RENAISSANCE CHARTER SCHOOL AT CENTRAL PALM Title I, Part A Parental Involvement Plan

I, Jackson Self , do hereby certify that all facts, figures, and representations made in this application are true, correct, and consistent with the statement of assurances for these waivers. Furthermore, all applicable statutes, regulations, and procedures; administrative and programmatic requirements; and procedures for fiscal control and maintenance of records will be implemented to ensure proper accountability for the expenditure of funds on this project. All records necessary to substantiate these requirements will be available for review by appropriate state and federal staff. I further certify that all expenditures will be obligated on or after the effective date and prior to the termination date of the project. Disbursements will be reported only as appropriate to this project, and will not be used for matching funds on this or any special project, where prohibited.

Assurances

  • The school will be governed by the statutory definition of parental involvement, and will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with the definition outlined in Section 9101(32), ESEA;
  • Involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A in decisions about how Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement are spent [Section 1118(b)(1) and (c)(3)];
  • Jointly develop/revise with parents the school parental involvement policy and distribute it to parents of participating children and make available the parental involvement plan to the local community [Section 1118 (b)(1)];
  • Involve parents, 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) [Section 1118(c)(3)];
  • Use the findings of the parental involvement policy review to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the school’s parental involvement policy [Section 1118(a)(E)];
  • If the plan for Title I, Part A, developed under Section 1112, is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school will submit parent comments with the plan when the school submits the plan to the local educational agency [Section 1118(b)(4)];
  • Provide to each parent an individual student report about the performance of their child on the state assessment in at least mathematics, language arts, and reading [Section 1111(h)(6)(B)(i)];
  • Provide each parent timely notice when their child has been assigned or has been taught for four (4) or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified within the meaning of the term in 34 CFR Section 200.56 [Section 1111(h)(6)(B)(ii)]; and
  • Provide each parent timely notice information regarding their right to request information on the professional qualifications of the student's classroom teachers and paraprofessionals [Section (h)(6)(A)].

 

Signature of Principal or Designee

Date Signed

 

Mission Statement



Parental Involvement Mission Statement (Optional)

Response: Renaissance Charter School at Central Palm's parents will do what is right, do what's best for children, lift up and support other parents in order to help our children make positive choices to make a difference in their world.


Involvement of Parents



Describe how the school will involve parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely manner, in the planning, review, and improvement of Title I programs including involvement in the decisions regarding how funds for parental involvement will be used [Sections1118(c)(3), 1114(b)(2), and 1118(a)(2)(B)].

Response: Renaissance Charter School at Central Palm believes in involving parents in all aspects of its Title I programs. Parents are involved in the Title I program through monthly parent activities that begin early in the year with our Annual Title I Public Meeting. This meeting informs parents of the many components of the Title I program, introduces them to the school's curriculum and various assessments in each subject area, and recruits parents to become part of the school's decision-making process. Some of the actions to involve parents is to include parent representation from the onset of the development through membership on the School Advisory Council. The PTO/PTC, SAC and TITLE I Family Nights are combined into one evening and continue to be successful in providing parents a forum for participation in an organized, ongoing and timely manner. Parents have the opportunity to attend staggered activities throughout the evening that involve them on several levels. SAC meetings throughout the year offer parents a vehicle for input into how parental involvement funds are used, what items should be included in the Title I Home-School Compact and Annual Title I Parent Survey, and keeps parents informed as to the implementation of the School Improvement Plan.


Coordination and Integration



Describe how the school will coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities that teach parents how to help their children at home, to the extent feasible and appropriate, including but not limited to, other federal programs such as: Head Start, Early Reading First, Even Start, Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, public preschool, Title I, Part C, Title II, Title III, Title IV, and Title VI [Section 1118(e)(4)].

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Program

Coordination

1

Reading Rockets

Title I funds at Renaissance Central Palm provide additional teachers to assist students, particularly low performing students.

2

Staff Professional Development Plan

Staff Development funds are used to develop a comprehensive professional training program to improve delivery of instruction through a variety of workshops designed to move teachers to mastery and improve student achievement. This will include bringing in experts from various educational backgrounds to work with staff as well as sending staff to the annual Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Conference/workshop.

3

Academic Family Nights

Parental Involvement Funds are utilized to fund monthly academic parent nights that provide parents with new skills to support student learning at home. Improving the frequency and quality of family participation and increasing family literacy are also goals of our parental involvement component. Monies are used to purchase food, supplies/materials and provide stipends for teacher presenters.

4

Annual Title 1 Open House

Teacher syllabi discussed so that parents can help students stay on task and they are informed of the expectations, SIS/Power School, Volunteer Hours, Parent-Student Handbook.

5

School Website

Utilizing school’s website to advertise school events and information for parents.

6

Parent Resource Room

A Parent Resource Room will be developed to help encourage more parent participation as well as support parents with helping their children with homework, etc.


