• TITLE 1 PARENT ENGAGEMENT POLICY

    Ferderbar Elementary School

    Mrs. Pamela Haggerty, Title I Reading Specialist

    Mrs. Jennifer Pinson, Reading Specialist

    Dr. Sinead Doherty, Principal

    2023-2024

    The Title I Program at Ferderbar Elementary School is part of a wide range of educational experiences which assists students in obtaining skills needed to succeed in school and life. We are dedicated to the belief that parent engagement is integral to the SUCCESS of each student. The Title I Program at Ferderbar actively recruits parents as our partners for success. Parents will be involved in the planning, review and improvement of the school's engagement policy.

    We serve to provide a smaller, more intimate educational setting for those families who are invited to participate. This setting is one in which parents, students and teachers can confidently work together toward accomplishing shared goals. Our population is also constantly changing, with families from diverse backgrounds, resulting in the need for the kind of flexible grouping and differentiated instruction which our Title I program provides. Support staff services in the areas of guidance, speech, and special education work together to meet individual academic and behavioral needs in coordination with the classroom teachers and the Title I staff.

     

    The Title 1 Parents are involved in the planning, review and improvement of this policy.

    *    Parents are informed early in the school year that their children are eligible to participate in our Title I Program by phone call and/or written notification.

    *    An annual meeting and Open House will be held in the fall to inform parents of the school's participation in the Title I Program and to explain the requirements of the program and their right to be involved.

    *    Opportunities for regular meetings are provided for parents if they so request to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children. This includes parent teacher conferences.

    *    Parents are provided with relevant and timely information about the Title I Program in the form of newsletters throughout the year.

     

    • A Ferderbar Elementary School Home School Compact was jointly developed with parents. The Compact outlines how parents, the teacher and the student will share responsibility for student achievement. Parents are asked to review with their children and sign this Ferderbar Elementary School Title I Home School Compact.

     

    • Interested parents are provided with information about the professional qualifications of the Title I teachers who work with their children.

    *    Parents will be kept informed of their child's academic strengths and weaknesses through teacher conferences held twice during the year. A conference may be convened at any time by parent request.

    *    Parent meetings, workshops, and conferences may be held at different times during the school day, -after school or evening to meet the needs of working- parents.

    • Title I funds may be used to pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with parent involvement activities, including transportation, child care, or home visit expenses to enable parents to participate in school related meetings and training sessions.
    • Joseph Ferderbar ES will educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents and family members, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents and family members as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and family members and the school (ESSA, Section 1116(6)(e)(3)) by sharing SPAC videos annually to Title I staff.
    • Joseph Ferderbar ES will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate, and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with other federal, state, and local programs including public preschool programs and conduct other activities, that encourage and support parents and family members in more fully participating in the education of their children (ESSA, Section 1116(6)(e)(4)) by inviting parents and families of those students to participate in meetings and activities throughout the year as appropriate.
    • Parents have the opportunity to serve on the Parent Advisory Council and participate in making decisions regarding allocation of parent involvement funds, the Home School Compact, the Parent Involvement Policy and the Title I curriculum.

    *    Parents are invited to attend the Bucks County Title 1 Coordinators Annual Workshop for Parents held at the intermediate Unit #22 in Doylestown every March.

    *    Parents are provided with a description and explanation of the methods and curriculum in use at school, and the forms of assessments used to measure student progress and determine proficiency levels. These are introduced at the Open House/Meeting and further explained during conferences.

    *    Parents are invited to meetings/workshops conducted during the year where they can learn how to work with their child at home more effectively.

    *    Parents will receive home activities so that they can support literacy growth.

     

    *    Parents are offered opportunities to observe instruction during their child's Title I time.

    They are also welcome to participate in and help with activities.

    *    When feasible, Title I staff will arrange to provide information to limited English proficient parents in a language that they understand both orally through Language Line and in writing using Google Translate.

    *    Parents will be asked to complete and return an end-of-year survey of the Title 1 Program, helping to determine its SUCCESS in raising student achievement as well as its effectiveness in increasing parent involvement.

    • This written Parent Involvement Policy is aligned with District Policy and is updated annually.

     

    • Parents are invited to participate in the joint development of a Schoolwide Program Plan under section 1 1 1 4. Please contact the building principal, Dr. Sinead Doherty, if you would like to participate.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    This Parent & Family Engagement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs, as evidenced by parent meetings held on October 5, 2023.

    This policy will be in effect for the period of one year. The school will make available this policy to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children on or before December 30, 2023.