CHEROKEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

PARENTAL EDUCATION AND INVOLVEMENT PLAN

In order to obtain information for our Parental Education and Involvement Plan, we use parent opinion inventories and annual surveys. The Title I Committee consisting of teachers, administrators, parents, and community members met to analyze the resulting data and developed the following plan:

In order to be successful in challenging and preparing our students to be the best that they can be, we believe that a partnership must exist between our parents and our school.

We plan to promote positive communication between the school and our students’ homes. The school will provide a variety of opportunities for parents to be involved in activities supporting our school. We believe teachers have a responsibility to provide the needed framework for parents to nurture their child’s formal instruction at home. We will provide materials that can successfully be used at home to reinforce the academic success of children. It is our goal to provide an atmosphere where parents are able to express their views and to assist in problem solving. We want parents to understand that we view them as joint policy and decision makers and plan to emphasize their roles as advocates.

The following list of services and activities have been developed to support our Parental Education and Involvement Plan:

1. A monthly newsletter to parents which will involve the participation of the PTO, principal, and staff. It will include school news, calendar of school activities, and parenting tips relating to school achievement such as homework tips, organizational skills, study skills, etc.

2. A pamphlet explaining the school’s involvement with the Alabama Reading Initiative and how parents can be involved in supporting the goals of this initiative will be distributed at Orientation.

3. Parent meetings will be held regularly during the year. These meetings will include parent training sessions to teach parents how to work with and enhance their child’s education. The meetings will also involve parents and students in a Family Reading Night which will be an opportunity for parents and their children to experience the school situation in a positive and helpful manner while school staff may provide any needed assistance or encouragement. The date for Family Reading Night will be posted on the web-site and handouts will be sent home with the students. The meetings will be conducted at various times during the day and at night to better accommodate parents.

Outside speakers will also be utilized to provide parents with more information concerning ways to make their child’s academic life more successful.

4. Involvement of parents and community members to assist the instructional program will be emphasized, such as Reading Buddies, tutoring, special friends, etc. During orientation parents will be given a list of volunteer opportunities for which they may sign-up. Teachers will explain to parents what will be required and encourage the parents to become involved in the school. Brief training sessions will be provided for parents and community members participating as school volunteers in order to put them at ease and make the experience pleasant and successful.

5. In order to promote communication and to inform parents of school and classroom activities, Cherokee Elementary School will provide a schoolwide web page and each teacher will provide a classroom web page. Homework assignments and pertinent classroom information will be available on classroom websites. Also, parents can access their child’s grades using a pin number they receive at the beginning of the school year. Parents may use email to communicate with members of the school staff. For parents who do not have access to Internet, the school will send home progress reports/report cards every four weeks. Each teacher will send a folder containing student papers and work samples home each week. Parents will be requested to sign the folder and send it back to school. This folder provides another means of communication between the teachers and parent. Teachers routinely contact parents on an individual basis to communicate their child’s progress.

6. A school-parent-student compact developed by parents and school staff outlines how parents, the school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the State’s high academic standards. The compact will be signed by all stakeholders.

7. The school will work with Guntersville Elementary School and Carlisle Park Middle School to help provide a smooth transition from one school to the next. Parents and students will be provided with orientation programs and students will visit our school to help with the transition. Parents will be given the opportunity to meet the new teachers at the end of the school year.

8. An orientation will be held for each grade level during which parents will be informed of the school’s participation in the Title I program and to encourage parents to be involved with reviewing and revising of the School’s Title I Plan. Through the student handbook, school website, notification at the school entrance, and parent orientation meetings, parents are notified that there are multiple copies of the Schoolwide Title Plan available for check-out in the media center.

9. The Title I Committee conducts annual evaluations using the Comprehensive Needs Assessment filled out by teachers, parents, and school staff to determine the effectiveness of the parental involvement plan and to review the content of the plan. The Title Committee will review the information and continue to work to design strategies for more effective parental involvement.

10. In order to help parents understand standardized test scores, a parent friendly letter is sent home in the first report card that explains their child’s test results. Parents are also informed of a parent workshop that will be held to discuss testing results and their implications.

11. Conferences are conducted individually with the parents of our intervention students. Parents are given a summary of their student’s test scores and the intervention teachers are explicit in informing the parents of the meaning and implications of the scores. Parents are given suggestions for coordinating our efforts. The procedures for homework and a parent friendly handout are provided to reinforce the home/school connection.

12. A Parent Resource Center is available for parents in the school foyer. Parents may check out materials and use the computer to check grades and visit educational websites. Parents are encouraged to view the Title Plan located in the Parent Resource Center or Media Center. A suggestion sheet is available for parental input.

Parental Involvement Program Evaluation Plan

We will evaluate the success of the Title I Parental Involvement Plan using the following criteria:

-Growth in numbers of parents participating in workshops and meetings.

-Annual evaluation meeting with parents to identify specific needs and update

strategies.

-Academic growth of students.

Parent Activities

Parents are invited to be involved in many varied activities at Cherokee Elementary School. At the beginning of each year, teachers post these opportunities in take-home packets and on their websites. Opportunities for involvement include but are not limited to:

-Library Assistant

-Reading Buddy

-Special Friend

-Teacher Assistant

-Tutors

-Special Parent Lunches

-Book Fair Helpers

-Decorating Assistants

-Grandparent Day

-Award’s Day Presentations

-Field Day Volunteers

-Family Reading Nights

-Parent Education Workshops

-Orientation Presentations

-Open House

-PTO

-Red Ribbon Week

-Choir Concerts

-D.A.R.E. Graduation

-Various Committees