9200  PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICY

The Robert L. Craig School community recognizes that a child’s education is a responsibility shared by the school and family during the entire period the child spends in school.  To support the goal of the school to educate all pupils effectively, the school and parents or legal guardians must work as knowledgeable partners.  Although parents are diverse in culture, language, and needs, they share the school’s commitment to the educational success of their children. 

This school, in collaboration with parents, shall establish programs and practices that enhance parent involvement and reflect the specific needs of pupils and their families.

To this end, the Robert L. Craig School community supports the development, implementation, and regular evaluation of a parent involvement program, which will involve parents at all grade levels in a variety of roles.  The parent involvements programs will be comprehensive and coordinated in nature.  They will include, but not be limited to, the following components of successful parent involvement programs:

•           Communication between home and school is regular, two-way and meaningful;

•           Responsible parenting is promoted and supported;

•           Parents play an integral role in assisting pupil learning;

•           Parents are welcome in the school, and their support and assistance are actively sought;

•           Parents are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families; and

•           Community resources are made available to strengthen school programs, family practices, and pupil learning.

Regular Communication with Parents

     In order to build consistent and effective communication between the home and the school and to train teachers and administrators to communicate effectively and in a timely manner with regular communication with parents will include the following:

•           Parent/Teacher Handbook

•           Monthly School Calendar

•           Quarterly Report Cards

•           Quarterly Progress Reports

•           Back to School Night

•           Parent Conferences

•           School Report Card

•           Parent Needs Assessment

•           Robert L. Craig Web Site

•           American Education Week Visitations

Parent Training

     Opportunities will be made available to help parents develop skills to use at home that support their children’s academic efforts and social development.  They provide parents with techniques and strategies that they may utilize to improve their children’s academic success and to assist their children in learning at home.

Parent Participation

     Parents are urged to involve themselves in one or more of the following:

1.     Parent/Teacher Organization – Commonly referred as to the P.T.O., the Parent Teacher Organization provides strong support to the academic endeavors.  Parental participation is vital to the success of all the extracurricular activities that the school offers.  All parents are encouraged to participate and to volunteer for various activities sponsored by the P.T.O.  Meetings are scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

2.     School-Wide Committee – The goal of the School-Wide Committee is to generate resources for school projects aimed at enhancing the quality of education and educational opportunities for Moonachie pupils.  The School Wide Committee is a vehicle for individuals, business, and organizations to assist the district in providing quality instructional and support services.

3.     Parent/Teacher Advisory Panel – The purpose of the Parent/Teacher Advisory Panel is to develop strategies to cultivate parent support for higher academic standards.

Articulation Agreement

The Robert L. Craig School agrees to:

1.     Assign homework activities to be completed with the approximate timeframes:

     1st – 2nd grades          ½ hour

     3rd – 5th grades          1 hour

     6th – 8th grades          2 hours

2.     Provide the child with the appropriate supplies for use in class throughout the entire school year.

3.     Homework will be provided for the following reasons:  reinforcement; structure; organization; communication to parents; and as an assessment tool for teacher information.

4.     Utilize the following criteria for grading homework:

     a.     Is it submitted within designated timeline?

     b.     Is it completed?

     c.     A homework grade shall be based on the number of assignments completed.

5.     Divide projects between short-term and long-term:

     Short-Term

     a.     Two week projects

     b.     Short-term projects will be included as part of the maximum timeline stated in #1 for homework.

     Long-Term

     a.     Projects longer than two weeks (Example – book reports, Curriculum Expo)

     b.     Long-term projects will not be included as part of the maximum timeline as stated in #1 for homework.

6.     a.     Provide sign-off sheets for grades two – four.

        b.     Provide sign-off sheets for grade five only during first and second marking period.

7.     Assign a project that involves family participation a minimum of one time per year.

8.     Utilize the following assessment instruments and percentages for determining pupil grades:

                    First Grade

     Instruments                              Percentages

     a.     Quizzes/Tests (includes projects)          60%

     b.     Participation (includes class work)        30%

     c.     Homework                                   10%

               Second – Eighth Grades

     Instruments                              Percentages

     a.     Quizzes (includes projects)               40%

     b.     Tests (includes projects)                 50%

     c.     Participation (includes class work/       10%

                         homework)

9.     Pupil behavior in and of itself cannot affect the quarterly grade.  However, it can be reflected in the participation portion of the grade.

10.     Include pupil behavior in affecting Robert L. Craig School honor roll status.

11.     Utilize e-mail when appropriate to communicate.

12.     Post short-term and long-term projects on the Robert L. Craig web site.

13.     Communicate to parents regarding both positive and negative pupil information.

14.     Invite parents to observe classroom in November as part of National Education Week.

The Parent or Legal Guardian agrees to:

1.     Provide child(ren) with appropriate space and supplies, (paper, pencils, calculators, etc.) to complete homework.

2.     Review for completeness but do not correct homework.

3.     Complete sign-off sheets for grades two – four.

4.     Complete sign-off sheets in grade five only during the first and second marking periods.

5.     Encourage child(ren) to strive to do their best and show effort.

6.     Encourage child(ren) to be organized.

7.     Encourage child(ren) to meet timelines.

8.     Talk to child(ren) each day regarding what happened in school; and ask if any notices have been sent home.

9.     Read to child(ren) on an on-going basis.

10.     Participate in a family project one time per year.

11.     Utilize e-mail when appropriate to communicate.

12.     Make a good faith effort to attend the Robert L. Craig Back-to-School Night.

13.     Attend Parent/Teacher conference.

14.     Make a good faith effort to attend a minimum of two P.T.O. meetings during the school year.

            Adopted:  September 12, 2011