DeKeyser Elementary

ESSA Section

Ways in Which DeKeyser Staff Accomplish These Activities

1116(b)(1) This Plan has been jointly developed and distributed to parents and family members in a language that can be understood. The Plan is updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.

Describe the development of the Plan, including the stakeholders involved, the steps taken to ensure the Plan is understood, and the process for updating the Plan.

The DeKeyser Elementary Title 1 Schoolwide Parent Involvement Plan was created through the collaborative efforts of parents and staff. Parents were an intergral part in the development of this plan and their feedback and suggestions are utilized in making updates to our Title 1 Schoolwide Parent and Family Engagement Plan.

The plan is reviewed in the fall during the Annual Title 1 Parent Meeting. Parents have the opportunity to learn the details of the plan, ask any questions they may have, and offer feedback. Their feedback is incorporated into the plan as appropriate. The plan will be posted on the school website for families unble to attend the annual meeting to review and contact the school should they have any questions or would like to provide feedback.

The Home/School Compact is reviewed with input during the fall parent meeting and then signed with parents and students at fall conferences.

1116(c)(1) Convene an Annual Title I Parent Meeting at a time convenient to parents to inform parents of the Title I requirements and their right to be involved.

An annual meeting is held which includes information for parents on:

DeKeyser Elementary holds an annual Title 1 Parent Meeting, in conjuction with Open House, which is held in the fall. The meeting covers the Title 1 Schoolwide Parent and Family Engagement Plan, the Title 1 Program, and how parents can assist their child in being academically and socially successful.

How are parents encouraged to attend?

Parents are notified of this meeting through the community S'More, Facebook page, phone blast, and the DeKeyser website.

1116(c)(2) Offer flexible number of meetings at times convenient to parents and provide transportation, childcare, or home visits as it relates to parental involvement.

Meetings are offered at times convenient for parents and if needed, transportation, childcare, and home visits can be arranged:
DeKeyser holds flexible meetings for parents throughout the school year. In the fall, we have a curriculum night as well as scheduled conferences with parents.

ESSA Section

Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities

1116(c)(3) Involve parents in an organized, ongoing and timely way in the planning, reviewing, and improvement of Title I programs, including the development, review, and improvement of the Parent and Family Engagement Plan and the Schoolwide Program Plan.

Parents are involved in the development of the School Improvement Plan and Title I Program development in the following ways:

DeKeyser Elementary includes parents in the planning, review, and involvement of programs. Along with the principal and staff, PTCG members work together to help determine needs and strengths of our building. During the Fall Annual Meeting, the Parent and Family Engagement Plan along with the Home School Compact is available, and parents have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have and offer feedback. Parents are also given the opportunity to give feedback anonymously via the parent survey. Families unable to attend the meetings were able to contact the building principal to discuss information shared at the meetings and provide feedback. We also provide many activities that involve our families such as: Family Science Night, Family Bingo Night, Parents Night Out, Reading Month Activiteis such as author visits, and schoolwide reading challenges.

1116(c)(4)(A) Provide parents of Title I children timely information about the Title I Program.

Parents are provided information regarding the school Programs in the following ways:

Parents are provided information regarding the school programs in the following ways:

Parents receive timely information about DeKeyser's programs through Fall Curriculum Nights, Parent-Teacher conferences, Kindergarten Open House, Parent Workshops, and our Facebook page. Additional information is distribulted by the classroom teacher through email, individual notes home, the student daily agenda, weekly classroom newsletters, personal phone conferences, Schoology, and PowerSchool Parent Portal (online access to student grades and attendance). General information for the school is available on DeKeyser's website @ https://dekeyser.uticak12.org/, through robocall (automated voicemail recorder sent to all parents by the principal), and the district television station.

DeKeyser Elementary sends notes to parents informing them when their child is participating in a tiered instruction with our Literacy Coach and/or receiving English Language Learner Support from our English Learner Teacher. Parents are informed as soon as their student is identified as at risk (below grade level based on classroom assessments). This note includes: the service the child is receiving, who is responsible for providing this service and their contact information, amount of time the child is seen per week and what parents can do at home to help their child.

ESSA Section

Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities

1116(c)(4)(B) Provide parents of Title I children a description and explanation of the curriculum used at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure progress, and the achievement levels students are expected to meet.

