Wesley is a Title I School Wesley International Academy
Parent Involvement Policy
2011-2012
Revised: August 14, 2011
Wesley International Academy (WIA) supports and solicits family involvement of children being served in activities funded by Title I. This is an essential component for increasing student achievement and ensuring continued success. “Over 30 years of research has proven beyond dispute the positive connection between parent involvement and student success. Effectively engaging parents and families in the education of their children has the potential to be far more transformational than any other type of educational reform.” (p.5, National PTA, 1997).
Title I is a federally funded program that provides opportunities for the children it serves to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the challenging state academic standards. Title I funds are distributed to schools where economic needs are the greatest. The amounts dispersed are sufficient to make a difference in the improvement of instruction and student performance. Title I coordinates services with other educational services, health and social services programs when possible. Title I School-Wide programs provide greater decision-making authority and flexibility within the schools for teachers. However, greater responsibility for student performance is the exchange made for this flexibility.
Components of a School-Wide Program
• A comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school is conducted.
• School-Wide reform strategies provide opportunities for all children to meet the state’s proficiency performance standards.
• Highly qualified staff members provide instruction.
• Professional development is conducted on a continual basis throughout the year.
• Activities are presented to increase parent involvement.
• Plans are included to provide transitional assistance from preschool to elementary, from elementary to middle school, and from middle school to high school.
• Measures are taken to include teachers in the decisions regarding the use of assessments.
• Activities are conducted to ensure that students who experience difficulty mastering state standards will be provided with effective, timely, additional assistance.
The goal of parent involvement at Wesley is to promote inclusion of
parents as stakeholders in their children’s educational experiences in order to increase student achievement. Parental involvement is integral and supports the mission and goals of our school. Involvement takes many forms as parents are provided many opportunities to be involved in activities that help their children to be successful. These opportunities also allow parents to make shared decisions about their children’s education and well being. In an effort to link home and school and boost academic
success of our students, the Parent Involvement Policy is distributed to all students to maintain compliance with the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 - Title I, Part A – Section 1118.
Parent participation is invited and encouraged. Many opportunities are offered during the school year to promote student success through parent involvement. These opportunities are offered on various topics at various times throughout the year.
Open House: Each school year begins with an afternoon Open House. Parents are provided the opportunity to tour the school and meet their child’s teacher and the school staff.
Grade Level Orientation: Approximately two weeks after school starts, parents have the opportunity to attend a session specific to their child’s grade level. Schedules, routines, standards, and grade level expectations are addressed. Our mission and vision is shared and the Parent/Student Handbook is addressed with the expectation of being signed by parents and students. Information is given regarding extra curricular activities and school related programs.
Parent Orientation: The PTA sponsors an informal yet informative session that helps parents understand such things as school supplies, tardies, absences, check out policies and procedures, after-school programs, lunch accounts, and volunteer opportunities. The principal, assistant principal, school counselor, PTA president, and parent involvement coordinator all attend to answer any questions from parents. The orientation is held shortly after the school year begins to help parents better prepare their child(ren) for the school year. At this time, parents will be given an overview of the Title I school wide program, including the legal requirements. All information is also published on the school’s webpage.
Kindergarten Open House: Kindergarten parents are provided an opportunity to tour the school and observe kindergarten classes in session after registering their child for the upcoming school year.
PTA Volunteer Co-Coordinator: All families are required to complete 10 hours of volunteer work at the school including programs, events, classroom assistance, reading, mentoring, and library assistance. Examples of some opportunities include Thanksgiving Feasts, Read to Your Child’s Class, Room Mothers, and Volunteering at Fall Festival.
Honors’ Day/Spelling Bee/ Science Fair: Students are recognized for their academic achievement during our Honors’ Day program. Each year, students compete in the spelling bee, and students in kindergarten through 5th grades compete in the science fair. Parents are given the opportunity to attend these special activities to support their children as they are recognized for their accomplishments.
Monthly Character Awards: Each month a student is nominated from his/her homeroom and a grade level winner is announced. An overall winner is selected to receive the Phoenix Award for the school and the parents of that student are invited to attend the Friday Assembly at which their child is being recognized.
Parents serve as chaperones for field trips and special events.
Parents assist with decorating and setup for activities and fundraisers.
Parents help run fundraisers by assisting the students with money control and time management.
Parents help with public relations, volunteers, and receptions.
Parents are an important resource and their input is vital to us. Wesley is dedicated to encouraging and developing activities and practices by enhancing the quality of school programs and the level of student achievement.
WIA School Council: Our school council consists of eight members, four of whom are parents. They provide advice, recommendations, and assistance. These parent representatives attend all meeting and share ideas for school improvement, provide support for teachers and administrators, and are a part of the decision making process.
School Improvement Steering Committee: The steering committee consists of two parent representatives along with the school’s leadership team.
Title I Parent Involvement Committee: This committee consists of the school
Principal, parent involvement coordinator and parents appointed to represent the diverse population of students within the school. This committee meets bi-annually to discuss, review and implement changes as needed to the school Parent Involvement Plan. Parent comments and suggestions are always welcome and will be used as a resource for future planning and goal setting. It is the committee’s responsibility to encourage parents to participate in the relevant workshops and to use the pertinent information offered.
If you are interested in serving on this committee, please notify Mrs. Valencia Justice who is the Parent/Community Involvement Liaison for Wesley. If you are interested in volunteering or have questions, she may be reached by phone at 678-904-9137 or leave a message at front office.
Parent Resources: The Parent Resource Center (PRC) is located in Building B – Student Services. Resources (such as educational learning tools and games, brochures, online access, videos, print materials, etc.) are maintained in this office and are available to all parents. All information regarding our Title I program is also available in the PRC. The parent involvement liaison provides various training and workshop opportunities to parents as well as monthly updates found on our general WIA website.
