• Jack Harvey Elementary Parent and Family Engagement Plan In accordance with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA)

    Parents, staff, and the building administrator have developed this Parent and Family Engagement Plan in accordance with the ESSA Section 1116 activities which are accomplished at Jack Harvey Elementary in the ways listed in each Section.

     

    ESSA Section

    Ways in Which Jack Harvey Elementary Staff Accomplish These Activities

    1116(b)(1) This Plan has been jointly developed and distributed to parents and family members in a language that can be understood. The Plan is updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.

    Describe the development of the Plan, including the stakeholders involved, the steps taken to ensure the Plan is understood, and the process for updating the Plan.

     

    The Jack Harvey Elementary Title I Schoolwide Parent Involvement Plan has been created through the collaborative efforts of staff and parent feedback.  Parents are an integral part in the development of this plan and their feedback and suggestions are utilized in making updates to our Title I Schoolwide Parent and Family Engagement Plan. The plan is reviewed during our JHV (Jack Harvey Volunteer) meetings and/or a panel of staff and parents.  Parents have the opportunity to learn the details of the plan, ask any questions they may have, and offer feedback. Their feedback is incorporated into the plan as appropriate. The plan will also be posted on school website and the digital newsletter for families unable to attend the annual meeting or monthly JHV meetings to review and contact the school should they have any questions or would like to provide feedback. The Home/School Compact is gone over during fall conferences and signed. 

    1116(c)(1) Convene an Annual Title I Parent Meeting at a time convenient to 

    parents to inform parents of the Title I requirements and their right to be involved.

    An annual meeting is held which includes information for parents on:

     

    Jack Harvey Elementary holds an Annual Title l Parent Meeting which is held in the fall on Curriculum Night.  This meeting covers the Title I Schoolwide Parent and Family Engagement Plan, the Title I program, and how parents can assist their child in being academically and socially successful.

     

    How are parents encouraged to attend?

     

    Parents are notified of this meeting through building newsletters, school messenger, and robo calls. It was also shared on social media and the building marquee.

    1116(c)(2) Offer flexible number of meetings at times convenient to parents and provide transportation, 

    childcare, or home visits as it relates to parental

    involvement.

    Meetings are offered at times convenient for parents and if needed, transportation, childcare, and home visits can be arranged:

     

    Jack Harvey Elementary holds monthly JHV (Jack Harvey Volunteer)
    meetings throughout the school year.  Feedback from parent surveys determines if meetings will be held during daytime and/or evening hours. This offers all parents the opportunity to attend. 

    1116(c)(3) Involve parents in an organized, ongoing and timely way in the planning, reviewing, and improvement of Title I programs, including the development, review, and improvement of the Parent and Family Engagement Plan and the Schoolwide Program Plan.

    Parents are involved in the development of the School Improvement Plan and Title I Program development in the following ways:

     

    Jack Harvey Elementary includes parents in the planning, review, and involvement of programs.  Along with the principal and staff, JHV members work together to help determine the needs and strengths of our building. During our monthly JHV meeting the Parent and Family Engagement Plan along with the Home School Compact is reviewed, and parents have the opportunity to ask any questions and offer feedback. Parents are also given the opportunity to give feedback anonymously using a Microsoft Form survey. At these meetings parents had the opportunity to review school data. They can ask questions and express concerns. Suggestions were addressed at that time.  

    1116(c)(4)(A) Provide 

    parents of Title I children timely information about the Title I Program.

    Parents are provided information regarding the school Programs in the following ways:

     

    Parents receive timely information about Jack Harvey’s programs through Fall curriculum nights, parent-teacher conferences, Kindergarten Open House, and parent workshops. Other information is distributed by the classroom teacher through email, individual notes home, the student’s daily agenda, weekly classroom newsletters, monthly digital literacy newsletter, social media, personal or phone conferences, and PowerSchool Parent Portal (online access to student’s grades and attendance).  General information for the school is available on Jack Harvey’s website https://jackharvey.uticak12.org/, robocall (automated voicemail recorder sent to all parents by the principal), and the district television station. 

    Jack Harvey Elementary sends notes or contacts parents informing them when their child is participating in a tiered instruction with our Literacy Coach or receiving English Language Learner Support from our English Learner Teacher. Parents are informed as soon as their student is identified as at risk (below grade level based on classroom assessments).  This note includes: the service the child is receiving, who is responsible for providing this service and their contact information, amount of time the child is seen per week and what parents can do at home to help their child.   

