Hiawatha Middle School Parent Involvement Policy

Hiawatha Middle School will implement the following statutory requirements:

  • Hiawatha Middle School will jointly develop with parents and distribute
    to parents of participating children, a Parental Involvement Policy that the
    school and parents of participating children agree on.

  • Hiawatha Middle School will notify parents about the Parental Involvement
    Policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable,
    will distribute this policy to parents in a language the parents can understand.

  • Hiawatha Middle School will make the Parental Involvement Policy available to the local community.

  • Hiawatha Middle School will periodically update the Parental Involvement Policy to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.

  • Hiawatha Middle School will adopt the school-parent compact as a component of its Parental Involvement Policy.

  • Hiawatha Middle School agrees to be governed by the following statutory
    definition of parental involvement, and will carry out programs, activities and
    procedures in accordance with this definition.

    Parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring-

    (A) Parents plan an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;

    (B) Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education;

    (C) That parents 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;

    (D) The carrying out of other activities, such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA.

Hiawatha Middle School will implement required school parental involvement policy components as follows:

1. Hiawatha Middle School will take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development and joint agreement of its Parental Involvement Policy and its school wide plan, if applicable, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way under section 1118 of the ESEA:

Gather and disseminate to the parents for review of the following materials:

a. District’s Parental Involvement Policy

b. Hiawatha Middle School’s Parental Involvement Policy

c. The school-parent compact

d. Parent Notices from the table on page 45 of the Title 1, Part A Non Regulatory Guidance.

These materials will be disseminated to parents at regular Title 1 parent meetings, School Site Council meetings, and parent/teacher conferences.

Input from parents will be solicited through Title 1 meetings, School Site Council meetings, parent/teacher conferences, school newsletters, school website, and other regular communications with parents.

2. Hiawatha Middle School will take the following actions to distribute to parents of participating children and the local community the Parental Involvement Policy:

a. The School Parental Involvement Policy will be distributed at Title 1 parent meetings.

b. The policy will be linked to the school website.

c. Parents of new students will receive the policy during the enrollment process.

3. Hiawatha Middle School will periodically update its Parental Involvement
Policy to meet the changing needs of parents and the school through:

a. Site Council meetings

b. Title 1 meetings

c. General school meetings

4. Hiawatha Middle School will convene an annual meeting to inform parents of
the following:

a. That Hiawatha Middle School participates in Title 1.

b. The requirements of Title 1.

c. Of their rights to be involved as outlined in Table B of the Title 1 “Parent Involvement Non-Regulatory Guidance”.

d. District Parent Involvement Policy information.

e. The school-parent compact information.

f. Hiawatha Middle School’s Parent Involvement Policy information.

5. Hiawatha Middle School will hold a flexible number of meetings at varying times.

a. Training offered to parents to improve student success

6. Hiawatha Middle School will provide information about Title 1 programs to parents of participating children, in a timely manner, through the Power School Program, memos, newsletters, and the school website.

7. Hiawatha Middle School will provide parents of participating children with a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet through:

a. Annual Title 1 parent meeting

b. Regular parent/teacher conferences

c. Student enrollment at the beginning of each school year

d. Open House Night

e. If requested by parents, Hiawatha Middle School will provide parents of participatingchildren opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and to respond to any suggestions as soon as practically possible through:

1. Prearranged meetings with the Title 1 Coordinator

2. Meetings with the student’s teacher, which may include the Title1 Coordinator, the principal, and other staff as appropriate.

8. Hiawatha Middle School will submit to the district any parent comments if the school wide plan under section (1114) (b) (2)is not satisfactory to parents of participating children.

Parents may submit comments in writing regarding the school wide plan to department.

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HIGH STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

1. Hiawatha Middle School will build the schools’ and parents' capacity for strong parental involvement in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership between the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement through the following activities described below:

a. Parent training opportunities

b. Parental access to websites, Power School, newsletters

2. The school will incorporate the school-parent compact as a component of its School Parental Involvement Policy:

a. The Hiawatha Middle School compact is part of the School Parental Involvement Policy and is on our school website page.

b. During enrollment, parent/teacher conferences, or scheduled meetings with the teacher, the school compact will be completed by the principal, teacher, parent and student.

c. As needed, the Hiawatha Middle School compact will be included in our school newsletter, along with our School Parental Involvement Policy.

3. The school will, with the assistance of the district, provide assistance to parents of children served by the school in understanding topics such as the following:

a. The State’s student academic achievement standards

b. Requirements of Title 1

c. Interpreting Assessment results

d. How to monitor their child’s progress

e. How to assist their child to be successful academically

4. The school will, with the assistance of the district and parents, educate its teachers, pupil services personnel, principals and other staff, in how to reach out, to communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to implement and coordinate parent programs and build ties between parents and schools, by:

a. Encouraging staff to participate in parent trainings

b. Encouraging participation in Site Council meetings

c. Encouraging participation in Open House Night

d. Encouraging attendance in Parent/Teacher conferences

5. The school will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, 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 an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand:

a. Use our ELL staff to assist in meeting the needs of our Ell parents/families

b. Use of our school website

c. When feasible, provide notices and information in a language besides English