Title 1 Parent and Family Engagement Policy
ROBERT GRAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Family Engagement Policy and Procedures 2023-2024
Robert Gray Elementary School is committed to the goal of providing quality education for every child in this district. To this end, we want to establish partnerships with parents and with the community. Everyone gains if Robert Gray Elementary School and home work together to promote high achievement by our children. Neither home nor Robert Gray Elementary School can do the job alone. Families play an extremely important role as children's first teachers.
Support for their children and for the school is critical to children's success at every step along the way.
Robert Gray Elementary School recognizes that some students may need the extra assistance available through the Title I program to reach the state's high academic standards. Robert Gray Elementary School intends to include families in all aspects of the school's Title I program. The goal is a school-home partnership that will help all students to succeed.
PART I-SCHOOL FAMILY ENGAGEMENT POLICY REQUIRED COMPONENTS
A. Robert Gray Elementary School will jointly develop/revise with parents the school Family Engagement Policy and distribute it to parents of participating children and make available the Family Engagement Policy to the local community.
- PFE policy will be shared at the PTO meeting following revisions
- PFE policy will be available on the school website
B. Convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of participating children shall be invited and encouraged to attend, to inform parents of their school's participation under this part and to explain the requirements of this part, and the right of the parents to be involved.
- A yearly PTO meeting will include a review and revision of the PFE policy and Compact.
- Information regarding Title 1 participation is available in the school office, online, and at family engagement activities throughout the school year.
- A yearly Title 1 survey is also an opportunity for families to provide input regarding our program.
C. Offer flexible meetings, transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services relate to family engagement.
- PTO meets monthly in the evening on the first Monday of the month at 6:30pm. This is the time that PTO has indicated is the best time for parents to attend.
- Childcare will be provided during PTO meetings when needed
- The Robert Gray Connection Team provides home visits as needed
- Conferences are scheduled over several days as well as an evening to best meet the schedule needs of families
- Childcare is provided during family conference times to encourage participation
D. Involve families in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of the school plan under Section 1112, schoolwide under Section 1114, and the process of school review and improvement under Section 1116.
- A copy of our plan is available in our building as well as on our school website
- Principal reports on school happenings at PTO meetings
- A copy of our OSPI school report card is also available to families on our website
- Families are notified via email and newsletter regarding opportunities to provide input and review plan
E. Robert Gray Elementary School provides families of participating children-
- Information about the Title 1 program at open house, in the office, and at family engagement activities.
- A description of curriculum, assessments, and proficiency levels during open house and at conferences
- opportunities for meetings to formulate suggestions and participate in decisions
related to their child’s learning.
F. If the schoolwide program plan is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, parent comments on the plan are submitted when the school makes the plan available to the district. Input from parents is gathered informally on an ongoing basis and formally through an annual parent survey. There is also a formal complaint process on our school website.
PART II-REQUIRED SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HIGH STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
(School/Family/Student Compact)
As a component of the school-level Family Engagement Policy, each school shall jointly develop with families for all children served under this part, a school-family-student compact that outlines how families, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and families will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state's high standards. The compact shall:
- Conduct a family/teacher conference in elementary schools during which the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual child's achievement. This is completed during the fall planning conference.
- Provide frequent reports to parents on their children's progress. Report cards are provided to parents two times a year. At Robert Gray, we share report cards at the end of each semester. The first report card is shared in January, and in June, the final report card is sent home to families. Many opportunities occur throughout the school year for parents and teachers to meet and discuss their child's progress. These opportunities can originate with
either the teacher or the parent. Robert Gray also has 2 planning conferences each year between each report card period.
- Families are provided with reasonable access to staff, are encouraged and given opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child's class and observation of classroom activities. There is a formal process in place for screening family volunteers in the district.
Family members are also welcomed as chaperones on field trips during the year. Throughout the year families are welcomed into the classroom according to teacher and/or family request.
BUILDING CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS FOR INVOLVEMENT
To ensure effective engagement of families and the community and to support a partnership among the schools involved, each school and district under this part.
a. Shall provide assistance to the families of children served by the school or district, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the state's academic content standards and state student academic achievement standards. State and district assessments, the requirements of this part, and how to monitor a child's progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.