     

    1116(c)(4)(B) Provide 

    parents of Title I children a description and explanation of the curriculum used at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure progress, and the achievement levels students are expected to meet.

    Parents are provided information about the school’s curriculum, assessments, and proficiency level expectations in the following ways:

     

    Teachers provide a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at Jack Harvey during curriculum night/open house.  During this event, teachers provide and explain the Core Curriculum Standards/Grade Level Content Expectations for their grade level.  The teachers share assessments used in their classroom at curriculum night and notify parents through classroom newsletters, Remind, Class Dojo, and student daily agendas when the assessments take place.  The District and School sends information to the parents regarding when the M-STEP, WIDA, and NWEA assessments take place.  Letters are sent explaining their students M-STEP, WIDA, and NWEA results in detail.  The principal uses School Messenger to share important information regarding assessment dates.  Classroom teachers inform parents of student proficiency levels and where the student should be upon exiting current grade during parent-teacher conferences.  Ongoing contact through email and phone calls is provided to those students who fall below proficiency levels.   

     

     

    ESSA Section Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities

     

    1116(c)(4)(C) Provide 

    parents of participating Title I students opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions, to participate in decision-making as it relates to their child’s education, and to respond to any suggestions as soon as possible.

    Parents have opportunities to share suggestions, participate in decision making, and respond to any suggestions in the following ways:

     

    At Jack Harvey, parents can contact the principal, teachers, and support staff by telephone, e-mail, or schedule a meeting before/during/after school to discuss their child.  Conferences are scheduled in the fall, (November) for every student and again in the spring (February) for those students that need additional support. Throughout the year, additional conferences are available upon parent request. 

    1116(c)(5) Ensure that if the Schoolwide Program Plan is not satisfactory to parents of participating students, submit any parent comments on the Plan when the school makes the Plan available to the Local Educational Agency (LEA).

    If parents are not satisfied with the School Improvement Plan or Programs, they have opportunities to make comments by:

     

    In addition to the Annual Parent Survey, parents can contact the principal with any suggestions they may have for improvement of programs.  Parents can address concerns during JHV meetings. Parents may ask questions and discuss concerns with the classroom teacher, Title I literacy coaches, and/or the principal. Contact can occur through many avenues including emails, phone calls, TEAMS meetings, parent/teacher conferences, Remind, Class Dojo, pre-arranged face-to-face meetings, and informal discussion settings.  We use the feedback to review and make revisions at that time if necessary, for the following school year. 

     

    The School-Parent Compact Must:

    1116(d) Jointly, with parents, develop a School-Parent Compact that outlines how the entire school staff, parents, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement.

    Yes

    No

    1116(d) Clearly explain district and school goals for students to meet the challenging State academic standards.

    Yes

    No

    1116(d) & 1116(d)(1) Describe ways that teachers are responsible for supporting students’ learning and providing high quality curriculum and instruction.

    Yes

    No

    1116(d) & 1116(d)(1) Describe specific ways parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning.

    Yes

    No

    1116(d) Describe specific ways students will be responsible for their learning.

    Yes

    No

    1116(d) & 1116(d)(2)(C) Describe school activities to build partnerships with parents, including chances for parents to volunteer, take part in, and observe classroom activities, and communicate with teachers.

    Yes

    No

    1116(d) & 1116(f) Describe how parents and family members are involved in developing and revising the compact.

    Yes

    No

    1116(d)(1) & 1116(d)(2) (A-C) Ensure regular two-way meaningful communication between family members and school staff throughout the school year, so that parents are kept up to date on their students’ progress and get regular tips on home learning.

    Yes

    No

    1116(f) Communicate information using family friendly language and format.

    Yes

    No

         

     

    ESSA Section

    Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities

    1116(e)(1) Shall provide assistance to parents of students served by the school in understanding the State’s academic content standards, the State and Local assessments, and how to monitor their child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.

    How does the staff provide assistance to parents to help them understand the content standards, assessments, how to monitor their child’s progress, and how to work with educators to improve the achievement of their children?  What training is provided to families?

     

    The Utica Community School District sends a parent report with individual M-Step, WIDA, and NWEA scores.  We have conferences available in November for all students and February upon request.  During these conferences, the staff provides assistance to parents in understanding their child’s progress and how they can support their child’s learning at home.  Traditionally, Jack Harvey provides Title I nights for parents where grade level content expectations are explained. In addition, Title I Parent nights and digital newsletters provide training and support for families to monitor their child’s learning at home and ways to stay connected. Literacy Coaches and EL Teacher are available during conferences to discuss local and district assessments. During the Kindergarten Open House, new Kindergarten parents are introduced to Kindergarten academic expectations and provided with home activities.

