Parent and Family Engagement Plan

Robbins Elementary School

School Parent and Family Engagement Policy

2024-2025

 

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Robbins Elementary School receives Title I, Part A funds and therefore must jointly develop with, agree on with, and distribute to parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy that contains information required by section 1116(b) and (c) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The policy establishes the school’s expectations for parent and family engagement and describes how the school will implement a number of specific parent and family engagement activities, and it is incorporated into the school’s plan submitted to the local educational agency (LEA).

The Robbins Elementary School agrees to implement the following requirements as outlined by Section 1116:

  • Involve families, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under Title I, Part A, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parent and family engagement policy and the joint development of the school improvement plan under Section 1114(b) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
  • Update the school parent and family engagement policy periodically to meet the changing needs of families and the school, distribute it to the families of participating children, and make the parent and family engagement policy available to the local community.
  • Provide full opportunities, to the extent practicable, for the participation of families with limited English proficiency, families with disabilities, and families of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under Section 1111 of the ESSA in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language families understand.
  • If the school improvement plan under Section 1114(b) of the ESSA is not satisfactory to the families of participating children, submit any family comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the local educational agency.
  • Be governed by the following statutory definition of parent and family engagement and will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition:

Parent and Family Engagement means the participation of families in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:

  1. families play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
  2. families are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
  3. families are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child; and
  4. other activities are carried out, such as those described in Section 1116 of the ESSA.

 

JOINTLY DEVELOPED

Robbins Elementary School will take the following actions to involve families in an organized, ongoing, and timely manner in the planning, review, and improvement of Title I programs, including opportunities for regular meetings, if requested by families, to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their child and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.

  • RES will meet annually with the Family Engagement Advisory Team to review the Engagement Policy and determine any changes or additions to better support the engagement of all families within the district.
  • RES encourages every family to be active in his or her child’s PTC. 
  • RES provides parent/family opportunities to develop topics for future Family Engagements through open door policy to receive suggestions.
  • Family and parents can serve on school committees such as School Improvement and Family Engagement Committee.
  • Family and parents are encouraged to bring concerns to the teacher and then building level administrators if necessary.

 

ANNUAL TITLE I MEETING

Robbins Elementary School will take the following actions to conduct an annual meeting, at a convenient time, and encourage and invite all families of participating children to attend to inform them about the school’s Title I program, the nature of the Title I program, the families’ requirements, the school parent and family engagement policy, the schoolwide plan, and the school-parent compact.

  • RES will meet annually with the parents for our Annual Title I Meeting. This meeting will take place before or after our Back to School Night at the beginning of the school year.
  • RES will include the Title I Presentation on the RES website so that all parents have access to the information.


COMMUNICATIONS

Robbins Elementary School will take the following actions to provide families of participating children the following:

  • Timely information about the Title I programs
  • Flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide with Title I funds, transportation, child care or home visits, as such services relate to parent and family engagement.
  • Information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the families of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language the families can understand
  • RES will include the Title 1 Presentation on the RES website so that all parents have access to the information. 
  • RES will hold parent conferences. 
  • RES will send all call messages.
  • RES will send weekly and/or monthly newsletters to parents.
  • RES will provide information on our school website and on social media.
  • RES will provide report cards and progress reports.
  • RES will use Remind for communication between teachers and parents. Instructions will be sent home for parents to sign up for classroom Remind groups.
  • RES will use PowerSchool so that parents always have access to their child’s grades. Teachers will update PowerSchool weekly. Instructions will be sent home for parents to set up a PowerSchool account.
  • RES uses ClassLink as a way for students to access their online textbooks, homework, Remind, PowerSchool, etc. An instruction letter will be sent home with the child’s username and password so that parents can become familiar with ClassLink.


SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT

Robbins Elementary Schools will take the following actions to jointly develop with families of participating children a school-parent compact that outlines how families, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and how the school and families will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state’s high standards.

 

Robbins Elementary School will:

  • Strive to build relationships with students and create a learning environment that is engaging, safe, and inviting for student inquiry and growth. 
  • Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction that enables students to meet the State standards.
  • Continually teach and analyze student data to monitor and adjust instruction to meet individual student needs. This includes grade level meetings, Data/RTI meetings, and meetings with teaching peers. Teachers will also continuously analyze classroom data to provide differentiated instruction.
  • Involve parents in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s parental involvement policy and school improvement plan.
  • Provide parents with information in an understandable and uniform format including information about Title I programs.
  • Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress 
  • Provide parents with reasonable access to staff and opportunities to volunteer in classrooms

 

RESERVATION OF FUNDS

Robbins Elementary School will involve the families of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the 1 percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parent and family engagement.  Families and parents can give feedback and suggestions on activities that are funded by Title I Part A.

 

COORDINATION OF SERVICES

Robbins Elementary School will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement programs and activities with other Federal, State, and local programs, that encourage and support families in more fully participating in education of their children.  RES will coordinate with organizations, businesses, and community partners to provide additional support and resources.  Examples of other agencies might include but are not limited to TEIS, Head Start, public preschools, Department of Children’s Services, Scott County Health Department, and others as are feasible and necessary.

 

BUILDING CAPACITY OF SCHOOL STAFF

Robbins Elementary School will provide training to educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, and other school leaders, 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 parent programs, and build ties between families and the school by:

  • RES will seek, adopt and implement model approaches in improving family engagement.
  • RES will develop appropriate relationships with community-based organization and businesses in family engagement activities.
  • RES will provide Professional Development opportunities to the teachers and staff that is relevant and pertains to improving family and teacher communication and programs.

 

DISCRETIONARY SCHOOL PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT POLICY COMPONENT

Robbins Elementary School may include additional paragraphs listing and describing other discretionary activities that the school, in meaningful consultation with its families, chooses to undertake to build families’ capacity for involvement in the school to support their children’s academic achievement, such as the following discretionary activities listed under Section 1116(e) of the ESSA. Please indicate which of the following discretionary (optional) school parent and family engagement policy components the school will implement to improve family-school partnerships:

  • Involve families in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of that training.
  • To maximize parent and family engagement and participation in their child’s education, arrange school meetings at a variety of times or conduct in-home conferences with teachers or other educators who work directly with participating children and families who are unable to attend conferences at school.
  • Adopt and implement model approaches to improving parent and family engagement