Lamar Elementary School
Lamar, Arkansas
Parent Involvement Plan
2016-2017
Lamar Elementary School
Parental Involvement Plan
2016-2017
Mission Statement:
• Recognizing that parents are full partners with schools in the education of children, Lamar School District encourages and expects parent/guardian and grandparent involvement in the school and, in particular, in the education of their own children. Keeping those expectations in mind, Lamar School District has developed and implemented the Parental Involvement Plan and will wholeheartedly work to ensure its impact upon the success of our students.
Lamar Elementary Parental Involvement Committee Members:
Mike McCarley, Elementary Principal
Deanna Bates, Parental Involvement Facilitator
Martha White, Teacher
Paula Ober, Parent
Amy McGuire, Parent
School Improvement Status:
Needs Improvement
Grade Levels
PK-3
Lamar Elementary School shall:
1. List various communication strategies used in your school to provide additional information to parents and to increase parental involvement in supporting classroom instruction.
The school will distribute a monthly newsletter to parents that has parenting tips related to school achievement such as homework tips, organizational skills, and study skills.
Parents may access their child's grades and communicate with their child's teacher using E-School Home Access Center.
Each teacher will send home a folder containing student papers and work samples each week.
The school will hold a parent/teacher conference and provide parents with a conference report and report card every four weeks with information regarding their child's academic progress.
The school will give parents a parent-friendly letter during the first parent/teacher conference that explains their child's test results and standardized test scores.
The school will send flyers home with students and post notes in school facilities about parent workshops and meetings.
If you have any questions, please contact Mike McCarley, Elementary Principal at 885-3363 or mike.mccarley@lamarwarriors.org
2. List the proposed parent meeting, conferences and activities regularly throughout this year and the dates providing flexible meeting times that you have planned to increase parental involvement and build staff and parent capacity to engage in these types of efforts. Grade Level Orientation
These meetings will include parent training sessions to help parents understand how to enhance their child's education.
Outside speakers will provide parents with more information concerning ways to make their child's academic life more successful.
The school will encourage parents in the following types of roles and activities to increase their involvement and support for student learning:
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. McCarley, elementary principal at 885-3363 or mike.mccarley@lamarwarriors.org
3. How will your school provide information to parents about volunteer opportunities?
The school will provide a list of volunteer opportunities and solicit ideas for other types of volunteer efforts during Open House.
A volunteer workshop will be held at the beginning of each school year to provide parents with the information they need to participate as school volunteers in order to put them at ease and make the experience pleasant and successful.
STATE REQUIREMENT - Provide instruction to a parents on how to incorporate developmentally appropriate learning activities in the home environment, including without limitation: role play and demonstration by a trained volunteer, the use of and access to the Department of Education website tools for parents, assistance with nutritional meal planning and preparation and other strategies or curricula developed or acquired by the school district for at-home parental instruction approved by the Department of Education.
STATE REQUIREMENT - (Staff Development) The State Board of Education's Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts shall require no fewer than two (2) hours of professional development for teachers designed to enhance the understanding of effective parental involvement strategies. No fewer than three (3) hours of professional development for administrators designed to enhance understanding of effective parent involvement strategies and the importance of administrative leadership in setting expectations and creating a climate conducive to parental participation.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. White, member of the parental involvement committee, at mwhite@lamarwarriors.org or 479-885-3363.
4. How will your school work with parents to create a School-Parent-Compact?
School staff will develop a school-parent-student compact. This compact will outline how parents, school staff, and students share the responsibility for improving 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. All stakeholders will sign the compact. If you have any questions regarding the compact, please contact Mr. McCarley, elementary principal, at mike.mccarley@lamarwarriors.org or 479-885-3363.
5. How will your school provide opportunities for parents to be involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of the school wide school improvement plan, and the Annual Title I Meeting to engage them in the decision-making processes regarding the school's Title I, Part A Program?
STATE REQUIREMENT - To take advantage of community resources, the school shall consider recruiting alumni from the school to create an alumni advisory commission to provide advice and guidance for school improvement. If you need further information please contact Mrs. White, member of the parental involvement committee at mwhite@lamarwarriors.org or 479-885-3363.
STATE REQUIREMENT - The school shall enable the formation of a Parent Teacher Association or organization that will foster parental and community involvement within the school. Please contact Mrs. Amy McGuire for more information at 479-885-3363.
Coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies with parental involvement strategies under other programs, such as the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. McCarley, elementary principal, at mike.mccarley@lamarwarriors.org or 479-885-3363.
6. How will your school provide resources for parents?
Create a parent center located in the elementary library where parents may check out materials, use the computer to check grades and visit educational websites. The parent center is open during school hours. For more information contact Nancy Grace, media specialist, at ngrace@lamarwarriors.org or 885-3363.