     

    1116(e)(2) Shall provide materials and training to help parents work with their 

    children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.

    Staff will provide parents with appropriate materials and offer training in our school to enable them to support their child’s academic progress. These include:

     

    During our Title I night, Curriculum Night, Parent Support Nights and Kindergarten Open House our parents are given training, materials, and opportunities to ask questions. Title I students also bring home learning materials, bought with Title I funds, to help support learning at home. The EL district night also gives informational materials to parents, provides training, and answers any questions.  Weekly district UCS Update emails, building newsletters, classroom newsletters, digital literacy newsletters and building/district websites provide important materials and training for parents.  

    1116(e)(3) Shall educate staff in the value and utility of parents’ contributions, in how to reach out to, and 

    communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, to coordinate and implement parental involvement 

    programs, and to build 

    relationships between the parents and the school.

    On-going professional development for staff on effective ways to increase parental involvement occurs annually. They include:

     

    The principal offers professional development for staff on effectively communicating with parents.  Peer reviewed articles are shared.  In addition, collaboration in School Improvement team meetings are utilized to discuss and coordinate ways to increase parental involvement and build the relationships between the parents and the school. 

     

    1116(e)(4) Shall coordinate and integrate parental

    involvement Programs and activities with other Federal, State, and local Programs, including public preschool 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.

    Coordination with other Programs for parental involvement includes:

     

    Jack Harvey Elementary collaborates with the Early Childhood Special Education program to transition students from a preschool setting to our building. We also involve our MISD Great Start preschool programs in our communication of all events at the school. We also coordinated our March is Reading Month with the Scholastic Book Fair and/or other events, we invite parents in to share information and ideas to use at home when working with their child.  Our district offers English language learning for parents to learn about opportunities and programs their child participates in at school, along with ways to support their child’s learning at home. Our special education team invites families to review and update their child’s Individualized Educational Plan and supports they receive at school.

     

    1116(e)(5) Shall ensure information is shared with parents in a language and format they can understand.

    Information is shared with parents in a language and format they can understand. Examples include:

     

    We provide translated documents in multiple languages for our families. We provide both written (hard copy) and digital information as needed. Also, our digital newsletter can be translated into multiple languages. Family liaisons are available to interpret for select languages. In addition, we use LanguageLine Solutions interpreters for translations. All information shared is reader friendly written in a format easy to understand and free of acronyms.

     

    Gray Area - Recommended Best Practice, but Not Required

    1116(e)(6) May involve parents in the development of training for teachers,  

    principals, and other educators

    to improve the effectiveness of such training.

     

     

    ESSA Section

    Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities

    1116(e)(7) May provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the LEA has exhausted all other reasonably-available sources of funding for such training.

     

    1116(e)(8) May pay  

    reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement  

    activities, including  

    transportation and childcare costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training  

    sessions.

     

    1116(e)(9) May train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents.

     

    1116(e)(10) 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.

     

    1116(e)(11) May adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement.

     

    1116(e)(12) May establish a districtwide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in Programs supported under this Section.

     

    1116(e)(13) May develop appropriate roles for community-based  

    organizations and businesses in parental involvement activities.

     

     

    ESSA Section

    Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities

    1116(e)(14) Shall provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request.

    Parents are provided with other reasonable support such

    as: How does the school collect this information?

     

    Jack Harvey makes every effort to support our parents and make sure their needs are met. Some ways we support families are by providing essential items for school such as backpacks, coats, hats, gloves, and basic school supplies. Students and families have access to a digital calming room through Classlink. Individual training and meetings are provided to support parents and students with at-home learning materials and strategies.

    1116(f) Shall provide full opportunities for participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children.

    Staff provide opportunities for full parent participation:

     

    Jack Harvey is handicapped accessible; we provide flexible meeting times and vary our JHV and other programs times and days. We have phone conferences, videoconferences and translators when requested and/or needed.  In addition, we use LanguageLine Solutions interpreters for translations. We provide translated documents in multiple languages as needed for our families. The UCS District website can be accessed in multiple languages. Microsoft Teams meetings may be used to provide opportunities for students to remain engaged in learning while away from the school setting.