West Fannin Elementary School

Title I Plan for Parental Involvement

Revised May 14, 2010

The West Fannin Elementary School Title I Parent Involvement Plan was developed by members

of the School Improvement Team (SIT). This committee consists of school administrators,

teachers, a paraprofessional, the media specialist, the school counselor, the academic coach and

parents. The Parent Involvement Plan is reviewed and revised annually by the SIT. Input is

shared through grade level meetings, questionnaires and parent surveys. The collected

information is discussed by the SIT and necessary adjustments are made to the Parent

Involvement Plan.

The faculty and staff at West Fannin Elementary believe that parent involvement is a vital

component of the educational process and major contributing factor to the academic success of

our children. The partnership between school and parents will increase the potential for academic

excellence.

I. Communication.

Communication between administrators, teachers, parents and students is a vital part of

the educational process. The faculty, staff and parents of West Fannin Elementary maintain the

lines of communication in the following manner.

• Annual Title I meeting. During this meeting the Director of Instructional Services or

designee share the requirements of the Title I program. Parents are invited and to attend

this meeting. The Title I Parent Involvement Plan is available for parents upon request.

• Grade-level meetings and Open House. Parents are invited to the school to meet teachers

and discuss expectations for the upcoming school year.

• Student Handbook, newsletters and agendas. At the beginning of the school year each

student is given a student handbook which details school policies and procedures as well

as resources for parents to assist in student achievement. Additionally, each student is

provided with an agenda to record assignments and assists the parents and teachers with

communication between home and school. Rewards are offered for students who

maintain their agenda properly. Also, each grade-level publishes a newsletter periodically

to keep parents informed of current events.

• Parent/teacher conference days are scheduled to provide parents the opportunity to

monitor their child’s progress.

• Fannin County School System, West Fannin and some teachers maintain webpages to

make information readily available. Additionally, each staff member is provided with

email to be used a tool for communication.

• All written communication from school to home will be copied on paper of a specific

color that is not white in order to be recognized as top priority.

• Parents may register for access to Infinite Campus which provides them the opportunity

to view their child’s grades and attendance online.

• Alert Now is an automated calling system and is used to send out mass phone messages

to families of students at West Fannin.

• Informational meetings for various purposes such as Response to Intervention and review

of the Criterion Referenced Competency Tests are conducted as needed.

• The school marquee is used to display upcoming school events and can be viewed from

the main highway.

II. Community

The faculty and staff at West Fannin Elementary believe that working with the

community is yet another way to benefit the educational experiences of our children. A sense of

community is fostered in the following manner.

• Opportunities for parents to volunteer. Parents are provided with multiple ways to

volunteer at school including experiences inside and outside the classroom.

• The school maintains a partnership with many local businesses to provide funding and

support for various activities.

• The school counselor works with the attendance monitor to maintain a directory of

community services for families in our area.

• A Parent-Student-Teacher-Administrator Compact / Behavior Compact is completed at

the beginning of each school year by every student to establish expectations from all

involved parties. The compact contains a description of the school’s responsibility to

provide high-quality curriculum and instruction and contains a description of the parents

responsibility to positively contribute to their child’s education.

• Parents are invited to participate in school activities. These activities include but are not

limited to:

1. Award / Reward Days for Students

2. Various School Programs (i.e. Veteran’s Day, White Christmas)

3. Parent / Teacher Organization (PTO)

4. School Improvement Team (SIT)

5. School Counsel

6. Family Book Fair Nights

7. Mentor Training

8. Field Trips

9. Kindergarten Orientation

10. Response to Intervention (RTI) meetings.

• Title I resources may be used to provide childcare as the need arises.

III. Resources

• Parent Resource Room. At the beginning of the 2007-2008 school-year a Parent Resource

Center was established. This center includes sections for counseling and mentoring

provided and maintained by John Hensley (School Counselor). Additionally, the center

includes a curriculum section provided and maintained by Diane Scott (Reading /Math

Specialist). Finally, a variety of communication centers include; access to computers for

Accelerated Reader Testing, beginning school information, kindergarten registration

information, PTO and school counsel information, and a directory of community services

available to the general public. These areas were established and maintained by Kathy

Brownlee (School Computer Technician), Sunny Anderson (Attendance Support Worker)

and John Hensley (School Counselor). The Parent Resource Center provides parents the

opportunity to seek resources to aid their children in all areas of their education.

• At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, each parent or guardian will be given an

interest inventory for their child. This inventory will provide the teachers with

information about the student’s goals, strengths, talents, interest and the list availability

of parent volunteers. Additionally, this will aid the teacher in matching the student’s

skills/talents with school and classroom needs.

• West Fannin Elementary allocates time to provide parents the support needed to

remediate specific behavioral and/or educational issues relating to their child. This can

include self esteem, motivation, test taking strategies, homework, social skills, healthy

lifestyle choices, and speech/language/reading and writing development. Presenters could

be the school counselor, speech and language pathologist, teachers, and various

community representatives affiliated with specific needs.