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Parent Involvement Plan The mission of Maxwell Elementary School is: Maxwell Elementary School is committed to forming partnerships with our community to educate children to become productive, responsible, life-long learners. Our Belief Statements are: - We believe that children possess different abilities.
- We believe in celebrating accomplishments and providing support where needed.
- We believe schools should be an outlet for knowledge where all students are motivated and educated, and the pupils' accomplishments should be celebrated.
- We believe schools should provide opportunities where students will develop good citizenship qualities such as self-respect, kindness, accountability, and cooperation.
- We believe schools should create an atmosphere where students are motivated to think, reason, discover and problem solve.
- We believe that every student should be afforded the opportunity for academic excellence and success regardless of race, nationality, gender, age or disabilities.
- We believe stakeholders should be actively involved in school planning efforts, programs and activities.
- We believe every child should have a safe, caring environment in which to learn.
We know that parent involvement in our school can have a dramatic effect on the academic achievement of our students. This plan is developed with the goal of developing a strong partnership with all of our parents so that our children will be provided with the best possible education we can offer. So that parents will better understand our school's program and how they may become actively involved, we have addressed key areas of concern. Please feel free to discuss any questions, comments, or suggestions you may have about this plan with your child's teacher, a PTO officer, or the school principal. We welcome your input and suggestions! Parents' Involvement with the Tuscaloosa County School System Plan Development Annually, an LEA Advisory committee made up of faculty representatives and parents selected by the respective schools meet to review and update the Tuscaloosa County School System's parent involvement plan. The plan is then made available to parents through distribution at each local school's annual fall meeting as an attachment with the local school parent involvement plan. It is also placed on the school system website (http://www.tuscaloosacityschools.com/), available through the principal's office at each school, or upon request from the central office. School's Use of Parent Involvement Funds Maxwell Elementary will use its allocation of parent involvement funds for home/school communication binders/agendas for each student and magnetic school calendars for each student. Parents' Involvement in How Parent Involvement Funds Will Be Used As part of Maxwell Elementary meeting held each year with parents to review and update the School-Parent Compact and Parent Involvement Plan, the allocation of parent involvement funds are discussed. Funds are budgeted and expended based upon the goals and priorities set through that meeting. Procedures for Parents to Express Concerns Related to the Tuscaloosa County School System's Consolidated Application for NCLB Funds Title I funds are allocated to each school system based upon the consolidated application submitted to the school system on an annual basis. Parents wishing to make and submit comments should they disagree with any part of the Tuscaloosa County School System's Consolidated Application for NCLB funds may do so by submitting those concerns, in writing, to: Dr. Polly Moore, Asst. Superintendent Tuscaloosa County School System P.O. Drawer 3568 Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2568 -and/or- Mr. Daryl Washington, Regional Specialist Federal Programs Alabama Department of Education 50 North Ripley Street Montgomery, AL 36104 Annual Meeting During the first two weeks of school, Maxwell Elementary will hold its annual meeting for all parents of participating children. Parents are notified of the meeting through (1) notices sent home by students, (2) school TV studio announcements, (3) our school's marquee, (4) postings in our main foyer, (5) through our school website, and (3) through announcements in other languages when we have families where English is not their primary language. To assist in providing the opportunity for all parents to attend, the meeting is offered at two separate times-once during the school day and once in the evening. In addition, beginning this year, Maxwell Elementary will be offering childcare during the evening meeting. Topics to be discussed at this year's meeting are: • Title I participation, its services, and parents' rights • An explanation of the school's curriculum • The assessments used in our school to measure students' progress • Our school's parent involvement policy • Our school's parent compacts • Resources available for parents Flexible Schedule of Meetings The leadership and staff of Maxwell Elementary have a strong belief in the importance of parental involvement and therefore have put measures in place to offer parent meetings on a flexible schedule. Our annual meeting for parents of participating children will be held on August 12th from 6:00 - 8:0O p.m. as well as a follow up meeting on August 19th beginning at 9:00 a.m. Childcare will be offered for the nighttime meeting. In addition to the annual meeting, an Open House will be held on August 5th and a meeting for new kindergarten parents will be held on August 7th at 8:30 a.m. PTO planning meetings are scheduled for 6/10/08, 6/25/08, 7/10/08, 7/22/08, 8/20/08, 9/16/08 and 1/8/09. PTO meetings are scheduled for 9/25/08, 10/28/08, 11/14/08, 12/11/08, 1/22/09, 2/12/09, 