Parent Teacher Association: PTA meetings are held 4 times per year at Imagine Wesley. Often student performances are featured at meetings in an effort to encourage attendance. The PTA is very involved in making improvements at our school. Numerous fundraisers are sponsored by the PTA each year to generate additional funds to benefit our school, staff and all students.
Various school events provide opportunities for parents to become involved and participate with their children. The following list includes some of these worthwhile and exciting activities:
Grade level Curriculum meetings.
Parent meetings in Mandarin Chinese.
CRCT Focus meetings.
Advanced Reading Challenge.
Spelling Bees.
Honor Roll Assemblies.
Field trips into the community.
Teacher directed home-based projects.
Essay contests.
Math Family Night
Everyday Math Parent Night.
Family Reading Night.
Science Fair .
Parent Class: “Where Are We in The IB Curriculum?”
After School Tutoring.
Junior Achievement.
Stock Club.
Yoga Classes.
Basketball and Cheerleading.
Field Day.
Book Fair.
Red Ribbon Week.
Reflections.
International Fall Festival.
Many Community/Global Service Projects.
Staff Appreciation
Two-way communication between home and school involves parents in their child’s academic progress. Wesley provides the following communication tools: Student/Parent Handbook: All families receive a copy of the Student Handbook which contains the Wesley School Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures that direct the everyday life of their child at our school. All families are also expected to sign the last page of the handbook indicating their review of it and their acceptance of all the policies stated therein.
Meetings: All stakeholders are also strongly encouraged to attend all governing board meetings and all PTA meetings. These meetings keep parents informed and provide an opportunity for all to get involved and become a part of the decision making process.
Communication Outlets: Parents are informed via our website, emails, voicemails, teacher websites and multiple school newsletters.
State and Student Performance Standards: Standards are appropriately displayed and explained to students and parents. Questions are always welcome through direct contact, written expression, or email to the teachers.
Nine-week Report Cards: Reports are provided to inform parents of academic progress. Less formal mid-term progress reports are also sent home.
Assessment Results: Reports from standardized testing and state mandated tests are explained to parents through individual conferences, parent letters, and a school wide meeting to explain the purpose of testing and interpretation of results. Results from local testing initiatives are centrally posted at the entrance of the school, outside the teachers’ classrooms, and on the website. Individual student results are shared directly with the parents. Some examples of these tests include Benchmark tests, CRCT, Writing Assessments, ITBS, and SAT10.
Compacts: Parents are asked to set goals for themselves in participating in their child’s education. These goals are listed along with the teacher and the administrative/instructional team on a compact for each student, offering an individualized plan for each child to which the parent has contributed.
Newsletters: Each month, the principal sends a newsletter, the PTA sends a newsletter, WIA sends a newsletter, and individual classes send newsletters. These are sent electronically and/or in the students folders. These include special announcements, calendars, helpful advice, and information concerning topics being taught in the classroom. These are also made available on the school’s website.
Attendance Letters: In an effort to promote attendance, parent letters are sent on a regular basis after a certain number of absences and/or tardies. Parents are notified via automated phone message after each absence. Attendance meetings are scheduled as necessary.
Parent Conferences: Conferences are schedules at the request of parents and
teachers to inform the parent of the student’s academic progress. This makes parents aware of what their children are learning. Parents are given the opportunity to voice their concerns.
OAS: Parents are encouraged to use the Online Assessment System with their
children to take practice CRCT tests as preparation for the actual CRCT in April.
Results can be emailed to the teacher. A label with student login information is placed in each student’s agenda.
Agendas: All students in grades K-8 receive a student agenda at the beginning of the year. The agendas are used as a daily communication tool between the student, parents, and teachers. Students enter daily assignments and homework. Parents can review the students’ and teachers’ daily entries and can communicate with the teacher.
Parent Surveys: Throughout the year, parents are given the opportunity to respond to various surveys. A parent involvement survey will be distributed to generate ideas and opinions regarding the opportunities offered for parent training workshops, requests for literature related to educational programs and character development
Wesley International Academy Website: www.imaginewesley.org
Our website provides parents with information about our school, such as messages from the administrative staff, faculty email addresses, activities, news, and other pertinent information.
School Improvement Plan: A copy may be found on our website or in the PRR. This working document helps to guide our goals, mission, and vision which increase our student’s academic success.
Again, the Parent Resource Center (PRC) is available by appointment with Mrs. Justice at (678-904-9137 ). You are encouraged to stop by to take advantage of the educational and parenting resources it has to offer! There are numerous free publications relating to academics and character development.
Our Mission Statement Wesley International Academy strives to educate internationally minded students capable of leading and thriving in today's interconnected global environment. Wesley serves students of talent and character, offering them an education that broadens their perspectives, sharpens their minds, strengthens their bodies, and engages their hearts. It aims to provide students with a world class learning opportunity by maintaining a caring learning environment; involving parents and the community in school activities; and utilizing innovative teaching techniques delivered by a superior faculty. Wesley is committed to creating a caring, inclusive, and just community dedicated to fostering creativity, personal balance, and connection to the global community.
Revised 8/2011 Title I Team
Our Vision Statement
Building World Citizens
For Tomorrow who
Possess Passion,
Imagination, and
Understanding.
WIA Title I Parent Action Team Members are as follows:
Henry Stephens, Principal
Diana Sandefur, Special Education teacher 6 – 8 grade
Shirah Frazier, EIP teacher K– 3 grade
Dana Roberts, Reading Specialist
Kami Smith, Parent Liaison
Kathleen Patterson, Parent
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