (EOCT), Title I, Part A (ESSA) requirements, via the Title I Annual Parent Meeting, Curriculum Night, Parent University Workshops, Student-Led Conferences, and School Governance Council (SGC) Meetings. Information is available on our website and testing dates are shared in “Titan Talk,” on social media and on our website. v Parents can support their child’s academic progress by partnering with their child’s teachers by using Home Access Center (HAC) and supporting their child’s use of Student Access Center (SAC). Login and password for HAC issued in our front office. SAC login instructions are posted on the website and in “Titan Talk.” Parent University Workshops and our Parent Resource Center offer training and materials to help parents to work with their child at home. Materials and training to help parents to work with their child to improve literacy, math, and technology (i.e. Copyright/Piracy, Office365, Digital Citizenship and Safety) are provided at Parent University Workshops and in the Parent Resource Center. Building Capacity of School Staff and Capacity for Involvement v Elkins Pointe values the utility of contributions of parents and will educate school personnel on how to work effectively: Building Staff Capacity will be on-going throughout the school year and Building Staff Capacity Trainings will be held four times a year with the help and input of our parents and families. v The school is committed to working with parents to build ties between school and home by fostering 2-Way communication through evaluations/surveys, social media, email, comments, and feedback. v Elkins Pointe will seek ways to incorporate the value and utility of our parents into our teachers’ Grade Level Meeting one or more times per the school-year. Parents are invited to share ways in which teachers can best communicate with parents to strengthen student achievement. v In response to requests from parents, “Get Connected Night” will take place Sept. 25th to promote family engagement. "Get Connected Night" is a joint venture with our school and the PTSA to have our families come to learn about our morning and after-school clubs, sports, tutoring activities and more. v Elkins Pointe is open to hearing from our families, and we invite you to be part of our School-Community Team and Titan Title I Committee (please complete the forms on the last page). Please let us know if you have any requests for family engagement activities. We welcome your ideas and wish to meet the needs of our families. Please contact one of our parent liaisons if you would like to know more about our family engagement opportunities, have questions, or suggestions: § Lisa O’Hanlon Cowles, Title I Parent Liaison, at ohanlon@fultonschools.org § Koritza Rodríguez, Bi-Lingual Title III Liaison, at rodriguezkm@fultonschools.org
JULIO / AGOSTO § “Middle School 101” & Fireside Chat (July) § Annual Title I Parent Meeting (August) § Curriculum Night - Walk your child’s schedule and meet the teachers and learn about testing (August) § Get Ready for the 8th Grade Year - English (August)
septiembre § Get Ready for the 8th Grade Year – conducted in Spanish § "Don't Stop Achieving" Student Success Family Night - Home Access Center, ELA/Math tips, Student Panel, College Planning § “Get Connected Night” with STEM Activity
octubre § Parent Resource Center Open House § Reading, Writing, and ELA webinar § Digital Citizenship: Copyright & Piracy Office365, Launchpad Resources § Rosetta Stone Workshop
Noviembre / diciembre § Parent Resource Center Open House (November & December) § Student-Led Data Talks (November) § 8th Grade Transition to High School (November)
enero § Parent Resource Center Open House § Get Future Titans Ready for the Transition to EPMS § Everybody Reads - Reading Comprehension and Lexile Levels
febrero § Parent Resource Center Open House § Math Metrics for the Milestones
marzo § Parent Resource Center Open House § 5th grade to 6th-grade Transition Meeting § Title I Input Meeting for All Stakeholders
Abril / Mayo § No Stress Success on Georgia Milestones (April) § Summer Reading Logs & Math Resources (May)
NOTE: Workshops may be subject to change due to unforeseen events, i.e. weather conditions.