3/26/09, and 4/23/09. Each of these meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. with dinner being served in conjunction with the meeting. Mandatory teacher/parent conferences will be held during the month of October scheduled around the parent's work schedule. In addition, parents may obtain information about their child's academic or social progress through phone calls, notes to teachers, email (access address maintained on school website), school website, and participation in workshops or other family activities. Involvement of Parents in Planning, Review, and Improvement of Title I Programs Maxwell Elementary believes in involving parents in all aspects of its Title I programs. We have four parent representatives on our school-wide advisory committee who are active participants in the development of the plan. In addition, all parents will be given the opportunity to review the plan and offer their input before the plan is approved. All parents will be given surveys at the end of the school year seeking their input on activities, training, and materials that the school should offer to parents next school year. Each year, the schoolwide plan, including the parental involvement plan, is reviewed and evaluated. Results of parent surveys will be reviewed by the parent representatives and school leadership team in determining needed changes. Timely Information About the Title I Program, the Curriculum, and Academic Assessments At its annual meeting of parents at the beginning of the school year, Maxwell Elementary will hold a general meeting where information will be presented about its Title I programs, the curriculum, and forms of academic assessments used to measure student progress. Parents will learn about our school's program and the following subjects taught: reading, math, language, science, social studies, physical education, art, music, and computer science. They will also learn about how to schedule parent-teacher conferences and how they can participate in decisions related to the education of their child. We will review the Tuscaloosa County School System Student/Parent Information Guide, as well as our school's information, which includes more detailed information on these topics and a copy of the parental involvement plan. Teachers will provide additional information on the subjects they teach and how students are individually assessed. Submission of Parent Concerns About Our Title Plan In late April of each year, Maxwell Elementary brings in its Schoolwide Advisory Committee to review, evaluate, and revise our Parent Involvement plan. There are four parents on the Committee who represent all the parents of the school. During the review process, all parents will be notified of the review through notices sent home in our parent communication folders. The notices make parents aware that the plan is under review, that a copy of the plan is available for review on the school website and in the school office and that parents have the right to give input regarding the revision of the plan. The notice also states that after the plan is finalized and approved, if a parent finds the plan to be unsatisfactory, they have the right to submit their concerns in writing to the school, and the school will submit their concerns to the central office at the same time that the Title I plan is submitted. School-Parent Compacts Maxwell Elementary revises its school-parent compact in May of each year in consultation of our schoolwide advisory committee and any parental comments received by teachers throughout the year. All parents will be given a copy of the new compact at the annual meeting the first week of school. Compacts will be sent home in student communication folders to parents unable to attend the meeting. New students enrolling in school will be given compacts during the enrollment process. The compact will be explained to the parents, and they will be asked to sign the compacts signifying their commitment to working in partnership with the school and their child in ensuring that their child is successful in school. The compacts will be discussed with teachers at faculty meetings. Each teacher will be given the responsibility to explain the compact to the students and obtain the students' signatures. The teachers will sign the compacts and house them in his/her classroom for use during parent-teacher and/or student-teacher conferences. A copy of the school-parent compact is found in the appendix of this plan. Building Teachers' and Parents' Capacity for Strong Parental Involvement To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among Maxwell Elementary School, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, Maxwell Elementary School shall: •(1) Shall provide training for parents of participating children in understanding such topics as the State's academic content standards and State student academic achievement standards, State and local academic assessments, the requirements of Title I, and how to monitor their child's progress and work with teachers to improve the achievement of their children. Maxwell Elementary School will accomplish much of this through its annual parents meeting held at the beginning of the school year. At that time, parents will receive an overview of the state academic content standards, academic achievement standards, and assessments. In addition, an explanation will be given regarding Title I, what services will be offered, and how parents have the right to be involved in their children's education. Maxwell will also schedule a Parent Information Night wherein parents will be given the opportunity to meet their child's teachers and learn about individual class assessments and what their role will be in helping