2023-2024 Boyds Creek Elementary School
Parent and Family Engagement Policy

August 31, 2023

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Boyds Creek Elementary receives Title I, Part A funds and therefore will jointly develop with, agree upon, and distribute to parents and family members of participating children a written Parent and Family Engagement Policy that contains information required by section 1116(b) and (c) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

The policy establishes the school’s expectations for parent and family engagement and describes how the school will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with the following statutory definition of parent and family engagement: Parent and Family Engagement means the participation of families in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:

● families play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
● families are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
● families 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; and
● other activities are carried out, such as those described in Section 1116 of the ESSA.

(1) Parents shall be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language the parents can understand.

The policy is explained through a PowerPoint presentation during the annual Title I meeting. This format allows for questions and concerns to be voiced and clarification of any details. Portions of the plan and specific events are also communicated via parent letters, parent meetings, ParentSquare, and social media. Parents also have
access to an updated plan on the school’s website.

(2) Such policy shall be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.

Parents may view the plan on the school’s website or request a hard copy from the school. Periodic updates are made to reflect school needs based on data collected from our annual Family and Community Engagement survey results, as well as document review meetings.

(3) The school will convene 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 their school's participation under this part and to explain the requirements of this part, and the right of the parents to be involved.

Boyds Creek Elementary School holds an open house at the beginning of each school year. The high attendance rate of this event makes it a great opportunity to coincide with the Annual Title I meeting. We hold this meeting prior to the open house start time. This gives parents the opportunity to attend our meeting and open house, as well as other school orientations if needed for older students. Agendas, attendance documents, and meeting notes are collected as evidence of participation. Administrators and faculty are available to answer any questions about Title I and the 23-24 school year.

(4) The school offers a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide, with funds provided under this part, transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services relate to parental involvement.

Since a larger percentage of our student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch, we continually take measures to accommodate families from diverse backgrounds. We offer families during and after school opportunities to be involved and engaged in our school operations.

We provide academic support to students needing remediation during and after school to accommodate different schedules.

Parent-teacher conferences, although formally scheduled during the evening, are also available before and during school to accommodate various schedules. Teachers use a variety of tools, such as newsletters, ParentSquare, and email to maintain communication with parents. They offer meetings through both Google Meets and phone conferences to ensure opportunities for those who have limited access to transportation.

(5) Parents are involved in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under this part, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parental involvement policy and the joint development of the schoolwide program plan under section 1114(b)(2), except that if a school has in place a process for involving parents in the joint planning and design of the school's programs, the school may use that process, if such process includes an adequate representation of parents of participating children. 

The planning committee, which is composed of administration, teachers, instructional assistants, parents, and community members developed the Parent Involvement Policy based on identified needs and parent input. Decisions and actions are communicated through classroom newsletters, social media, ParentSquare, and the school’s website. The Parent Involvement Policy is distributed at the annual Title 1 Meeting and Open House.

Boyds Creek Elementary School’s Leadership Team reviews school assessment data and the current school improvement plan and makes decisions impacting school priorities for improvement.

(6) The school provides parents of participating children timely information about Title I programs.

In order to communicate regularly with families, Boyds Creek Elementary School sends home the following:

● Information identifying opportunities for families to become involved in their student’s academic success and tips to help students achieve.
● The school’s social media pages and school website remind parents of important upcoming dates and programs related to the school.
● Our school uses ParentSquare which is an automated notification service that sends emergency notifications and informational messages to help keep parents informed.
● A school handbook containing important information and school procedures is sent home with each student and available on our school’s website.
● A specific night for Kindergarten orientation is held to help families understand the expectations and ways of communication for their student.
● Weekly and/or monthly grade-level newsletters sent to families.
● Students in first through third and sixth-grade use planners to communicate with families on a daily basis.
● The Sevier County School System utilizes a district website to communicate with families. In addition to important school dates, events, and reminders, parents can use the Parent Link section found on our district’s website. This link provides parents with many resources for parental involvement, homework help, parenting tips, etc.
● Teachers provide parents with their email addresses in order to provide an easy form of communication.
● Teachers send home progress reports and six-week report cards to inform parents of their child’s academic performance. Parents may also check student grades online via Gradebook Wizard in grades 3-6.
● Various pieces of communication are translated for our Spanish-speaking families, as well as an interpreter for most of the events.

(7) The school provides parents of participating children 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. 

The following are ways that curriculum, academic assessment, and proficiency levels are communicated to our families:

Curriculum:  The curriculum is discussed with parents at our Beginning of the Year Open House. Parents are given a copy of the Parents’ Guide to the Curriculum which outlines what their child is expected to know and be able to do at the end of each grade level. Additionally, teachers send newsletters to parents highlighting the current curricular focus.
Assessment and Proficiency Levels:  Administration and teachers review the prior year’s test results. Brochures and letters are sent home accompanying TNReady Test results. Proficiency levels are discussed at parent-teacher conferences and/or at another meeting time convenient for the parents. Parents also receive information regarding Benchmark and Common Assessments periodically throughout the year that inform parents of their student’s proficiency level.

(8) Per parent request- opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and respond to any suggestions as soon as practically possible.

When a child is experiencing difficulty, teachers will conference with parents to discuss how to motivate the child, offer suggestions for remediation/enrichment, and solicit help and support from home. Similarly, when a parent requests a meeting with teachers, they come together with the administration to listen to the views and challenges faced by the parent/student and offer suggestions and/or accommodations to best meet the needs of the student. The teachers and support staff work together to implement a plan created from the recommendations, suggestions, and requests for help made by parents, teachers, and administrators.

