Bush Elementary Parent and Community
Involvement Plan
2011-2012
1832 E. Laurel Rd.
London, KY 40741
Bush Elementary
Parent and Community Involvement Plan
Bush Elementary believes that parent involvement is an integral and significant component of a successful school. We feel that the tremendous support from parents at Bush Elementary has contributed to our accomplishment as a pacesetter school, and Bush is grateful and fortunate to have such strong parental involvement. Parental involvement at home as well as at school is necessary for students to receive a well-rounded education. The purpose of the Bush Elementary Parent/Community Involvement Plan is to increase and improve parent/community involvement at Bush Elementary.
Bush Elementary will:
Break down all barriers to parent involvement -
■ Provide an inviting environment and offer opportunities for parent involvement to enhance student achievement/school progress/safety.
■ Make the volunteer process more efficient through the use of databases and the internet
■ Keep parents informed of their children’s academic achievement
■ Provide ongoing and updated information on the LAUREL COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM website and other media outlets
■ Hold an annual meeting to inform parents of their school’s participation in Title 1 to explain requirements and the parents’ right to be involved
■ Offer a flexible number of meetings (transportation, child care, or home visits may be provided if needed) to encourage parent involvement
■ Involve parents in the planning, review and improvement of the parent involvement programs. Parent/Community Involvement Advisory Committee will evaluate the Parent/Community Involvement Program in the spring of each year and discuss the program, activities, procedures, and policies. They will brainstorm on how to work with the community and gain support from government and community agencies. They will share this evaluation and information with the superintendent and Laurel County Board of Education
Involve the community in parent/community involvement -
■ Invite agencies to participate in school level activities (4-H, Conservation Office, Health Care Officials, Special Services – Police Department, Fire Department, Judicial System)
■ Hold regular SITE BASED DECISION MAKING meetings on fourth Tuesday of month that are open to community members and parents
Bush Elementary will implement an active PTO (Parent Teacher Organization)/PTA (Parent Teacher Association) group -
■ PTA/PTO elections will be held annually and will be open to all parents/guardians of Bush Elementary students that meet criteria for volunteering
■ SITE BASED DECISION MAKING elections will be held all under the complete direction of the PTO
■ Monthly PTA/PTO meetings will be held at Bush Elementary where a review of each SITE BASED DECISION MAKING meeting will be provided by a parent member to relay pertinent information discussed at the meeting
Bush Elementary shall provide opportunities for parents to volunteer in the schools -
■ Organized parent volunteer program is now in place in the District
■ Volunteer database is kept district-wide
■ Kelly Hammons, Family Resource Center Director, will have access to the volunteer data base and will provide data on approved volunteers such as contact information and organizations they represent if so involved
■ The PTA/PTO president or other parent volunteer may take on the responsibility of the school volunteer coordinator and act as liaison between school and parents to match volunteers with school activities requiring assistance
■ Activities such as field day, field trips, fund raisers, assisting media specialist etc. will be provided throughout the school year to give parents opportunities to volunteer at Bush Elementary
■ Parents who wish to provide whole class academic enhancement opportunities in the classroom are scheduled with the teacher. The activity must connect with Kentucky Core Content and meet the needs of the classroom. Parents may also volunteer with class celebrations, make class crafts, etc. as the classroom schedule permits and as Bush School Policy allows
■ Volunteer/Confidentiality trainings will be held on several different occasions so that parents will have ample opportunities to receive the training that is required for them to become volunteers
■ Parents/Guardians will be required to complete a crime check EVERY YEAR in order to volunteer. The crime check will take several weeks to return, so it is best for parents to complete the crime check for the upcoming school year in May of the current school year. Bush Elementary has no control over the processing of crime checks. Crime checks are handled through Central Office and must be sent off to Frankfort, KY to be processed. *Note: You must fill out a separate crime check for each parent/guardian that wishes to volunteer.
■ Parents are required to only bring themselves when they come to volunteer. No younger children are permitted in the schools with volunteers via board policy
Bush Elementary will evaluate the effectiveness of the Parent/Community involvement plan on a regular basis.
■ The FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER/YOUTH SERVICE CENTER at Bush Elementary will report their parent volunteer hours to the Central Office on a regular basis
■ Annual Title I parent meeting held at District level will include questions concerning this program
■ The FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER/YOUTH SERVICE CENTER at Bush Elementary will survey families they service in the district to plan for the next year’s program. Families will be able to offer suggestions for improvement through this survey
Bush Elementary shall build parent and community capacity for strong parent/community involvement by -
■ Offering training for school personnel in parent engagement activities. Trainings such as Volunteer/Confidentiality trainings will be held mornings and evenings to accommodate a variety of schedules
■ Encourage parents, community members and teachers to attend state or local conferences on parent/community involvement
■ Provide Volunteer & Confidentiality trainings through the Family Resource Center
■ Providing parents the opportunity to sign up for committees at Parent Orientation Night/Open House
■ Inviting parents/community members to serve on Bush Elementary Consolidated Planning Committee
■ The Title I Parent and Community Involvement Coordinator, Mrs. Debbie Reed, shall act as a liaison to the FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER/YOUTH SERVICE CENTER and Bush Elementary to provide technical assistance in the area of parent/community involvement
Bush Elementary shall coordinate and integrate parent/community involvement strategies and programs with the following agencies in the following ways:
■ Laurel County Community Education Program will help parents and community members become self-sufficient by providing computer training and other job improvement courses
■ Family Resource Centers/Youth Service Centers- act as liaisons for parents to various agencies throughout the community through referrals, provide trainings, provide various items to meet community/school needs coordinate school activities outside of hours, organize after-school daycare programs
■ Parents as Teachers (PAT), Mrs. Laverne Rice, works in conjunction with the FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER in providing home visits , developmental screenings and referrals
■ Various other community agencies as school needs arise
Bush Elementary will annually evaluate the Parent/Community Involvement Plan at its Consolidated Planning Committee review meeting.
n At this time, Bush Elementary will review FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER/YOUTH SERVICE CENTER usage, parent volunteer hours, community involvement activities, and other school-related activities Kelly Hammons, FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER director; will report this information in May. Bush Elementary will make every effort to have parents on the Consolidated Planning Committee when the new test results are received in the fall
Bush Elementary will design improvement strategies such as homework, attendance and discipline -
■ All parents and guardians are provided with LAUREL COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEMS’ ‘Student Code of Conduct’. This document outlines the discipline policy for the district. This document is also made available on the LAUREL COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEMS’ website. Parents/Guardians will be required to sign a document for proof that the Code of Conduct book was received and read.
