Family Involvement Guidelines for the PaperMill School Title 1 Program

The PaperMill School Community believes students will reach their fullest potential when there is a strong home-school connection.PaperMill School, in partnership with the Title 1 Programactively supports and encourages the involvement of parents/guardians in the educational process. Recognizing the diversity of family structures, circumstances, and cultural backgrounds, this document will use the term “parent” to include participation of all individuals who have parental responsibility for the child. The term “family” includes all those who play an important role in the child’s upbringing and well-being.

The family involvement component of the Title 1 program at PaperMill School will be comprehensive and coordinated in nature. The School qualifies for a schoowide Title 1 program; as such, all students are Title 1 students and benefit from parts of the program. To promote the involvement of our large and diverse community of families, practices that enhance familyengagement and reflect the specific needs of our students and their families will be implemented. They will include, but not be limited to:

1.Parents will have the opportunity to learn about and provide input into the development, implementation and review of Title 1 programs and policies. To accomplish this:

  • All parents will be invited to an annual meeting/forum held in conjunction with Open House. Parents will be informed about the scope and objectives of Title 1 programs and be given opportunities to provide feedback and receive information on involvement opportunities.
  • Program and policy information will also be available to parents through the Title 1 website, a voluntary e-mail list, in newsletters/flyers and Title 1 events and Open House.

2.Support will be provided to families and teachers as they plan and implement effective family involvement by:

  • Encouraging interaction and communication through a variety of family events which give families the opportunity to engage in enjoyable learning experiences.
  • Developing a Home / School Compact in cooperation with both parents and teachers and promoting its use for the betterment of students. The compact will reflect the mission and vision of PaperMill School.
  • Providing current, reputable parent literature/materials through a variety of venues, in a format that is understandable to parents.

3.In order to promote the school’s and parents’ capacity to guide students to realizing their fullest potential, the PaperMill School Title 1 Program will:

  • Provide parents with information which will increase their capacity to participate in decisions regarding the education of their children, and effectively work with educators to improve academic achievement.
  • Inform parents of Title 1 activities, programs and policies through e-mail, social media, newsletters/flyers and at Title 1 and school events.
  • Encourage staff to have regular two-way, meaningful communication with parents through parent teacher conferences, progress reports, newsletters, the PaperMill School website and opportunities for observation of classroom activities.
  • Encourage the education of teachers and other staff in importance of actively engaging families in the educational process, in meaningful ways.
  • Make information available, in a format and, to the extent possible, in the language families can understand.
  • Provide training and materials to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement.

4.The Title 1 Program of Westfield Public Schools will collaborate with the PaperMill School PTO, the Westfield Education Association, and other organizations dedicated to increasing student achievement by sharing information, co-sponsoring events and encouraging attendance and/or participation in activities that serve the needs of all parties involved.

5.Families will participate in an annual evaluation and needs assessment of the content and effectiveness of Title 1 program and policies at PaperMill School, including family involvement guidelines. Using the evaluation findings, they will be involved in designing strategies to increase family involvement and overcome barriers which may limit participation for those who are economically disadvantaged, disabled, have limited literacy, have limited English proficiency or are of racial / ethnic minority background.

This document will be distributed annually at the PaperMill School Open House, and be available at Title 1 events and on the Title 1 website. A copy of the goals will also be available from the Title 1 office.

Adopted November 2012

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