Documents

Woodland Family Engagement Policy

Portage Public Schools

Woodland Elementary Family Engagement Policy 2021-2022

January 20, 2022

The staff of Woodland Elementary School is invested in a partnership approach between the parents/guardians, students, and staff, in order to best ensure a quality education for each child. This partnership is documented in the Woodland Home-School compact, which is signed by students, staff, and families annually. Continual opportunities for family (and community) engagement are provided throughout the school year, and are documented below.

School-Wide Open House is held within the first month of school. This is an opportunity for students and parents to meet and visit with classroom teachers, special teachers, interventionists, and principal. Information about grade level core curriculum and classroom procedures and expectations are frequently a component of these events. The Open House was held virtually for the 2021-2022 school year, with hopes to resume this in-person for future school years.

Parent/Guardian Conferences Twice Annually: Meetings will be conducted with parents that include provisions for flexible scheduling (meetings in 2021-2022 will be held virtually). Topics of conversation include child’s progress in the core curriculum and toward grade level expectations, as well as interpretation of universal screening results.

Annual Title I Fall Parent/Guardian Meeting is held annually each fall (virtually in 2021-2022). The meeting is flexible (a make-up meeting can be arranged if necessary) and assistance is available to encourage parental involvement. At this meeting, Title I staff will be introduced to families, along with the sharing of their contact information. Title I staff will deliver explanations of the criteria used in student selection, as well as how progress will be noted and communicated to families. Descriptions of intervention programming will be delivered, and families will be made aware of family engagement opportunities that will exist throughout the year. For those families not in attendance, a follow-up phone call will be made to introduce Title I staff to families, and to provide pertinent information.

Title I Family Engagement events will be held at different times and days of the week, in order to accommodate various family schedules.

Title I Parent Advisory Committee is composed of representative parents/guardians, staff, and administration. The purpose is to review and discuss progress on school improvement, invite discussion, and collaborate as to how to build a strong home-school partnership. This group provides input as to effective Title I programming and expenditures, in addition to how to best effect positive change and growth for Woodland students. Meetings during the 2021-2022 school year will be held virtually, with hopes of returning to in-person meetings in future school years.

The Woodland Home-School Compact is reviewed annually with all students and families during the fall Parent-Teacher conferences. The compact outlines how families, staff, and students will develop a partnership to help Woodland students learn at optimal levels. Each party agrees to measures that will contribute to student success.

Individual Assessment Profiles: Acadience and NWEA reports, in addition to state standardized testing reports, are sent home with students, in order to inform families of a student’s current assessment profile, and to document changes in assessment scores.

Regular Communication from Woodland’s Principal includes a weekly information email (Woodland Monday Memo), with notice of upcoming events and pertinent information for Woodland families. Woodland’s Engagement Specialist provides Social-Emotional Learning updates in weekly newsletter, as well. Diversity, equity, and inclusion information is also included in this newsletter, via updates from Woodland’s Circles group. Communication with families is also provided via a list-serve phone system in certain circumstances.

Regular Communication from Woodland’s Engagement Specialist is delivered monthly via the NewSELetter. This email contains resources that are compiled and curated with the goal of providing options for families to properly address social and emotional concerns that students may be having. The topics include resources to address concerns presented by families, and additionally, in response to current events that may be contributors to student SEL concerns.

Weekly Classroom Newsletters and Google Classroom: Classroom newsletters focus on review of recently studied curriculum, previews upcoming curriculum to be studied, assignment due dates and general communication regarding classroom/grade level expectations. Additional information can be found on classroom teachers’ Google Classroom sites, which include links to interventions and schedules.

Supplemental Support Individualized Student Progress Reports and Individual Reading Improvement Plans are sent home regularly to qualifying students’ families, which document progress in areas in which they receive support.

Interventionists Participate in Conferences held each fall and spring to personally share student progress via support services, and to address any concerns and questions.

Parents/Guardians are surveyed regarding indicators of school quality. Woodland’s principal discusses results with staff as a whole to analyze areas in need of growth/improvement; this feedback is then incorporated into the school improvement plan.

Title I Parent/Guardian Survey is conducted in the spring of the year. The focus is to gain feedback on services provided and programming, and on improvements that can be made to better reach and actively involve Title I families in their child’s education.

Parent-Teacher Organization provides scholarships for students to attend camp, and provides funding for extension/enrichment activities for Woodland classes and students. Corporate and community involvement is included; corporate sponsorships are part of the Walk for Woodland event. Staff and administrator representation in this organization promotes strong school-family partnerships.

Battle of the Books is held annually to promote student reading at home and develop strong school/family literacy partnerships. Students develop improved comprehension skills and strategies, along with improved reading stamina. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this event will not be held for the 2021-2022 school year.

We Love Woodland Fund provides funds to support specific student/family/classroom needs, in order to maximize student learning and growth.

MTSS Team meets regularly to review student performance and to develop plans to meet specific student needs. This is communicated to families. Check In/CheckOut (which is a partnership between the school and students’ families) has been implemented through the collaboration of all staff.

Right to Know notification: Woodland’s principal provides annual notification to families of their right to know teacher and staff professional qualifications.

CIRCLES Parent/ Teacher program: This group of individuals whose mission is to develop meaningful community connections, cultural awareness, and to promote inclusion and equity for all. The group works to promote and provide learning opportunities and emotional support for students, and to ensure success with others, now and in the future. CIRCLES meetings have been conducted virtually during the 2021-2022 school year, with hopes of resuming in-person meetings in future school years.

Annual review/approval of this compact was conducted (by stakeholders that included Woodland staff and families) on January 20, 2022. Please contact Mrs. Smith at dsmith@portageps.org or Mrs. Gamble at rgamble@portageps.org if you would like to provide parental input at the next annual review!