| Orient School Parent Involvement Policy and Procedures School Year 2011-12 Orient School District is committed to the goal of providing a quality education for every child who is enrolled in the district. To this end, the administration and staff strive to establish partnerships with parents and the community. Studies show that attendance, achievement and attitudes improve with increased parent/community involvement within the schools. Orient School District strongly supports parental choice in educational decisions affecting their students. Parents play an extremely important role as children’s first teachers and provide critical support for their children’s learning. and for the school is critical to children’s success every step along the way. Orient School intends to include parents in decision making during the development and revision of Orient’s annual School Wide Improvement Plan and Parent Involvement Policy, both being one of the ten essential components of Orient School’s Title I Program. Our goal is a school-home-community partnership that will help all our students succeed. Orient School recognizes that some students, to reach the state’s high academic standards, may need the extra/alternative learning opportunities that are available through Federal and State programs offered at our school. Guidelines are in place to determine what services may be offered to which students and parents will be informed of the availability of such programs with an explanation of the services offered. Furthermore, parents will be regularly informed of student progress and be involved in coordinated efforts to provide additional learning outside of the school day. PART I SCHOOL PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS Orient School will develop and annually revise the Orient School Parental Involvement Policy/Procedures and School Wide Plan at SIT meetings during the school year. Parents are an integral member of the SIT in terms of their active participation and submission of feedback comments and surveys. The policy and plan will be distributed to parents and made available to them and the local community via announcements in the Orient School Times school newsletter, at the school, and on the school website. The first SIT meetings each year will be used to revise the Parental Involvement Policy/Procedures and the School Wide Plan. This annual meeting will be scheduled at a convenient time and all parents will be invited and encouraged to attend. During these meetings, parents will receive an explanation of these documents and their rights as parents to be involved in their development and revision. SIT meetings are held at Orient School the first Tuesday of every month at 4:00 p.m.: Meetings are in compliance with state and federal requirements with regard to flexible meetings and will include offered transportation, childcare, or alternative communication modes to any parent requesting such flexibility. In addition, throughout the year, all parents may contribute to the plan by providing input in writing and emailing or mailing their suggestions to the principal or superintendent. These suggestions will be reviewed at regularly scheduled SIT meetings or if necessary, the administration will schedule a special meeting within 30 days of receiving a parent request. The first SIT meeting of each year will include the following agenda items: a. Information about State and Federal programs and services available at Orient School. b. A description and explanation of the curriculum in use at Orient School along with the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress and the expected proficiency levels. c. Comprehensive needs of Orient’s students. d. Establishment of annual school wide goals to address those needs, meet statewide standards and become competent lifelong learners. Orient School will inform parents and parental organizations of the purpose and existence of the Parental Information and Resources Center (PIRC) in Washington. This information will be provided at the first SIT meeting each year. PART II SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HIGH STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT As a component of Orient’s Parental Involvement Policy, a school-parent-student compact that outlines how parents, school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement will be made each fall for at risk students who have not met proficiency levels. Teachers at Orient hold a parent/teacher conference annually each fall (at a minimum), during which the compact is discussed as it relates to each individual’s achievement and need for intervention. It is then signed. Included in the compact will be the achievement level of the student, the expected proficiency levels, intervention strategies and a schedule for review of progress. Our policy states that progress will be reported for all students at a minimum of 8 times a year. Additional contact is made when necessary. Any parent who cannot attend the conferences will be accommodated at a different time or via alternative communication modes. PART III BUILDING CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS FOR INVOLVEMENT and ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community for improving student academic achievement, Orient School: a. Provides assistance to the parents in understanding such topics as the state’s academic standards, state and local assessments, progress indicators, appropriate interventions and effective collaboration practices. Parents may obtain this information by emailing or mailing a request to the administration. Links to this information may also be included in the newsletter and on the website. b. Provides materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their child’s achievement and foster parental involvement. Programs will especially focus on literacy training and technology. Parents may attend any in-service opportunities without charge. Opportunities will be announced to parents via the newsletter, telephone, mail and email. c. Provides education to teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff in the value and utility of contributions of parents, in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, in how to implement and coordinate parent programs, and in how to build ties between parents and school. The principal imbues the Orient School District philosophy and is reflected in our motto “Family Choice Education.” The value of parental involvement is reflected in all communications with parents. d. Provides parents with reasonable access to staff and opportunities to volunteer or participate in their child’s class and observe classroom activities. e. Coordinates and integrates parent involvement programs and activities with ECEAP, School Improvement Team, Bobcat Boosters, Alternative Education students, other state and federal programs and local community organizations to encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children. When the Orient School District does not directly operate these programs (such as ECEAP), the district will coordinate such contractors when programs are offered. f. Ensures that information related to school and parent programs, meetings and other activities is accessible to the parents in a format and in a language parents can understand. Information will be provided on the school website and through the newsletter in English since language diversity in the Orient School District is extremely uncommon. Parents who request that information is provided in an alternate language format will be accommodated. g. Provides such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request. Requests shall be received and accommodated by the administration. Reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities may include transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions. Support may also include the training of parents in implementing model approaches to improving parental involvement to maximize the involvement and participation of other parents. h. May establish a district parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in programs related to student achievement and participation. i. May develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parent involvement activities. PART IV ADOPTION This Orient School Parental Involvement Policy/Procedures have been developed and revised jointly with parents in our school wide Title I program. The Parent Involvement Policy/Procedures 2011-12 were developed/revised along with our School Wide Plan by Orient School SIT meeting on September 6, 2011 and will be in effect for the period of the 2011-12 school year. |