Miller Junior High Parent/Guardian Involvement Policy

Statement of Purpose

Miller Junior High is committed to the goal of providing quality education for every child. To this end, we want to establish partnerships with parents/guardians and the community. Everyone gains when students, parents/guardians, school, and community work together to promote student success. Parents/Guardians play a central role in their child’s educational development. Parents/Guardians bring a unique insight and understanding of their child’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests.

We recognize that some Miller Junior High students may need additional assistance available through our Title One Program in order to reach our state’s high standards. Miller Junior High intends to include parents/guardians in all aspects of the school’s Title One Program. Our goal is to build a partnership which fosters student success!

Parent/Guardian (including Title One parents/guardians) Involvement Opportunities

Miller Junior High strives to involve parents and guardians in meaningful dialogue to foster the development of our students. Some of the ways we involve parents/guardians include:

Back to School Days- the opportunity to pick up a child’s class schedule and get one-to-one assistance filling out all the back to school forms and paperwork

Open House- an evening event at the beginning of the year where parents/guardians meet all of their child’s teachers and get information on all the school programs and opportunities, including Title One and the After School Program

Monthly Family Fun Nights- one evening a month where families share a meal together with staff while participating in a fun, yet educationally informative, program

Student Led Conferences-twice yearly, students lead a conference with their parents/guardians and teachers. The focus is on the progress the students are making towards their school goals.

Meetings by request- yearlong opportunities to request and schedule individual meetings with teachers, counselors and administrators

Parent/Guardian Surveys- parents/guardians surveyed twice a year during Student Led Conferencing

Parents/Guardians (including Title One parents/guardians) Communication Methods

Website -updated daily with school announcements

Updated written announcements mailed out with student academic progress reports and report cards 8 times a year.

Automated phone calls- periodic automated phone calls are made to inform parents of events and provide academic information

Phone calls and emails- staff and parents/guardians are able to call and email one another whenever needed

Miller Junior has entered into a compact among staff, students and parents/guardians. This compact is distributed and reviewed during Back to School Days and is available on the school’s website. Students, Staff, and Parents/Guardians are provided with the compact yearly and provided opportunity to give feedback in order alter/change/improve compact.

A compact is a tool encouraging students, parents/guardians, and the school to work in partnership to help our children increase academic achievement and proficiency on state and district assessments.

Miller Junior High agrees to:

provide a safe and supportive environment in which students can learn and achieve

teach classroom based prevention programs designed to decrease aggression, bullying, and substance abuse while increasing students’ social skills and school success

create, teach and assess lessons clearly tied to measurable common core standards

use powerful teaching and learning strategies to improve students’ skills, knowledge, thinking, applications, and relationships

use technology to enhance students’ achievement and learning

provide ways parents/guardians can participate in their children’s learning

provide ways for communication between teachers and parents/guardians using progress reports, updating online grades, and holding Fall and Spring Student Led Conferences for the purpose of reporting students’ achievement and growth

take advantage of available technology (iPads, internet, smartphones, etc.) to assist students with time management skills

provide tutoring assistance on regular school days through our After School Program and by individual appointment with teachers

connect students and parents/guardians with community services

A Miller Junior High Student agrees to:

maintain healthy eating and sleeping patterns

come to school every day, on time and ready to learn

participate actively in class

be prepared for class

take and review class notes

follow directions from staff

use class time wisely

use technology for 24/7 learning

follow school rules as outlined in the student handbook (on Miller’s Webpage)

increase time spent on homework and improve the quality of homework

read 30 minutes or more beyond the school day

A Miller Junior High Parent/Guardian agrees to:

help my child arrive every day- safely, healthy, on time, well rested and well nourished (access community resources if necessary)

create a quiet place at home for my child to study, read, and do homework

model great reading habits by encouraging 30 minutes or more of daily reading outside of the school day (Read Together!)

work on math facts with my child

set short and long term goals with my child

monitor TV, video gaming, social media, and cell phone/computer usage

organize family time with my child to include:

conversation and family activity time together

checking the Miller teacher websites for assistance

checking the school website for assistance

obtain my confidential username and password for Skyward to check my child’s progress

communicate with the classroom teacher before or as soon as an issue arises

Opportunities for Parents/Guardians to participate in School Decision Making

Parents/guardians are given volunteer information at Open House and both the Fall and Spring Student Led Conferences. Parents/Guardians are welcome at AVID Site Team Meetings and School Leadership Meetings. Parents/Guardians are surveyed regularly at Family Fun Nights and Student Led Conferences.

Accessibility

In carrying out the parental involvement requirements, Miller, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents/guardians with children of limited English proficiency, parents/guardians with children of disabilities, and parents/guardians of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in a format and to the extent practical in a language that parents/guardians can understand.