Sheridan Terrace Parent & Family Engagement Policy
Sheridan Terrace Elementary School
Reading Improvement Program Parent and Family Engagement Policy
2022-2023
The goal of Sheridan Terrace Elementary School is to form a lasting partnership between families and the school which guides us in the education and development of all children. Parents/Guardians are the first teachers of their children. Schools work as a team with parents/guardians in the education process. Sheridan Terrace Elementary School is committed to developing a partnership with parents/families. We promote and encourage the active participation of parents/families.
The Sheridan Terrace Elementary Reading Improvement Program Parent and Family Engagement Policy is to be fulfilled in the following manner:
A. Parents/Families receive a copy of the Parent and Family Engagement Policy which is developed and agreed upon by parents/families of Reading Improvement Program students at a building Parent Advisory Council Meeting.
B. Reading Improvement Program parents/families are invited to a Title I Annual Parent/Family Meeting where they are given an opportunity to learn more details about the Reading Improvement Program, receive information, and ask questions. Information regarding testing and qualifications to enter the program are explained.
C. The Reading Improvement Program Parent Advisory Council meetings and Parent/Teacher Conferences are held on varying days and at varying times in order to meet the needs of parents.
D. Reading Improvement Program funds are reserved for parent and family engagement activities, such as parent workshops and attendance expenses involved with the annual parent conference.
E. Reading Improvement Program parents/families are involved in the planning, review, and enhancement of the Reading Improvement Program through building PAC meetings, the annual Reading Improvement Program Parent Survey and also through the presentation of the annual review of assessment data.
F. Parents/Families receive timely information about Reading Improvement Program meetings, and other Reading Improvement Program activities held throughout the year in one or more of the following manners: Special Delivery envelopes, the Norwin School District website, e-mail, phone, United States mail, Take-Home Tuesday, Title I Annual Parent/Family Meeting, building PAC meetings, and Parent/Teacher Conferences.
G Parents/Families have an opportunity to explore and discuss the curriculum, assessments, student expectations, and state standards during Parent/Teacher Conferences, the Title I Annual Parent/Family Meeting, building PAC meetings, review of assessment data, and through Reading Improvement Program Evaluation Reports.
H. Opportunities are available for parents/families to share concerns and offer suggestions for the continued improvement of Sheridan Terrace Elementary School’s Reading Improvement Program through building PAC meetings, parent/teacher conferences, email, and the Reading Improvement Program Parent Survey.
I. Parents/Families are provided with the opportunity to review and provide feedback regarding the Schoolwide Plan during Schoolwide Meetings once the school makes the plan available to the LEA.
J. Teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, and other staff members, with the assistance of parents will be educated in the value and utility of contributions of parents and family members, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents and family members as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and family members and the school (i.e. Parent/Teacher Professional Development Session).
K. The school will provide assistance to parents/families in understanding the State’s academic content standards and student achievement standards, local academic assessments, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with teachers to improve the achievement of their children through parent/teacher conferences, building PAC meetings, and the Title I Annual Parent/Family Meeting.
L. A School-Parent Compact is designed by Reading Improvement Program staff, parents/families, and school staff. The compact describes how families, schools, and students will share the responsibility for improving student achievement.
M. Parents have the opportunity to receive materials and training to work with their children in order to foster academic achievement at building PAC Meetings, Parent-Teacher Conferences, the Title I District-Wide Meeting, Summer Reading/Writing Camp, and the Annual Parent and Family Engagement Conference. Materials are also provided by Reading Improvement Program teachers on an as-needed basis for individual students.
N. The school, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinates and integrates parent and family engagement programs and activities (i.e. Preschool planning sessions, Young Knights Program) with other Federal, State, and local programs including public preschool programs and conducts other activities that encourage and support parents and family members in more fully participating in the education of their children.
O. The school ensures that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents and family members of participating children in a format and to the extent practicable, in a language the parents and family members can understand using resources such as the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit to secure translators and provide translated documents to parents/families.
P. The school, to the extent practicable, provides opportunities for the informed participation of parents and family members (including parents and family members who have limited English proficiency, parents and family members with disabilities, and parents and family members of migratory children) by providing resources through the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit to secure translators and provide translated documents, providing any accommodations necessary for equal participation in communication or parent/family engagement activities, and disseminating information through various methods to reach all parents/families.
The partnership between home and school is achieved through the on-going commitment and active participation by both the home and school.