Parent Involvement Procedure
Developed: June 2, 2021 with the gracious assistance of Mrs. Kristina Bolduc, Parent Grade K; Mrs. Stephanie Bates, Parent, Grades 5, 8; Ms. Jennah Duchesne, ESP; Dr. Mary Johnson, Math Intervention Teacher; Mrs. Nicole Howrigan, Parent Grades K, 2, 7; Mrs. Joanna Jerose, Parent Grade 7 and School Board Member; Mrs. Tracy Loiselle, Parent Grades PK, 1; Mrs. Alisa Aylward, Parent Grades 1, 4, 6.

1. Fairfield Center School will hold 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 the school’s participation in Title I, to explain the Title I requirements under ESSA, and to inform parents of their right to be involved. 

Fairfield Center School agrees to take the following actions:

• Better utilize and update school’s web page (calendar/events) - 

  • Consider Posting Daily Announcements 

  • Have Daily Announcements also go to FB

  • Consider Subscribable Daily Announcements

• Make use of text messaging for important information

  • Text that an email is coming

• Make sparing use of all-call phone messages

• Send home paper copies of meeting announcements

2. Fairfield Center School agrees to offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may use Title I funds to provide transportation, childcare, or home visits, as related to parent involvement.

• Offer more meetings at the classroom level

  • e.g. help parents understand the way we do math now

  • Consider sending home screencasts of how math is done

• Provide child care and light refreshments

• Get the kids excited about coming

• Consider partnering with PTO to put on a meal

3. Fairfield Center School agrees to involve parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely way in the planning, review, and improvement of Title I programs in the following ways:

• Call the meetings something that does not sound stigmatizing: “math evening,” etc.

• Create a Parent Involvement Committee that will meet quarterly at a convenient time to review Title I programs, the School Parent & Family Engagement Procedure, and the SchoolWide Program plan.

4. Fairfield Center School agrees to involve parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely way in the planning, review, and improvement of the School Parent & Family Engagement Procedure and in the joint development of the schoolwide program plan in the following ways:

• Involve the new Parent Involvement Committee (see 3. above)

• Extend individual personal invitations

  • Reach out into the classes to get a more representative sample of parents

  • Investigate a computer program that can randomize the families we call upon

• Survey parents to find out what people are interested in being involved with

5. Fairfield Center School agrees to provide parents of participating children the following:

• Timely information about Title I programs

• A description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used, and the achievement levels of the challenging State academic standard

• Opportunities for regular meetings for parents to make suggestions and participate in decisions relating to the education of their children

• Responses to these suggestions as soon as practicably possible

The school agrees to provide these in the following ways:

• Send home updated Title I Program information at the beginning of the school year

• Tie the Title I Annual Meeting to another event, such as Open House

• Increase methods of communication (see 1. above)

• Send SBAC scores home as soon as they are released

• Send home local assessment plan (once developed) that shows what assessments are being given at what point in the year per grade level 

• Consider open House with a rotation schedule that allows families with multiple children to visit all classrooms.

  • Describe the big goals for the year in each subject area 

  • Children can show some of their work

• Consider adding a Back to School Night 

  • Pending contractual issues

  • Offer child care

  • Schedule on different nights or at different times

  • Could be a circle, a quick activity, or whatever the teachers want.  Can be by team.

• Consider scheduling a few opportunities per class to get parents involved, not doing everything all at once at the beginning of the year and then forgetting about it.

• Involve the Parent Involvement Committee (see 3. above)

6. Fairfield Center School agrees to take the following actions to submit any parent comments about the schoolwide program plan when the school makes the plan available to the LEA, if the schoolwide program plan is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children (1116(c)(5)):

• Survey families when SWP Plan is sent out

• Utilize the Parent Involvement Committee to go through suggestions and craft responses

• Reference notes from Title I Annual Meeting and provide responses to suggestions in writing (by email).