(9) A process is in place to submit parent comments on the school wide program (SIP) if it is not satisfactory to the parents when the school makes the plan available to the district/LEA.

Parent comments and suggestions are always welcome at Boyds Creek. Parent representatives on the Prioritization team and parents on the InformTN Committees all provide input through periodical meetings throughout the year. Input is also utilized from any parent who voices a suggestion or comments to the administration. Family and community members can also submit comments via a link on the district-wide program page on the district's website at https://www.sevier.org/domain/183.

(10) A parent school compact is jointly developed with parents and describes the responsibilities of each stakeholder as required by ESSA Sec. 1116.

Parents review the parent-school compact during document review meetings to offer suggestions for changes and edits. The compact is sent home with each student for families to review and sign. Parent suggestions are welcome after this document is sent home to prepare for a future revision when necessary.

(11) Building capacity for involvement- Assistance is provided to parents in understanding topics such as the State’s academic content standards, State student academic achievement standards, State and local academic assessments, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve student achievement.

Parent training sessions are held by school administrators and teachers as needed. Administrators discuss current changes/results in regard to data and the school’s areas of success and areas of greatest need at planning meetings and/or other times as needed. The administration informs families of celebrations, curricular changes/needs, and upcoming assessments through school and classroom newsletters, social media, ParentSquare, and the school’s website. Third-grade parent meetings are held multiple times throughout the year to update parents on their child’s progress toward proficiency and help them understand current legislation concerning third-grade promotion/retention laws.

(12) Building capacity for involvement- Materials and training are provided to help parents work with their children to improve their achievement, such as literacy training and using technology to foster parent and family engagement.

The following opportunities are given to parents throughout the year:

● Title 1 parent materials are sent home and placed in the “Parent Resource Center”.
● Parent training sessions are held by administration, teachers, and the guidance counselor at various times of the day in person and through Google Meet on topics requested by parents or listed as a need on parent surveys.
● Teachers inform parents of various technology programs utilized in their classroom and/or available on ClassLink and how parents can best help children at home.
● Family engagement nights are planned with the idea of aiding parents in supporting academics at home. They are provided with support and resources for use at home.

(13) Building capacity for involvement- Staff are educated, with the assistance of parents, in the value and contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, build ties between parents and the school.

In addition to attending staff development opportunities relating to family engagement, faculty and staff research and brainstorm on-going ideas on how to increase and promote family participation, collaboration, and contribution. The following are examples:

● Teachers participate in an extensive G Suite Training that teaches them how to use available Google apps to communicate with students and parents and are issued a Chromebook to utilize within their classrooms.
● Students in first through third and sixth grade use student planners to communicate daily with families.
● Newsletters are sent home weekly and/or monthly from classroom teachers. Information about upcoming events is posted on the school’s social media, website and classroom apps. Email and ParentSquare are also used to communicate between parents, administrators, and teachers.
● Conferences between parents, teachers, and administrators occur every six weeks and as requested by parents.
● The school website address is communicated to parents at the beginning of the year information packet. The website includes information on the following subjects: school motto, mission statement, beliefs, vision, student handbook, celebrations, school calendar, important dates, and roster of faculty and staff with communication links via email.
● Sevier County’s parent involvement coordinator trains staff members on the value of active parent involvement and various ways to achieve this.

(14) Building capacity for involvement- To the extent feasible and appropriate, Title I-A parent and family engagement programs are coordinated and integrated with parent involvement activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, , the Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other 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.

In an effort to smooth the transition from home to school for young children, the following measures are in place:

● Kindergarten registration is an opportunity to welcome future parents to our building, gather paperwork, communicate needs, and positively begin a relationship with Boyds Creek Elementary School’s future parents. Many staff members and volunteers are involved in this process.
● Students entering Kindergarten in the fall begin on a staggered attendance schedule. The use of this schedule serves to ease the transition from Pre-K or home to Kindergarten classes.
● Kindergarten teachers host a Kindergarten Round-Up to help with the transition to Kindergarten. They provide tours and give information about the daily routine and expectations for kindergarten.

(15) Building capacity for involvement- Provide other reasonable support for Parent and Family Engagement activities per parent request. (Example: transportation, childcare)

Childcare is provided for parent/guardian events as needed. The school faculty seeks to actively involve parents with opportunities to volunteer within the school and provide a mentor to help parents with small children by providing support.

(16) Accessibility-Local educational agencies and schools, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.

Parent meetings are conducted throughout the school year or on an as-needed basis providing parents with information concerning their child’s education, materials to practice and support identified skills relative to their child’s learning, and tips for parents, while fostering a positive relationship between the home and school environment. Two-way communication involves a variety of media such as phone calls, emails, and person-to-person conferencing. Every effort is made to assist our parents with limited English proficiency. Many school/district documents are available in both English and Spanish. Translators are brought in to interpret during meetings for families with limited English Proficiency as needed. Faculty, staff, or other volunteers are also available to assist parents in reading forms and completing paperwork. Information disseminated to families is sent in clear, simple English. Forms are often sent home in English and in Spanish versions where applicable.

(17) The school will actively involve the families of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the funds reserved for parent and family engagement are spent.

Boyds Creek actively involves families in decisions about how funds reserved for parent and family engagement are spent throughout the school year through surveys and planning committee and document review meetings. Families of the students at Boyds Creek are a valuable part of our school’s decision-making process and help determine how these funds can be used to encourage other families to become involved in our school.