Parents are provided information about the school’s curriculum, assessments, and proficiency level expectations in the following ways:

Teachers provide a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at DeKeyser Elementary during Curriculum Night/Open House. During this event, teachers provide and explain the Core Curriculum Standards/Grade Level Content Expectations for their grade level. The teachers share assessmetns used in their classroom at Curriculum Night and notify parents through classroom newsletters and student daily agendas when the assessments take place. Letters are sent explaining their students M-STEP, WIDA, and NWEA results in detail. The Principal uses School Messenger, the weekly DeKeyser Newsletter, and the Facebook page to share important information regarding assessment dates.

Classroom teachers inform parents of student proficiency levels and where the student should be upon exiting the current grade during parent-teacher conferences. Ongoing contact through email and phone calls is provided to those students who fall below proficiency levels.

1116(c)(4)(C) Provide parents of participating Title I students opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions, to participate in decision-making as it relates to their child’s education, and to respond to any suggestions as soon as possible.

Parents have opportunities to share suggestions, participate in decision making, and respond to any suggestions in the following ways:

 At DeKeyser, parents can contact the principal, teachers, and support staff by telephone, e-mail, or schedule a meeting before/during/after school to discuss their child. Conferences are scheduled in the fall, (November) for every student and again in the spring (February) for those students that need additional support. If requested, the Titel I coach and the EL teacher attend these meetings to provide additional information to parents. Throughout the year, additional conferences are available upon parent request.

1116(c)(5) Ensure that if the Schoolwide Program Plan is not satisfactory to parents of participating students, submit any parent comments on the Plan when the school makes the Plan available to the Local Educational Agency (LEA).

If parents are not satisfied with the School Improvement Plan or Programs, they have opportunities to make comments by: completing our annual survey, contacting the principal with any suggestions they may have for improvements of

programs. Parents are also able to address concerns at our

Monthly PTCG meetings. We use the feedback to review and make revisions at that time if necessary, for the following school year.

The School-Parent Compact Must:

1116(d) Jointly, with parents, develop a School-Parent Compact that outlines how the entire school staff, parents, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement.

 Yes

No

1116(d) Clearly explain district and school goals for students to meet the challenging State academic standards.

 Yes

No

1116(d) & 1116(d)(1) Describe ways that teachers are responsible for supporting students’ learning and providing high quality curriculum and instruction.

 Yes

No

1116(d) & 1116(d)(1) Describe specific ways parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning.

 Yes

No

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Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities

1116(d) Describe specific ways students will be responsible for their learning.

 Yes

No

1116(d) & 1116(d)(2)(C) Describe school activities to build partnerships with parents, including chances for parents to volunteer, take part in, and observe classroom activities, and communicate with teachers.

Yes

No

1116(d) & 1116(f) Describe how parents and family members are involved in developing and revising the compact.

 Yes

 No

1116(d)(1) & 1116(d)(2)(A-C) Ensure regular two-way meaningful communication between family members and school staff throughout the school year, so that parents are kept up to date on their students’ progress and get regular tips on home learning.

 Yes

 No

1116(f) Communicate information using family friendly language and format.

 Yes

No

1116(e)(1) Shall provide assistance to parents of students served by the school in understanding the State’s academic content standards, the State and Local assessments, and how to monitor their child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.

How does the staff provide assistance to parents to help them understand the content standards, assessments, how to monitor their child’s progress, and how to work with educators to improve the achievement of their children?

What training is provided to families?

The Utica Community School District sends a parent report with individual M-Step, WIDA and NWEA scores. Additionally, parent-teacher conferences are scheduled in November for all students and in February for those students who are struggling or whose parents requested. Traditionally, DeKeyser provides Title I Parent Meetings for parents where grade level content expectations are explained and activities/strategies are taught/modeled. Literacy Coaches and the EL teacher are available during conferences to discuss local and district assessments and student progress. During the Kindergarten Open House, new Kindergarten parents are introduced to Kindergarten academic expectations and provided with activities to do at home with their children.

1116(e)(2) Shall provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.

Staff will provide parents with appropriate materials and offer training in our school to enable them to support their child’s academic progress. These include:

During our Title I Night, Curriculum Night, Parent Support Nights and Kindergarten Open House, our parents are given training and materials. Title I students also bring home materials borrowed or to keep purchased with Title I funds. The EL district night also gives information materials to parents. Weekly district UCS Update emails, building newsletters, classroom newsletters, digital literacy newsletters and building/district websites provide important materials and training for parents.

