TULSA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Grissom Elementary
Parent Involvement Plan
2018-2019
PURPOSE: Grissom Elementary shall promote parent involvement in all schools as
mandated by Title I, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and work as equal partners with parents in providing quality learning experiences for every student, every day, without exception.
The Board believes and acknowledges that parent involvement raises the academic achievement level of students. Additionally, parents become empowered, teacher morale improves and communities grow stronger when parents take an active role in educating their children. To this end, schools shall involve parents in the education of their children at all grades levels. The Superintendent or his/her designee shall provide coordination, technical assistance and other support necessary to assist all schools in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance. Public Law 107-110, No Child Left Behind; section 1118-Title I Parent Involvement establishes that to build capacity for parent involvement within schools, a district is to "develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to parents of participating children a written Parent Involvement Policy".
Building Parents Capacity for Involvement
The Board believes that empowering parents to insist on improvement and giving schools extra incentive to do so and by giving parents options regarding their children's education helps the district to realize its vision of "Excellence and High Expectations with a Commitment to All," for patrons of the community. As a result of this belief, the Board shall create an environment of supportive and collaborative parent involvement.
1. Program Information for Parents: Grissom Elementary shall provide assistance to parents of all children in understanding such topics as the state's academic content and achievement standards, the assessments being used, the requirements of Title 1, Part A, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and how to monitor their children's progress and work with educators to improve their achievement.
• Grissom Elementary provides this information to the parents at the Title I meetings, PTA meetings, parent conferences, Back-To-School.
Night, weekly e-mail newsletters, SchoolWay texts, and weekly phone messages. Parents are given the Code of Conduct and the attendance policies along with a Grissom parent/student handbook at the beginning of the school year. Those are given to new students upon enrolling at Grissom Elementary.
• Grissom Elementary consistently communicates with parents regarding the state's academic content standards, the state's student academic achievement standards, the state and local academic assessment including alternate assessment, the requirements of Title I, how to monitor their child's progress, and steps for educators and parents to work in partnership for their child's success.
2. Materials and Training: Grissom Elementary shall provide materials and
training, such as literacy training and training on how to use technology, to
help parents work with their children to improve achievement.
• Grissom provides information regarding school and community
resources to parents at family literacy nights, family music and art events, daytime and evening Book Fair family events, Back-To-School night, parent and teacher conferences, through the school Twitter account, through the family resource library in the front office, and through the school website.
3. Educate Educators: Grissom Elementary shall educate teachers, pupil services personnel, principals and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs and build ties between parents and the school.
Grissom Elementary holds staff development meetings almost every week to help teachers and staff better communicate with families and understand student and family issues. The Grissom PTA and the PBIS team are in place and offer support with parent involvement. Grissom makes additional family and staff educational opportunities available through its partners in education and the programming they offer. Communication through class newsletters, personal phone calls, regular School Connects calls and SchoolWay messages, weekly email newsletters, the Grissom website and the TPS website all increase awareness and facilitate partnerships with parents.
4. Preschool Coordination: Grissom Elementary shall "to the extent feasible and appropriate," coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs with
Head Start, Even Start, and other 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.
• Grissom Elementary provides two full day Pre-K classes that serve a maximum of 40 students. A Developmentally Delayed three- and four- year old program is also in place at Grissom. Parent resources available at the school encourage and support parents in participation in the children's education.
5. Understandable Communication: Grissom Elementary shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings and other
activities is sent to the parents of all children in a format, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.
• Information from Grissom Elementary is sent home weekly through the e-mail newsletter. Information is provided through weekly School Connects phone calls, the SchoolWay message app, the school Twitter account, the school's marquee, parent/teacher conferences, notes and calls from teachers and one on one communication with parents. Translation services are available through Language Line, which translates phone calls into one of over 60 languages, and TransACT, which translates school notes and forms into one of over 60 languages. Grissom also uses the district translator to facilitate conversations with families on a monthly basis and at parent meetings and conferences.
6. Other Requested Activities: Grissom Elementary shall provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request.
• Grissom Elementary hosts parent informational sessions before each PTA meeting, hosts PTA meetings for parent input, collects surveys on important parent issues, and offers a compliments and concerns box in the school office, all to be responsive to parent needs and requests.
Revised: September 2018