their child to succeed. •(2) Shall provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to improve their children's achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement. Maxwell Elementary School will provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children's achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement. In addition, parents will receive an orientation to the New Century lab and will be offered the opportunity to use the lab to improve their own math skills. Information will be provided from the reading coach and Title I teachers about the resources they have available to parents to check out. In addition, these teachers will offer their services one-on-one to parents on a variety of topics including reading with your child, creating a home learning environment, working as a partner with your child's teacher, health and safety tips, practicing math in everyday routines, etc. •(3) Shall educate teachers, office personnel, and other school staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of 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. Maxwell Elementary School will educate teachers, office personnel, and other school staff in the value and utility of 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. Maxwell will continue to work with its teachers through in-services, faculty meetings, and grade-level meetings in understanding the importance of parental involvement and that parents are our partners. All staff is expected to welcome parents to the school, as appropriate, and to work with our counselor in meeting parents' needs for their children. •(4) Shall to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with other federal programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children. (Describe) Maxwell Elementary School shall to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with other federal programs, and conduct other activities that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children. We coordinate our parent involvement programs for all parents. Our assistant principal is fluent in Spanish and translates as needed. •(5) Shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand. (Describe) Maxwell Elementary School shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand. Information on all school meetings, parent notices, etc., is sent to parents of our ELL students in Spanish. •(6) Shall provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request. (Describe) Maxwell Elementary School shall provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section that parents may request. We make every effort to work with parents in meeting their requests as related to their involvement in their children's education. In addition, the Parent Teacher Organization will encourage parent participation at their monthly meetings and through emails and written communication sent home with students. Also, classroom parent involvement activities will be planned during each semester. Parents will be invited to come to their child's classroom and participate in the activity. Participation of LEP Parents, Parents With Disabilities, and Parents of Migratory Children Maxwell Elementary, to the extent practicable, provides opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency and parents with disabilities. Maxwell Elementary presently has eight Spanish-speaking students; therefore, all notices of parent meetings are sent to parents of these children in Spanish. In addition, we have a bilingual assistant principal and teacher who are available to assist in verbal communications with these parents. Individual academic assessments, and the interpretation of those results, will be interpreted for parents in a language they can understand through the assistance of our ESL specialists and translators available through the Tuscaloosa County School System. At this time, Maxwell Elementary has five migrant students. Every effort is made to accommodate parents with disabilities. Maxwell Elementary meets all building codes related to handicapped access. The facility is barrier-free and maintained on an on-going basis. The Tuscaloosa County School System policy for homebound is followed as needs exist for homebound services. Parents requiring such assistance should contact the counselor, nurse, or administration for referral forms and assistance with the application process. Homebound services are provided through the central office of the Tuscaloosa County School System. Parents' Right-to-Know "The No Child Left Behind Act" requires all school systems to notify all parents that they have the right to request and receive timely information about the professional qualifications of their child's classroom teacher(s) and paraprofessional(s). To ensure that parents are aware of this right, a summary of this policy shall be placed in the Student of Code of Conduct. Parents wishing to request the professional qualifications of their child's classroom teacher(s) and paraprofessional(s) must complete the "Parent's Right to Know Notice" form and forward to the Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Tuscaloosa County School System. These forms are available upon request through our school office or may be accessed through the school system website. "The No Child Left Behind Act" also requires timely notice when a student has been assigned to, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not "highly qualified." This includes the use of extended substitutes whose qualifications are not deemed "highly qualified." Notification to the parent shall be made in writing and will be delivered by United States mail or hand delivery.
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Student Grades