- Parents are made aware of the OSPI website and the resources therein including the Common Core standards and assessment data. Parents are also directed to the Aberdeen Schools website and the Robert Gray Elementary School website therein.
- On the Aberdeen Schools website, parents can access what their child is expected to learn at each grade level.
- During conferences, student assessment scores and benchmarks for grade levels are shared with families, as well as progress toward those goals.
b. Shall 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.
- Families are taught strategies and provided materials that they can use with their child in the home setting that will further reinforce their child's learning.
- Families have access to the Family Engagement Library which contains reading materials, games, learning resources, cook books, craft books, and other how to kid’s books.
- The MTSS team meets with families during conferences to share specific strategies and materials to help support and reinforce learning at home.
- Robert Gray provides an after-school program for eligible students where they can get help with homework completion for 1st – 5th grade.
- Teaming with the afterschool program, a variety of family nights that encourage family engagement are offered throughout the year and are well attended. Flyers advertising these family nights are sent home and dates are listed in the monthly newsletters.
- Family night ideas are solicited from family Members.
c. Shall educate teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff, with the assistance of families, in the value and utility of contributions of families, and in how to reach
out to, communicate with, and work with families as equal partners, implement and coordinate family programs, and build ties between families and the school.
- Robert Gray Elementary School is receiving ongoing training on understanding how to involve families in the educational progress of students,
- The district McKinney-Vento homeless liaison coordinates training for the staff concerning how to best support homeless families and families in transition.
- Training around inclusionary practices and cultural sensitivity have been provided to staff in an effort to improve ties between the school and families.
- Robert Gray has employed a Family liaison in the office to help bridge the communication gap between school and families
d. Shall to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate family engagement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, the Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other programs, and conduct other activities, such as family resource centers, that encourage and support families in more fully participating in the education of their children.
- Robert Gray Elementary School is working closely with WaKids in an attempt to coordinate services between daycare in our attendance area and community services in Aberdeen to smooth and enhance the process of transitioning to preschool and kindergarten.
- Robert Gray participates in Kinder Jumpstart when available, to help the transition for students and families from preschool into kindergarten.
- Kindergarten teachers are participating in meetings with the family of each child during the first week of school for the purpose of coordinating home to school transition in a positive, relaxed manner. It is hoped that these meetings will benefit students in coming to school excited and wanting to participate. It is intended that parents will feel comfortable in the school setting from the first visit forward.
- Information is sent to Robert Gray Elementary parents in Spanish as well as in English.
- A monthly newsletter is sent home and is available on our website.
- PTO Meetings are posted on Robert Gray PTO’s facebook page. Other incidental messages are sent on an as needed basis. For example, a PTO Meeting reminder is sent each month to remind parents they are invited to PTO meetings. The PTO Meetings will also be communicated on the school's reader board and on the school website.
e. Shall provide such other reasonable support for family engagement activities under this part as parents may request.
- Family requests are sought informally through incidental conversation and more formally through meetings, including PTO meetings and monthly school leadership meetings. If the need should occur, reasonable support for family engagement activities is provided. Input can also be provided through our yearly Title 1 Family Survey.
PART III-ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
In carrying out the family engagement requirements, districts and schools, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of families with children with limited English proficiency, families with children with disabilities, and families of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand.
- Letters sent to families are translated to Spanish.
- An interpreter is provided for meetings when needed.
- Robert Gray employs a Spanish speaking paraeducator for translating and helping with family to school communication.
- This Robert Gray Elementary School Family Engagement Policy has been developed/revised jointly with, and agreed upon with, parents of children participating in the Title I program, as evidenced by meeting minutes.
The Family Engagement Policy/Procedures and Compact was developed/revised by Robert Gray Elementary School on Monday, April 10, 2023, Monday May 1, 2023, and will be in effect for the period of the 2023-2024 school year. The school will post this Family Engagement Policy/Procedures to our website to make it available to all parents of participating Title I children and the community.