Matheson Park Elementary School

Please enjoy the following pictures of students in Ms Phillips & Ms Swanson's class competing in a Mar's Expedition

Matheson Park is committed to the goal of providing quality education for every child in this district.  To this end, we want to establish partnerships with parents and the community.  Everyone gains if Matheson Park and home work together to promote high achievement by our children.  Neither home nor Matheson Park can do the job alone.  Parents play a crucial role as children’s first teachers.  Support for their children and for the school is critical to children’s success at every step along the way.

Matheson Park recognizes that some students may need the extra assistance available through the Title I program to reach the state’s high academic standards. Matheson Park intends to include parents in all aspects of the school’s Title I program.  The goal is a school-home partnership that will help all students to succeed.  To this end, we will:

1. Convene an annual Parent Involvement Meeting in September in which all parents are invited.   The requirements of Title I and the rights of parents to be involved will be discussed.  Sign-in sheets will be used to document parental participation at this and all meetings during the year. Minutes will be taken which will include parents’ comments and questions.

2. Other meetings will be held during the year such as parent/teacher conferences, and family nights for reading, math and science.  Meetings will be held mostly in the evening due to the fact that most of our parents work during the day.  This will ensure that parents have the opportunity to participate in their children’s educational success.  Notification of these meetings and other events will be provided via flyers, school web page(www.mathesonpark.com), school calendar and school marquee.

3. Parents and staff will be involved in the planning, review, and improvement of our school parent involvement policy annually. We will insure that parents have a voice in the development of all Title I policies and programs and that they are signatories of all plans and policies.  A copy of this policy will be sent home to all parents.  Each year a “Quality of Education,” survey will be conducted to determine what areas need to be addressed and to assess the quality of communication between home and school.

4. Timely information about programs will be included in school newsletters, flyers, on the school’s web page and school marquee as appropriate.  In addition, we will hold an annual open house/curriculum night during which teachers will describe and explain the curriculum used at school and the types of academic assessments used to measure student progress (DBA, SBA, DRA2, KDPR, SBPR) and proficiency levels.   Email addresses of teachers can be accessed on the school web page so that parents can freely contact their children’s teacher.   Parents are encouraged to attend fall and spring parent teacher conferences so they may be informed about grade level standards and any other decisions relating to their children’s educational success.  Translators are available to assist when needed.

5. If any parents are not satisfied with the Title I program, they may submit comments to the principal, who then forwards these comments to the Title I district office.  All comments and correspondences from parents, positive or negative, will be saved and kept in the Title I notebook and used to help with the design and implementation of the Title I program.

6. A parent/teacher/student/administrator compact was developed that outlines how all parties will share in the responsibilities for improved student academic achievement.  In addition, the compact will spell out the methods of communication the school will use to insure maximum contact between parents and school staff.  These will include, but not be limited to:

6. 1. Parent teacher conferences at least twice a year – during fall conference the compact will be discussed.
   2. Regular progress reports at least 6 times a year.
   3. Reasonable access to staff members via email addresses and phone extensions.
   4. Opportunities for parents to volunteer and participate in their child’s class as well as participating in decisions relating to their child’s education.

The compact also describes ways parents need to support their children’s learning,

such as regular attendance, homework completion, and keeping abreast of school information sent home.

7.   State standards, district and school assessments will be shared at parent/teacher conferences and/or parent involvement meetings and family academic nights as

necessary.  AYP status will be shared with parents from the principal via the web page and/or newsletter.  Information on how parents might support the academic

education of their children will be discussed by teachers as necessary.  Feedback from parents will be sought via an evaluation form to ensure these processes are

effective. Staff will continually work together with parents as equal partners to insure, implement and coordinate programs and meaningful dialogue.

8. Parental involvement will not be limited to Title I, but will extend to all programs regardless of the source of funding or origin of the program (school, district, state

or federal).  Information regarding various programs will be sent to parents in a timely fashion and format that parents can understand.  If need be, childcare will

be offered to parents so they may attend parental involvement activities.