Schedule changes will be updated on the website, in “Titan Talk,” and on social media. PARENT and FAMILY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES Annual Title I Parent Meeting: The Annual Title I Parent Meeting is hosted each year in August. This meeting is advertised in multiple ways (posted to the website, newsletter, social media). Information is shared with our families and the community on our Title I Program, which included the School-Wide Plan, Parent and Family Engagement Plan, School-Family Compacts, Building Parent and Staff Capacity, and Title I Budget. Invitations were posted on the school website, “Titan Talk” newsletter, social media, our marquee, and advertised in the PTSA Back-to-School Guide. Please visit our website to review the presentation and minutes. Curriculum Night: Parents and families are invited to meet the teachers/staff and walk their child’s schedule and learn about the Curriculum in each of your child’s classes. 6th Grade Take Your Parent to School: In September, 6th grade parents come to 1st and 2nd periods with their parents. Don't Stop Achieving Family Night (s): This workshop offers families break-out sessions all designed to foster student achievement in middle school, preparation for high school, and to put students on the path to college and career! Get Connected” Night: Come learn about our activities, clubs, sports, tutoring activities, PTSA, and meet our teacher advisers, coaches, and other families. This event will feature a hands-on Microsoft Design-Thinking STEM activity, free dinner, and business partners. Student-Led Conferences: In November, students and parents are invited to attend a conference to learn about their child’s academic progress. Data will be shared on students’ grades, assessments, and proficiency and progress on the Milestones, FastBridge, and ITBS tests. Title I Parent University Workshops: All parents and families are invited to learn ways to help their child at home. Parent University Workshops are offered at varies times, in the morning, during school, and evenings. They are conducted as seminars at school or online as webinars (i.e. Facebook Live). Please visit our school’s website to locate presentation materials, and videos on the “Parent Resource Center” tab. Transitions Meetings, Title I Parent Workshops: Fall 2018 and Spring 2018 § Parent Meeting for 8th graders rising to 9th graders to provide information to parents regarding our feeder high schools and Rising to 6th grade. These meetings are held in August/September, and November. § Parent Meeting for 5th graders rising to 6th grader to provide information to parents of future Elkins Pointe Middle School Titans! These meetings are held in August, January, and March. Title I Stakeholder Input Meeting: For All Families, Staff and Community: All stakeholders are invited to connect with the school and community to build a better school by giving input to review and revise the School-Wide Plan, Parent and Family Engagement Plan, School-Family Compact, Title I Budget, and Parent University Workshops/Resource Center. This meeting will be held in Spring 2019 and will be offered in the morning and the afternoon/evening. Title I Input Surveys: Beginning in March 2019 through May 2019, stakeholders (e.g. parents, families, teachers/staff, students, and the community) will be invited to give input using paper and online surveys. Surveys will be available at Parent University Workshops, at the Title I Stakeholder Input Meeting, posted on our website, in the newsletter, on social media, and available upon request at in the front office and Parent Resource Center.
Get Involved!
SCHOOL COMMUNITY TEAM and TITAN TITLE I COMMITTEE
Elkins Pointe Middle School invites all parents, teachers/staff, students, community members, and business partners to join our School Community Team and to be a part of our Titan Title I Committee. We invite you to share ideas and ways to involve other parents to help build partnerships with our school, families, and the community. The Elkins Pointe School Community Team will be invited to meet at least one-time during the school year; additional meetings will be scheduled if the School Community Team wishes to meet.
Parents are welcome to submit their ideas or suggestions at any school activity or meeting, and through parent surveys or by emailing/calling the Title I Parent Liaison. If you would like to learn more about the School Community Team, please contact Lisa O’Hanlon Cowles at ohanlon@fultonschool.org or complete the School Community Team interest form (below) and leave it in the front office.
§ If you would like to be a Community or Business Partner and would like to help our school with parental involvement activities, please complete a card below. Elkins Pointe welcomes all community-based organizations and businesses.
§ If you are a parent who would like e involved in attending a professional development training session with our teachers, mentoring another parent, or would like to attend a Building Staff Capacity training with the Parent Liaison, please indicate in the card below.
INTEREST FORM
School Community Team & Titan Title I Committee
q Yes, I would like to join the School Community Team
q Yes, I would like to join the Titan Title I Committee
q Please contact me, so I can learn about the School Community Team and the Titan Title I Committee
q Please send notifications on future meetings and updates
q I would like to be a Community/Business Partner
q I am interested in attending a Professions Development training, mentoring another parent, and/or Building Parent and Staff Capacity at the school.
Name: ____________________________________________
Child’s Name:_____________________________________
Grade: __________ WINN Teacher: ________________
Address:____________________________________________
Phone Number: _____________________________________
Email Address:_______________________________________
Please return to the Elkins Pointe Middle School front office,
Attention: Lisa O’Hanlon Cowles, Title I Parent Liaison
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
We want to hear from you. If you have any suggestions or if there is any part of this plan you feel is not satisfactory with our students or the school’s goals for academic achievement, please provide us with your feedback in the space provided below. Please return this card at the end of the meeting or into the EPMS Front Office.
Name (optional): __________________________________________________
Phone/Email (optional): _________________________________________
Comments or Questions (please provide email for questions):
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please return to the Elkins Pointe Middle School front office,
Attention: Lisa O’Hanlon Cowles, Title I Parent Liaison