Annual Parent Meeting



Describe the specific steps the school will take to conduct an annual meeting designed to inform parents of participating children about the school’s Title I program, the nature of the Title I program (schoolwide or targeted assistance), Adequately Yearly Progress, school choice, supplemental educational services, and the rights of parents. Include timeline, persons responsible, and evidence the school will use to demonstrate the effectiveness of the activity [Section 1118(c)(1)].

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Activity/Tasks

Person Responsible

Timeline

Evidence of Effectiveness

1

Annual Parent Meeting

Jackson Self

January 14, 2015

January 30, 2015

2

Advertised date to staff, SAC, parents and community through flyers sent home via backpack with all

Bonnie Cuesta, Nicole DiFiore, Katherine Bachman

December & January

Flyers and Parent link notice

3

Work with Leadership Team to plan agenda and PowerPoint Presentation that includes PIP

Nicole DiFiore & Katherine Bachman

December & January

Copies of sign in sheet & agenda


Flexible Parent Meetings



Describe how the school will offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide with Title I funds, transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services related to parental involvement [Section 1118(c)(2)].

Response: Parent conferences are scheduled in the morning and afternoon hours and offer flexibility in time slots. ESE parent meetings are conducted not only in the morning, but also throughout the day to provide convenience for parents. PTC/SAC/TITLE I Parent Nights are conducted once a month on the same evening so parents have an opportunity to participate in all or selected events.


Building Capacity



Describe how the school will implement activities that will build the capacity for strong parental involvement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement [Section 1118(e)]. Describe the actions the school will take to provide materials and training to help parents work with their child to improve their child’s academic achievement [Section 1118(e)(2)].Include information on how the school will provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under Section 1118 as parents may request [Section 1118(e)(14)].

count

Content and Type of Activity

Person Responsible

Anticipated Impact on Student Achievement

Timeline

Evidence of Effectiveness

1

Monthly SAC meetings

Dale Jennings SAC Chair, Jackson Self Principal & Meagan Connolly Assistant Principal

Empower parents by providing curricular and assessment information, training on data analysis and ways to monitor the School Improvement Plan. Train SAC members on shared decision-making. Seek input from parents on the planning and implementation of action plans for the School Improvement Plan and Parental Involvement Plans.

August 2014 - May 2015

SAC Agendas SAC Minutes SAC Sign-Ins Achievement Data

2

Family Book Fair

David Katz Curriculum Coach, Juana Morales Curriculum Coach

Expose families to the Book Fair and provide info on how to access materials and books from PIRCS and public libraries.

Fall 2014 and Spring 2015

Flyers, Sign-In sheets, & Newsletter

3

Personalized Learning Plans

All teachers, parents and students

Teachers will train parents and students how to create a PLP based on data and classroom performance. Develop a PLP based on student data and track student data and goals.

Fall 2014

Achievement Data, Data Tracking Folders and PLP

4

Family Health, Wellness and Prevention Night

Samantha Mancuso, Guidance Director

Families will attend workshop on healthy nutrition; anti-bullying, anti-smoking, ways parents and children can deal with peer pressure and strategies to reduce conflict at home and in the community.

Spring 2015

Flyers, Sign-In sheets, & Newsletter

5

Writing Family Night

4th grade team of teachers & Juana Morales Curriculum Coach

Share new FSA expectations and show parents how student writing will be assessed. Students and parents will write together following the new style and assess their writing based on the rubric.

Spring 2015

Flyers, Sign-In sheets, & Newsletter

6

FSA Family Night

Meagan Connolly Assistant Principal and all teachers in grades 3 - 6.

A Parent Resource Room will be developed to help encourage more parent participation as well as support parents with helping their children with homework, etc.

Spring 2015

Flyers, Sign-In sheets, & Newsletter


Staff Training



Describe the professional development activities the school will provide to educate the 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 [Section 1118(e)(3)].

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Content and Type of Activity

Person Responsible

Anticipated Impact on Student Achievement

Timeline

Evidence of Effectiveness

1

Improving Communication through the use of SIS/PowerSchools

Meagan Connolly Assistant Principal & CSUSA Ed Team

Training included: • communication through the use of PTM and Student Boards • tracking parent volunteer hours • school-wide events for parent involvement and participation • posting grades and homework

August 2014 Planning Week

Agenda & Sign-In Sheets

2

Conducting Effective Parent-Teacher Conferences

Leadership Team

Administration will meet with teams to share ways to effectively hold parent-teacher conferences and how to help parents support their children at home academically.

August 2014 Planning Week

Agenda & Sign-In Sheets & Conference Forms

3

Differentiated Instruction

David Katz and Juana Morales, Curriculum Coaches

Help teachers utilize different strategies to differentiate curriculum in the classroom to meet the needs of the students.

