Brookwood Elementary is identified as a Title I school as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Title I is designed to support state and local school reform efforts tied to the challenging State academic standards to improve teaching and learning for students. Title I programs must be based on effective means of improving student achievement and include strategies to support family engagement. All Title I schools must jointly develop, with parents and family members a written parent and family engagement policy.

This is a plan that describes how Brookwood Elementary will provide opportunities to improve family engagement to support student learning. Brookwood Elementary values the contributions and involvement of parents and family members to establish an equal partnership for the common goal of improving student achievement. This plan describes the different ways that Brookwood Elementary will support family engagement and how parents can help plan and participate in activities and events to promote student learning at school and at home.

Brookwood Elementary invites all parents to attend our annual Title I Meetings in August to review and revise this parent and family engagement policy, as well as the school wide plan, our school-parent compact, and the family engagement budget. Additionally, parent input and comments regarding this plan are welcome during the school year through written form turned in to the main office. The plan is posted on our school website for parents to view and submit feedback throughout the year. All parent feedback received during the year will be used to revise the plan for the next school year. Parents and family members can also give feedback during PTO meetings, Family Nights, and School Council meetings during the school year including our annual PTO Open House.

All students participating in the Title I, Part A program, and their families are encouraged and invited to fully participate in the opportunities described in this plan. Brookwood Elementary will provide full opportunity for the participation of parents and family members with limited English, with disabilities, and of migratory children.

Parents are given opportunities during PTO meetings, Family Nights, and School Council meetings to view the policy. The plan is also posted on the school website and social media. Parents can also retrieve a copy of the plan from the main office.

By 2018, Dalton Public School students will meet or exceed the state target cohort graduation rate for all students. By 2018, Dalton Public School students will be reading at or above grade level as measured by the EOG. By 2018, Dalton Public School students will meet or exceed the state performance target in Reading on the EOG. By 2018, Dalton Public School students will meet or exceed the state performance target in Math on the EOG. Educate all students in learning environments that are safe, drug free, and conducive to learning.

By 2019, Brookwood Elementary School students will increase proficiency in Milestones achievement results and Lexile results as seen in detail on our publically available State of the School infographic at brookwood.daltonpublicschools.com

As part of this plan, Brookwood Elementary and our families will develop a school-parent compact, which is an agreement that parents, teachers, and students will develop that explains how parents and teachers will work together to make sure all our students reach grade-level standards. The compacts will be reviewed and updated annually based on feedback from parents, students, and teachers during School Council and open period feedback. The school-parent compacts also are sent home to parents early each school year and kept in the office if parents need another copy.

Brookwood Elementary will host the following events to build the capacity for strong family engagement to support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement. Times for all meetings for parents and family members are listed below.

• School Council – Aug 23, Oct 25, Jan 24, Mar 28, 2018 at 11:30 a.m.

A forum for parents and family members to participate in roundtable discussions with the principal and staff regarding the school wide plan, parent and family engagement policy, school-parent compacts, and the family engagement budget.

• Annual Title I Meeting – Aug 23 at 11:15 a.m. and Aug 24, 2018 at 7:45 a.m.

We invite you to a meeting of learning and sharing about our Title I program, including our parent and family engagement policy, the school wide plan, the school-parent compacts, and parents’ requirements. Invitations will be posted in the school newsletter, front door, and social media.

• PTO/Open House/Discover Brookwood – Aug 28, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.

Learn about the Brookwood PTO and approve budget; meet your child’s teacher, and our friendly and helpful school staff.

• Parent-Teacher and Student Conferences – October 2018 Scheduled updates on your child’s progress.
• PTO/Brookwood Ballyhoo – Oct 19, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.

Come celebrate learning fun with games sponsored by the Brookwood PTO; converse with our school staff.

• PTO/Chorus Show – Dec 18, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.

Come celebrate our fine arts showcase sponsored by the Brookwood PTO and our chorus; converse with our school staff.

• Spring PTO Meeting/Drama Performance – TBA

Come celebrate our fine arts with a performance by our drama group and review the Brookwood PTO work from the past year; election of PTO officers for the next school year.

• District Choral Festival – April 18, 2018 at 6:15 p.m.

Come join an evening of choral performance when all 6 elementary schools combine choirs in a fantastic showcase.

• Career Day – TBA

A connection with the school, parents, and community to share careers and future job opportunities for students.

Brookwood Elementary believes that family engagement means the participation of parents and family members in regular two-way and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:

• That parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning
• That parents should talk daily with their children about what they are learning and reading about
• That parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school
• That parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.

Brookwood Elementary will take the following measures to promote and support parents and family members as an important foundation of the school in order to strengthen the school and reach our school goals. We will:

• Ensure that all information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is published in both English and Spanish, posted on the school website, and included in the monthly school newsletter for all families
• Provide trainings for staff on strategies to improve communication with parents and ideas to increase family engagement with reading and math activities for our students outside of the classroom. Staff will also share best practices during meetings
• Partner with early childhood programs, middle and high schools, college and career ready resources or organizations, parent resource centers, or other programs (as applicable) to help prepare parents and their children for successful school transitioning
• Share information in English and Spanish in the school newsletter for parents to understand the school’s academic standards and assessments as well as the ways parents can monitor their child’s progress and work with educators
• Communicate with all families and the community on a regular basis regarding schoolwide events and activities, through phone messages, social media, and flyers
• Work with our parents to develop relevant trainings and helpful presentations to educate our staff on the importance of parent and family engagement and how to support student learning
• Provide necessary materials and handouts for parents at conferences, meetings, and activities to help parents work with their child to improve their child’s achievement
• Use our School Council to improve awareness of the activities and events listed in the school parent and family engagement policy
• Work with the district to offer literacy and computer classes for parents and family members to help further enhance their various educational levels
• Collect feedback from parents and family members at all events and post a suggestion form on the school website in order to respond to parents’ requests for additional support for parent and family engagement activities

Brookwood Elementary invites all parents to join the School Council to share ideas and ways to involve other parents and family members to build partnerships with school, families, and the community. The team will meet four times during the school year, but parents and family members can also submit their ideas or suggestions at school activities and meetings, as well as through our parent surveys and website. If you would like to learn more about the School Council, please contact the principal at (706) 876-4200 or complete the interest form and leave it in the main office.

This parent and family engagement policy has been developed jointly and agreed on with parents and family members of children participating in Title I, Part A programs. This policy was adopted by Brookwood School on 09/07/2018 and will be in effect for the period of the 2018-2019 school year. The school will distribute this policy to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children on or before September 28, 2018.