ESSA Section

Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities

1116(e)(3) Shall educate staff in the value and utility of parents’ contributions, in how to reach out to, and communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, to coordinate and implement parental involvement programs, and to build relationships between the parents and the school.

On-going professional development for staff on effective ways to increase parental involvement occurs annually. They include:

Principal offers professional development for staff on effectively communicating with parents. Peer reviewed articles and professional videos are shared at staff meetings to help demonstrate various strategies that can be used when communication with students and their families. Surveys have been utilized with the staff to determine what the needs are of each staff member in relation to professional development. The information gathered from the survey helps DeKeyser determine the professional development topics that are most needed.

1116(e)(4) Shall coordinate and integrate parental involvement Programs and activities with other Federal, State, and local Programs, including public preschool Programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children.

Coordination with other Programs for parental involvement includes:

DeKeyser Elementary collaborates with the Early Childhood and Special Education program to transition students from a preschool setting to our building. We also involve our preschool program in our communication of all events at school. Preschool classes get a chance to ride the bus and eat in the lunchroom to prepare for Kindergarten. Our preschool teachers hold Parent Advisory Meetings every 6 weeks for parents in the evening. Our district offers EL nights 2-3 times a year for parents to learn about opportunities and programs their child participates in at school, along with ways to support their child's learning.

Important documents are translated to multiple languages for families when needed. The weekly communication from the principal through S'More allows families to select their language print for the newsletter. Our special education team invites families to review and update their child's Individualized Educational Plan and supports they receive at school.

1116(e)(5) Shall ensure information is shared with parents in a language and format they can understand.

Information is shared with parents in a language and format they can understand. Examples include:

 DeKeyser Elementary provides translated documents in multiple languages for our families, which are provided in both written (hard copy) and digital information as needed. We provide, trough the Macomb Intermediate School District, interpreters for deaf parents. In addition, we use Language Line Solutions interpreters for translations. All information shared is reader friendly and written in a format easy to understand and free of acronyms.

Gray Area - Recommended Best Practice, but Not Required

1116(e)(6) May involve parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training.

DeKeyser Elementary has adopted the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System) to help exemplify positive behaviors and reduce negative behaviors. Students "showing' these positive behaviors receive a blue ticket.

They will sign it and then put it in a box for a weekly drawing.

Winners get to choose a book of their liking from our "Dolphin Den" book shelves.

ESSA Section

Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities

1116(e)(7) May provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the LEA has exhausted all other reasonably-available sources of funding for such training.

1116(e)(8) May pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities, including transportation and childcare costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions.

1116(e)(9) May train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents.

1116(e)(10) May arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend such conferences at school, in order to maximize parental involvement and participation.

1116(e)(11) May adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement.

1116(e)(12) May establish a districtwide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in Programs supported under this Section.

1116(e)(13) May develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parental involvement activities.

1116(e)(14) Shall provide other reasonable support for

Parents are provided with other reasonable support such as:

DeKeyser makes every effort to support our parents and make sure their needs are met. Some ways we support

ESSA Section

Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities

parental involvement activities as parents may request.

families are by providing our "Care Closet." These include essential items for school such as backpacks, coats, hats, gloves, and basic school supplies when needed. At DeKeyser, all students, have the option to receive breakfast and lunch free of charge.

How does the school collect this information?

Parents fill out a free and reduced form in the beginning of the school year to determine their eligibility with the program. The paperwork is sent to the district when complete and the family is notified if they qualify and how much they will receive. This information is then placed in our system for ordering breakfast/lunch. Parents who are in need of school supplies or clothing will contact the office and their needs will be met.

1116(f) Shall provide full opportunities for participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children.

Staff provide opportunities for full parent participation: DeKeyser is handicapped accessible; we provide flexible meeting times and vary our PTCG and other programs times

and days. We conduct phone conferences, video conferences

and obtain translators when requested and/or needed. We also provide, through the MISD, interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing parents. In addition, we use Language Line Solutions interpreters for translations. We provide translated documents in multiple languages for our families.

Additionally, the UCS District website can be accessed in multiple languages. Microsoft Teams and Schoology are used to provide opportunities for students to remain engaged in learning while away from the school setting.