School-Parent Compact

7. Fairfield Center School agrees to take the following actions to jointly develop with participating parents a school-parent compact, outlining how parents, school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement:

• Hold a meeting to develop the compact each September

• Consider getting some student involvement:

  • Ask some students in advance how they share responsibility into their achievement, especially as they grow into young adults

Accessibility

8. Fairfield Center School agrees to take the following actions to provide opportunities for the informed participation of parents and family members, including providing information and school reports required under section 1111, in a format and language that parents can understand (1116(f)):

• Utilize our translator for all info going home to families whose native language is not English

• Consider a mix of in-person and virtual meeting opportunities

• Utilize both paper and electronic surveys

• Provide child care for meetings

  
  

9. Fairfield Center School will provide assistance to parents of children served by the school in understanding the following topics:

• The challenging State academic standards

• State and local academic assessments

• Title I, Part A requirements

• How to monitor their child’s progress

• How to work with educators to improve their children’s achievement

The school agrees to take the followings actions in order provide this assistance:

• Begin to host classroom level parent meetings 

• Attempt to get more parents to attend conferences by offering a mix of in person and online options

• Include Title I, Part A requirements in the Title I Annual Meeting

10. Fairfield Center School agrees to provide materials and training, such as literacy and technology workshops, as appropriate, to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s achievement.

11. Fairfield Center School agrees to educate its teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals and other school leaders, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the following areas:

• The value of contributions of parents

• How to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners

• How to implement and coordinate parent programs

• How to build ties between parents and school

The school agrees to address this training during pre-service. 

12. Fairfield Center School will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate Title I parent involvement programs and activities with other Federal, State, and local programs and conduct other activities that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children. 

• Pre-Kindergarten in the school building

• Collaboration with Northwestern Counseling and Support Services to provide clinician services, behavioral services, home- and community-based services, and Coordinated Service Plans.

• Collaboration with Bellows Free Academy - St. Albans for students transitioning to high school (through the guidance office, the CIP program, etc.)

13. Fairfield Center School agrees to take the following actions to ensure that information related to the 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 the parents can understand:

• Utilize our translator for all info going home to families whose native language is not English

• Send information in paper as well as electronic means

• Make use of the information board on Rt. 36.

14. Fairfield Center School agrees to take the following actions to provide other reasonable support for parent involvement activities, as parents may request:

• Use of surveys

• Openness to the use of our facility for parent involvement needs.

• Openness to suggestions as to how to better involve parents.

• Inviting a wider variety of parents to help create and revise our parent involvement procedure and compact.

Parent Involvement Compact

Fairfield Center School cares deeply about all students. Each student has a gift which adds to the vibrancy of our school. It is our job as educators to nurture and inspire all students to flourish to the best of their ability. In order to do this, we strive to build strong partnerships between home, school and the community. With support from community members, staff, and parents, Fairfield Center School thrives.

We advocate for what is best for students. We can best serve our students when community members, and especially parents, are committed to the school’s livelihood. Fairfield Center School provides many opportunities for family involvement. Our hope is that parents will attend school events as often as possible.

Some of the many programs that we offer include:

1. Outdoor Classroom (including gardening, sugaring, watershed restoration, nature trails, etc.)

2. Four Winds Nature Program

3. Fairfield Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO)

4. Hay Day and the Harvest Dinner

5. Literacy and Math Nights

6. Title I Annual Parent Meeting (usually in conjunction with literacy/math nights

7. We Both Read books for parents to read with their children (grades K-3)

8. Informational newsletters and brochures to help parents understand child development

9. Home-School Communicator folders (grades K-5) and Student Planners (grades 6-8)

10. Maple Run Unified School District board meetings (first and third Wednesdays)

In addition to participating in events, we ensure pathways for parents to have a voice regarding their children’s education. From school board meetings to open houses, we provide information parents need regarding the Title I program and solicit their opinions.

Communication is key. It is essential that Fairfield Center School establish and maintain effective communication so that we may work together to provide structure and support for all of our students. Fairfield Center School is committed to sharing information with parents through newsletters, events, and social media.

Fairfield Center School provides a foundation for a joyful learning community comprised of teachers, parents, and children. As a school, we have developed a partnership with parents and the community in order to create a high functioning academic environment, resulting in a calm, harmonious atmosphere where both adults and children love to be. As a school, our greatest ambition is to instill a love of learning, ownership, and pride at the Fairfield Center School.