■ All students receive a student handbook with the homework and attendance requirements of the district and Bush Elementary.
■ The LAUREL COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM website contains the link to all board policies, the district school calendar, and acceptable use policy concerning computer/internet usage by students.
■ Each grade level at Bush Elementary will provide parents with a supply list of supplies needed for school and each classroom’s specific homework/discipline policy. The supply list will be sent to local merchants such as Wal-Mart, K-Mart, & Office Depot so that parents can access the supply list at these stores also.
■ Bush School Wide Behavior Management Brochure is distributed to parents/guardians in August delineating all behavior guidelines at Bush Elementary so that parents will be aware of these processes.
■ All documents will require a signature to show that parents/guardians have received/reviewed the documents.
■ A schedule of Mid Term/Progress Report dates will be posted on Bush Elementary website. In addition, this schedule will also be distributed to parents.
Bush Elementary shall develop strategies for more effective parent/community involvement to improve student academic achievement through the following activities -
■ Bush Elementary shall provide two evenings each school year (1 per semester) for parent teacher conferences. These evenings will be used to meet with parents/guardians to discuss strategies for improving student academic success. Parents can also schedule daytime appointments with teachers in the main office on days other than Parent/Teacher conference nights.
■ Bush Elementary will provide grade level orientation at the beginning of each school year to familiarize parents/guardians of the requirements of each grade level.
■ The Kindergarten teachers will host a Parent Only Night for Kindergarten parents to ease anxiety and provide information for parents of new kindergarteners.
■ Bush Elementary houses a preschool unit that follows Bush Guidelines which helps ease transition into kindergarten.
■ Bush Elementary will host a book fair twice a year on Parent/Teacher Conference Night where parents can attend the book fair with their children.
■ Bush Elementary will include parents in the development of (1) Parent/School Compact and (2) a Parent/Community/Involvement plan.
■ Bush Elementary will provide information to parents on (1) the State’s academic content standards, (2) how to monitor their child’s progress, (3) how to work with educators, (4) how to receive services that are available (Homework hotline, Virtual High School, FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER/YOUTH SERVICE CENTER services, etc.) at the beginning of the school year at each grade level’s Open House.
■ School Report cards are mailed to each home and are posted on the LAUREL COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM website
■ Workshops conducted by school personnel, qualified/knowledgeable personnel, and trainers will be offered at the district level and/or schools
■ Bush Elementary will inform parents about the curriculum and provide access to all learning material during the district scheduled Parent Teacher Conference Days
■ Bush Elementary will have a separate page with a description, list of staff, news and events on the LAUREL COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM website
■ A copy of the districts’ Parent/Community Involvement Plan will be made available at Bush Elementary and sent home to ALL parents/guardians
■ Mid-terms (Every 4 weeks) and progress reports (Every 9 weeks) will be sent to parents/guardians on a regular basis to inform households about their child’s progress
■ A grading scale is posted on each report card
■ A description of Kentucky Core Content for each grade level can be found on the Laurel County Website
■ Accelerated Reader reports will be sent home
■ Behavior Management Forms are copied and sent home to parents so parents can are informed about specific behavior incidents. These forms also require parent signatures.
■ Friday Folders that contain student work for the week require a parent signature weekly so teachers see that parents have seen the child’s work for the week.
■ Open Response questions completed by students that are unsatisfactory will require a parent signature. Open Response Questions, tests, etc. that receives a failing grade will require a signature by a parent/guardian.
Laurel County School System has a website with a variety of information including the following:
■ School report cards
■ District calendar
■ District/school news and events
■ Links to individual school web pages
■ Email addresses of school personnel
■ Links to parent resources
■ Links to student resources
Bush Elementary shall develop various strategies to communicate information to parents and community members
■ Information concerning volunteer activities, news and events in the schools will be posted on the LAUREL COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM website
■ Information concerning volunteer activities, news and events in the schools will be sent to the local radio stations, newspapers and television billboards as well as school marquee. This will ensure readers as well as non-readers have opportunities to be notified of school activities, news and events (Title I Resource teacher will be responsible for submitting these items.)
■ Teachers at Bush Elementary will be available for contact every day during their scheduled planning time or after school if scheduled in advance with the teacher. Contact the office if you need an appointment – (606) 862-4618.
■ Parent/Teacher conferences will be held at various times whenever they are necessary to help student achievement over and above the days set aside by the district
■ Bush Elementary will provide parents/guardians with a school calendar each month outlining activities that will be taking place at the school
■ Teachers will send home letters informing parents/guardians of special events, field trips, classroom activities, homework contracts, word lists, and other educational activities as necessary.
■ Title I information will be distributed at the beginning of the school year along with the student handbook.
■ Title I Parent Meeting will be scheduled during the school year.
The undersigned have reviewed and provided input on Bush Elementary Parent/ Community Involvement Plan.
Date Amended: July 26, 2011 Signature Lisa Sibert___
Council Chairperson
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