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Tomahawk Parent Involvement Policy 2024-2025

Tomahawk Elementary Family Involvement Policy 2024-25

We believe that parent involvement is the cornerstone to our success.

In January of 2008, the Kansas State Board of Education, (KSBE), endorsed the six National Standards for Family-School Partnerships (NSFSP) to promote parent involvement in all KS districts and schools. “School name” will incorporate these standards into their parent involvement policy to promote parent involvement. These standards include: (1) Welcoming all families into the school community, (2) Communicating effectively, (3) Supporting student success, (4) Speaking up for every child, (5) Sharing power, (6) Collaborating with community.

PART I. School Parent Involvement Policy Required Components

1. Tomahawk Elementary will jointly develop/revise with parents the school parent involvement policy and distribute it to parents of participating children and make available the parent involvement policy to the local community. (NSFSP: 1-6)
   • Family Introduction Letter due August/September 2024 — Sarah Kennedy
   • Reading Support Brochure due throughout the year — Sarah Kennedy
   • District Calendar due fall 2024 — Julia Baucum and Kelli Zuel
2. 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; (NSFSP: 1,2,4)
   • Parent Back to School/Information Night due August 2024 — Sarah Kennedy and Julia Baucum
   • Reading Support Brochure due throughout the year — Sarah Kennedy
   • Principal's Newsletter due monthly — Julia Baucum and staff
3. Offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide, with funds provided under this part, transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services relate to parental involvement; (NSFSP: 1, 2)
   • Sneak a Peek Night due August 2024 — Julia Baucum and teachers
   • Parent Back to School / Information Night due August 2024 — Sarah Kennedy and Julia Baucum
   • Parent Teacher Conferences due October 2024 and February 2025 — Sarah Kennedy and teachers
4. Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of the school policy under section 1112, school wide under section 1114 and the process of the school review and improvement under section 1116. (NSFSP: 2, 3, 5)
   • Site Council due monthly — Julia Baucum
   • PTO due monthly — Julia Baucum
   • Parent input following activities by Reading Support Staff and classroom teachers due throughout the school year — Sarah Kennedy and teachers
   • Reading Support Program Survey due spring 2025 — Sarah Kennedy
   • Reading Support Parent Evaluation Meeting due spring 2025— Sarah Kennedy
5. Provide parents of participating children timely information about programs under this part; a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet; and if requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practically possible. (NSFSP: 2, 3, 5)
   • District and Building Website due throughout the year — Kelli Zuel
   • Parent Back to School / Information Night due August 2024 — Sarah Kennedy and Julia Baucum
   • Classroom Newsletters due weekly — tomahawk Classroom Teachers
   • Collaboration Team Meetings due weekly — Julia Baucum and Teachers
6. If the schoolwide program policy is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, submit any parent comments on the policy when the school makes the policy available to the local educational agency. (NSFSP: 5)
   • Reading Support Program Survey due spring 2025 — Sarah Kennedy
   • District Parent Survey due spring 2025 — Julia Baucum
7. Tomahawk Elementary will inform parents and parental organizations of the purpose and existence of the Parental Information and Resource Center in Kansas (i.e., Kansas Parent Information Resource Center). (NSFSP: 6)
   • Reading Support Brochure due throughout the year — Sarah Kennedy
   • Building Website due throughout the year — Kelli Zuel
   • Principal's Newsletter due monthly — Julia Baucum and staff

PART II. Required Shared Responsibilities for High Student Academic Achievement

As a component of the school-level parent involvement policy, each school shall jointly develop with parents for all children served under this part a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement.

1. Conduct a parent/teacher conference in elementary schools, annually (at a minimum), during which the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual child’s achievement;
2. Provide frequent reports to parents on their children’s progress; and
3. Provide parents with reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class and observation of classroom activities. (NSFSP: 2, 3, 5)
   • Resources shared (books, materials, etc.) due throughout the year — Sarah Kennedy
   • Progress shared at Parent Teacher Conferences due in October 2024 and February 2025 — Sarah Kennedy and teachers
   • Building Calendar due monthly — Julia Baucum
   • Principal's Newsletter due monthly — Julia Baucum and staff
   • Collaboration Team Meetings due weekly — Julia Baucum and teachers
   • Classroom Newsletters due weekly — Tomahawk Classroom Teachers
   • Watch D.O.G.S. due throughout the year — Julia Baucum, Amanda Doll, Sarah Kennedy and teachers

Building Capacity Requirements for Involvement

To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, each school and local educational agency assisted under this part –

1. Shall provide assistance to the parents of children served by the school or local educational agency, as appropriate, 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 this part, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children; (NSFSP: 2)
   • Sneak a Peek Night due August 2024 — Julia Baucum and teachers
   • Parent Back to School / Information Night due August 2024 — Sarah Kennedy and Julia Baucum
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; (NSFSP: 3)
   • Family Engagement Activities due fall 2024 and spring 2025 — Sarah Kennedy and Julia Baucum
   • KPIRC Parent Support Materials available throughout the year — Sarah Kennedy
3. Shall educate teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other 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; (NSFSP: 5)
   • Fine Arts Fair due spring 2025 — Julia Baucum and teachers
   • Parent/School Extra Activities due throughout the year — Julia Baucum and teachers
   • Collaboration Team Meetings due weekly — Julia Baucum and teachers
4. Shall, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement 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 parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children; (NSFSP: 6)
   • District Parents as Teachers Program due throughout the year — Julia Baucum
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 parents can understand; (NSFSP: 2)
6. Shall provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this as parents may request. (NSFSP: 1)
   • Childcare is provided for Parent/School Extra Activities throughout the year as needed — Julia Baucum
7. May involve parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training; (NSFSP: 4, 5)
8. May provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the district has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for such training; (NSFSP: 2, 3)
9. May pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions; (NSFSP: 1)
10. May train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents; (NSFSP: 1, 4)
11. May arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend such conferences at school, in order to maximize parental involvement and participation;(NSFSP: 1)
12. May adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement; (NSFSP: 1, 4)
13. May establish a district parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in programs supported under this section; (NSFSP: 5, 6)
14. May develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parent involvement activities; and (NSFSP: 5, 6)

PART III. Accessibility Requirements

In carrying out the parental involvement requirements of this part, districts and schools, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with children with limited English proficiency, parents with children with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language such parents can understand. (NSFSP: 4)

• Translator / Interpreter in Building throughout the year — Elsa Alvear
• Reading Support Brochure and Communication Available in Spanish throughout the year — Elsa Alvear

PART IV. Adoption

This Tomahawk Elementary Parental Involvement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in the Reading Support program, as evidenced by meeting minutes.

The Parent Involvement Policy was developed by Tomahawk Elementary on August 22, 2024, and will be in effect for the period of the school year. The school will distribute this Parent Involvement Policy to all parents of children participating in the Reading Support program and make it available to the community at conferences in October 2024.