January 29, 2015

Agenda & Sign-In Sheets


Other Activities



Describe the other activities, such as parent resource centers, the school will conduct to encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children [Section 1118 (e)(4)].

Response: A parent resource center will be created with the support of the school district in the spring of 2015.


Communication



Describe how the school will provide parents of participating children the following [Section 1118(c)(4)]:

  • Timely information about the Title I programs [Section 1118(c)(4)(A)];
  • Description and explanation of the curriculum at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet [Section 1118(c)(4)(B)];
  • If requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children[Section 1118(c)(4)(C)]; and
  • If the schoolwide program plan under Section 1114 (b)(2) is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school will include submit the parents’ comments with the plan that will be made available to the local education agency [Section 1118(c)(5)].

Response: Renaissance Charter School at Central Palm begins the year by distributing the "Right to Know Letters" and the "School Compact" via book bag to all students. The school will also inform the parents about the location of the School Improvement Plan and Parent Volunteer Policy. Additionally, information is posted on the school's website, SIS/PowerSchool, and also included in the school's monthly newsletter. All of these documents contain up-to-date information on parent activities, policies, and procedures related to the Title I Program.



The Title I Annual Meeting provides descriptions and explanations of the school's curriculum and academic expectations for proficiency in all subject areas and grade levels. This information is shared at monthly SAC meetings via the Principal's report and administrators.



Our monthly SAC meetings provide the forum for parents to provide input and formulate suggestions related to decisions affecting the academic program. Parents are actively recruited for SAC, beginning with the Title I Annual Public Meeting and throughout the year at Title I Family Activities.



Parents have the opportunity to provide input through the mid-year and year-end evaluation survey. Comments and suggestions will be taken into consideration and included in the annual review.



Accessibility



Describe how the school will provide full opportunities for participation in parental involvement activities for all parents (including parents with limited English proficiency, disabilities, and migratory children). Include how the school plans to share information related to school and parent programs, meetings, school reports, and other activities in an understandable and uniform format and to the extent practical, in a language parents can understand [Section 1118(e)(5) and 1118(f)].

Response: To ensure accessibility, particularly for our ELL population, flyers for parent involvement activities are sent home when requested in the family's native language. Interpreters are in attendance at parent activities to ensure a full understand for all.


Discretionary Activities



Discretionary School Level Parental Involvement Policy Components Check if the school does not plan to implement discretionary parental involvement activities. Check all activities the school plans to implement:

count

Activity

Description of Implementation Strategy

Person Responsible

Anticipated Impact on Student Achievement

Timeline

1

Involving parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of that training [Section 1118(e)(6)];and

SAC meetings

Dale Jennings SAC Chair, Jackson Self Principal and Meagan Connolly Assistant Principal

Will develop skills of educators

August 2014 - May 2015

2

Providing necessary literacy training for parents from Title I, Part A funds, if the LEA has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for that training [Section 1118(e)(7)]; and

Parent Literacy Night

David Katz and Juana Morales Curriculum Coaches

Parents will be taught foundational skills in all content areas in order to assist with homework

Spring 2015

3

Training parents to enhance the involvement of other parents [Section 1118(e)(9)];

SAC meetings

Dale Jennings SAC Chair, Jackson Self Principal and Meagan Connolly Assistant Principal

Will help parents get involved

August 2014 - May 2015

4

Maximizing parental involvement and participation in their children’s education by arranging school meetings at a variety of times, or conducting in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend those conferences at school [Section 1118(e)(10)];

SAC meetings

Dale Jennings SAC Chair, Jackson Self Principal and Meagan Connolly Assistant Principal

Will help meet the needs of the parents and keep them in touch with the school

August 2014 - May 2015

5

Adopting and implementing model approaches to improving parental involvement [Section 1118(e)(11)]; and

SAC & PTC

Dale Jennings SAC Chair, Jackson Self Principal and Meagan Connolly Assistant Principal

Will help get parents involved

August 2014 - May 2015

6

Developing appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses, including faith-based organizations, in parental involvement activities [Section 1118(e)(13)].

Developing community partnerships

Krystyn Eldridge Partnership Coordinator and Jackson Self Principal

Will help students and parents connect with the community

August 2014 - May 2015


Upload Evidence of Input from Parents



Upload evidence of parent input in the development of the plan.


Upload Parent-School Compact



Note: As a component of the school-level parental involvement policy/plan, each school shall jointly develop, with parents for all children served under this part, a parent-school compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement Section 1118(d)].

Upload an electronic version of the Parent-School Compact.


Upload Evidence of Parent Involvement in Development of Parent-School Compact



Note: As a component of the school-level parental involvement policy/plan, each school shall jointly develop, with parents for all children served under this part, a parent-school compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement Section 1118(d)].

Upload evidence of parent input in the development of the compact.