STATE REQUIREMENT - The school will distribute informational packets each year during the first parent teacher conferences that includes a copy of the school's parental involvement plan, survey for volunteer interests, recommended roles for parents/students/teachers (compact), suggestions of ways parents can become involved in their child's education, parental involvement activities planned for the current school year and information about E-School Home Access Center that allows parents to check grades and allows parents and teachers to communicate through email. Information also given so parents may communicate by phone or mail. To obtain an informational packet or more information, please contact Mike McCarley, Elementary Principal at 885-3363 or mike.mccarley@lamarwarriors.org
STATE REQUIREMENT - To promote and support responsible parenting, the school shall, as funds are available: Purchase parenting books, magazines, and other informative materials regarding responsible parenting through the school library, advertise the current selection, and give parents the opportunity to borrow the materials for review. Contact person, Nancy Grace, media specialist, ngrace@lamarwarriors.org or 479-885-3363.
Pamphlets and other informative information on various topics are available from the display at the front of the school by the office. If you would like to see some pamphlets on additional topics or have other questions, please feel free to Mike McCarley, Elementary Principal at 885-3363 or mike.mccarley@lamarwarriors.org
STATE REQUIREMENT - Included in the school's policy handbook on pgs. 17 and 18 is the school's process for resolving parental concerns, including how to define a problem, who to contact first and how to develop solutions. Contact person: Jay Holland, superintendent, 479-885-3907
STATE REQUIREMENT - The principal of each school in a school district shall designate (1) certified staff member who is willing to serve as a parent facilitator. At Lamar Elementary this person is Mike McCarley, Elementary Principal at 885-3363 or mike.mccarley@lamarwarriors.org
7. How will your school engage parents in the evaluation of your parental involvement efforts?
The Parental Involvement Committee, made up of teachers, parents and school staff, will determine the effectiveness of the parental involvement plan and make changes if warranted. Parent surveys will be conducted periodically to collect evidence about satisfaction with the program and the school's efforts to increase parental involvement. The surveys will also collect specific information on the (1) growth in number of parents participating in workshops and meetings; (2) specific needs of parents; (3) effectiveness of specific strategies; and (4) engagement of parents in activities to support student academic growth. Contact person: Mike McCarley, Elementary Principal at 885-3363 or mike.mccarley@lamarwarriors.org
8. How will your school use the parent interest surveys to select, plan and implement parental involvement activities that will be offered throughout the year?
The school will ask parents to complete a parent interest survey at the beginning of each school year to get information from parents concerning topics they feel will be most beneficial in the efforts to support their child academically. Information about the parental involvement surveys can be obtained by contacting Mike McCarley, Elementary Principal at 885-3363 or mike.mccarley@lamarwarriors.org
The school will use the results of the parent interest survey to plan some of the parental involvement activities for the year. The results will be analyzed and parental involvement activities planned by the elementary parental involvement committee. If you need more information regarding the parent interest survey or the activities planned, please contact Mike McCarley, Elementary Principal at 885-3363 or mike.mccarley@lamarwarriors.org
The school will evaluate the activities that were suggested by the parents as part of the annual parental involvement plan evaluation facilitated by TBA, 479-885-3363 and scheduled for May 2017.
9. When will your school plan the Annual Title I Meeting that must be conducted separately?
The school will hold an annual District Title I meeting September 2015 and an annual School Title I meeting August 9, 2016, separate from any other meetings or activities to ensure time to provide a description/explanation of school curriculum, information on forms of academic assessments used to measure student progress and information on proficiency level students are expected to meet. For more information you may contact Mr. McCarley, elementary school principal, at 885-3363.
Lamar School Student/Parent Compact
In order for your child to be successful in school and learn to the best of their ability a strong voluntary commitment must be made by individuals to themselves and to others.
As a Student … I Promise To…
*** attend school every day
*** be on time
*** bring pencil, paper, books and be ready to learn
*** complete and turn in classroom and homework assignments
*** ask for help when I need it
*** do my best work in school
*** respect and cooperate with others
As a Parent/Guardian … I Promise To…
*** see that my child attends school every day
*** see that he/she is on time
*** praise and encourage my child each day
*** help my child learn to respect the school staff and the cultural differences of others
*** provide a quiet place for my child to study and read
*** attend all parent/teacher conferences
*** check my child’s backpack every night and tell my child what I like about his/her work
*** work with my child on areas that need improvement because I want my child to succeed
As a Teacher/Staff/Administrator… I Promise To…
*** show that I care about all students
*** have high expectations for myself, students, teachers and staff
*** communicate and work with families to support students’ learning
*** provide a safe environment for learning
*** respect the cultural differences of students and their families
*** encourage students and parents with regular student progress reports
*** be patient and understanding
