Before and After School Program
Department of Children and Families
Eastford School Readiness Council
Special Education/Pupil Services
School-Family-Community Partnership
Parent Involvement Compact
Eastford School District
Eastford Elementary School
The Eastford Board of Education 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 district to educate all students effectively, the school and parents must work as knowledgeable partners.
Although families are diverse in culture, language and needs, they share the school’s commitment to the educational success of their children. This school district, in collaboration with parents, shall establish programs and practices that enhance parent involvement and reflect the specific needs of students and their families.
To this end, the Eastford Board of Education 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 involvement program will be comprehensive and coordinated in nature. The program will include but not be limited to activities related to the following six standards:
Standard I: Responsible parenting is promoted and supported.
A. Provide parent/family information through the school Media Center—many materials have been purchased through the PALS program—an annotated list will be developed and distributed.
B. The School Counselor will maintain a list of programs and resources available to families in the Eastford community.
C. At least one program designed to promote positive parenting will be offered each school year.
D. Parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning by monitoring attendance, homework completion and media involvement (i.e. television watching, social media and video game playing).
E. Parents should participate, as appropriate, in decisions related to their children’s education.
Standard II: Communication between home and school is regular, two-way, and meaningful.
A. A parent/student handbook will be updated and distributed each year to all families. This handbook will contain information about school procedures, student services and required and optional programs. In addition, the handbook will provide a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
Eastford Board of Education
72.41
Instruction
B. A school-wide monthly newsletter will be distributed to each family. This newsletter will provide updates on classes and activities. Monthly calendars will be included. Each teacher will communicate with parents monthly, either via the school newsletter or a classroom newsletter.
C. Report cards will be distributed three times per year in grades K-8. In addition, students in grades K-8 will receive interim progress reports in the middle of each marking period. All teachers will communicate with parents about academic progress as often as necessary.
D. Parent conferences will be scheduled in a formal manner for parents of grade K-8 students two times per year. Opportunities for parents to meet with teachers will be scheduled immediately when concerns arise.
E. All teachers will provide clear information about course expectations and offerings.
F. All teachers will be encouraged to communicate with parents regarding positive student behavior and achievement and not just regarding misbehavior or failure.
G. Smarter Balanced (SBAC) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) assessment information will be sent to parents in the mail. An annual meeting will be scheduled to discuss results with parents.
H. Information on school policies, discipline procedures, assessment tools and school goals will be shared with parents via the student/parent handbook and monthly newsletters. Parents will be included in decision-making processes as often as possible.
I. Informal activities will be sponsored by PTO and other groups at which parents, staff and community members can interact.
J. The e-mail addresses of teachers will be made available to parents to facilitate timely communication. All school emails consist of the person’s first initial followed by their last name @eastfordct.org. For example, to reach the principal, Carole McCombe, you would type cmccombe@eastfordct.org.
Standard III: Parents are welcome in school, and their support and assistance are sought.
A. Send out multiple requests for volunteers and ensure that parents who cannot help during school hours can contribute in meaningful ways during other hours.
B. Maintain and nurture “room parents” for each class.
C. Show appreciation for parents’ participation by sending thank you notes and sponsoring receptions when appropriate.
D. Encourage parents to visit their children’s classroom during the school day through participation in side-by-side and daily classroom activities.
Standard IV: Parents play an integral role in assisting learning.
A. The principal will convene an annual meeting for all parents/guardians of children participating in a Title I program. At this meeting, the requirements of Title I and the rights of parents to be involved will be explained.
Eastford Board of Education
72.41
Instruction
B. Three additional meetings, scheduled at different times of the day, will be available for parents of students participating in Title I programs.
C. Parents will be involved in the planning, review and ongoing improvement of the school’s parent involvement policy.
D. The school will provide materials to help parents with their partnership in education (i.e. literacy, technology).
E. There will be an annual meeting for parents of incoming kindergarteners to foster an effective transition to Eastford Elementary School.
Standard V: Parents are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families.
A. All staff members are expected to nurture the growth of the established parent groups:
1. PTO – The school’s primary parent group will assist the school in recognizing and promoting positive ties between parents and school.
2. Parent Advisory Group – The principal will schedule regular meetings at which parents may formulate suggestions and participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children.
3. Middle School Fund-raising and the Sports Booster Club provide additional vehicles for parent involvement.
4. Title I Parents will meet at least three times per year to discuss goals and program format.
B. The principal will report the progress of all established parent groups to the Eastford Board of Education and community at large through the school newsletter and the Eastford Communicator.
Standard VI: Community resources are made available to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning.
A. The school staff will foster student participation in community service.
B. The school staff will disseminate information to the school community, including those without school-age children, regarding school programs and performance:
1. SBAC results will be discussed in the Eastford Communicator
2. Preschoolers will be invited to cultural programs.
The goal of the Eastford Elementary School is to provide high quality education to meet the challenging standard of serving ALL children. In addition to mandated Special Education and Section 504 programs, The Eastford Elementary School will support a Title I Program to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency in meeting challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.