Purpose of this Policy and Compact

Efforts will be made to clearly articulate the school’s intentions to engage with and involve parents/caregivers in the educational process.

Annandale Terrace Elementary School is a Title I school within Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and utilizes the Title I grant to improve student achievement and help all students meet the objectives of the FCPS Program of Studies and the Virginia Standards of Learning. A partnership with families is essential to meeting this goal.

Under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, schools that receive Title I funds are expected to collaborate with families to develop and maintain a parent and family engagement policy. This policy describes the school’s approach to involve families in students’ learning and includes a compact expressing the partnerships among staff, caregivers, and students to reach high academic goals for every student. 

Annandale Terrace Elementary School jointly developed this policy and compact with members of the school community and adopted it for the 2023-2024 school year. Several of the provisions specifically address state or federal expectations for the policy and compact.

This policy and compact is distributed to all caregivers in a language that families can understand. Caregivers have opportunities to provide comments and feedback on the policy and compact through the In-Person Title 1 Compact Parent Coffee, via the Title 1 meeting at the school, or by contacting school administration. Comments are submitted with the school’s policy and compact to FCPS central offices and the Virginia Department of Education

Important Dates       

Parent-Teacher Conferences 

• October 31, 2023 *conferences also available upon request*
• Additional dates, as requested by parent or teacher. 

Progress Report Distribution

• November 8, 2023
• January 31, 2023
• April 10, 2024
• June 16, 2024

School Events

• Open House: August 17,2023
• Back to School Night: September 8, 2022
• Annual Title 1 overview parent meeting: October 20, 2023
• Bi-weekly Parent Coffee Meetings on Fridays 
• Family Science Night:  November 28, 2023
• Early Literacy and Leadership Development for Hispanic Families Days TBD
• Family Field Trip – Winter 2024 and Spring 2024

Building Capacity for Engagement

Efforts will be made to ensure parents/caregivers are actively involved in the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the school’s Title I program, including the following:

• Provide family members a voice in decision-making on committees, such Annandale Terrace Elementary School PTA and Title I Parent Advisory Committee. 
• Engage caregiver input when developing the School Improvement and Innovation Plan (SIIP), Comprehensive Needs Assessment, the Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy and Compact and plans for use of Title I family engagement funding.
• Seek feedback from families on programs within the SIIP, offer multiple methods for caregivers to submit comments about programs they may not find satisfactory, and submit any such comments to FCPS central offices.
• Invite family members to help in organizing and executing a variety of school events to build collective ownership, such as such as Family Science Night, Partners in Print Night, Multi-cultural Night, Movie Night, Monthly Family Market, Art Show, and Math/Literacy Night.
• Provide opportunities for caregivers to volunteer within the school in various ways, such as, Cougar Pride schoolwide quarterly events (Cougar Pride Bash, Carnival), Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving Luncheon, Book Fair and in the Parent Center.
• Encourage families to take part in the annual evaluation of the division-level Title I parent and family engagement policy to identify:
  • Barriers to greater family participation 
  • Ways to help family members be better able to assist in student learning
  • Strategies to support successful school and family interactions

Effective Communication with Parents

Efforts will be made to ensure parents/caregivers receive meaningful communication in a timely manner, including the following:

• Use multiple methods of communication to families such as emails, phone calls, conferences, Keep in Touch, News You Choose, text messages, Talking Points, Wednesday folder forms, Twitter, Facebook, regular web updates of school news, newsletters, fliers, calendars, and parent resource links.
• Encourage all caregivers to attend an annual meeting on October 20, 2023, at 9:00 am to share information about Title I services, explain Title I grant requirements, and inform families of their right to be involved in the school.
• Share school and student performance data with families in ways that seek their ideas about how to improve performance toward Virginia’s challenging academic standards, such as SOL Nights, Title 1 Parent Coffee, etc. 
• Provide opportunities throughout the year for families to better understand the school’s goals for students and find ways to improve student learning by holding Friday morning Parent Coffee Meetings to discuss topics such as Importance of Sleep, reading, math and Science at Home, Mental Health, Digital Citizenship/Internet safety and Developing a Growth Mindset.

Shared Responsibilities for High Academic Achievement

Efforts will be made to ensure parents/caregivers receive materials, training, and benefits from school partnerships with social and academic services, community-based organizations, and businesses, including the following:

• Hold workshops connecting caregivers to tools and resources, such as, Resource Fair during Back to School Night, Partners in Print, parent coffees to cover topics such as digital citizenship and study skills.  
• Offer regular opportunities for families to learn directly from school staff about the school’s academic, behavioral, and social programming through parent coffee meetings, curriculum celebration nights and literacy programs.
• Encourage participation in family learning events where caregivers learn strategies to support their child’s learning at home and have a chance to practice those strategies with their child, during school wide events such as Partners in Print, Family Literacy Night, Math Night and Family Science Night.
• Provide ongoing access to resources in the school, such as the Parent Resource Center featuring books, postings on parenting classes, Early Literacy classes, Tutor.com, ST Math, Lexia, and Lightspeed.
• Provide mentors for students through community religious organizations, business partners from the Sprague Center, mentor program, and staff members to mentor students during lunch as well as throughout the school day.  
• Provide opportunities to donate and access supplies donated by others, such as school supplies, books, clothing, coats, hats, gloves, shoes and food donated by KIDS R First, Food for Others, Capital Area Food Bank, Twenty2 Club, and local churches.
• Leverage partnerships with local businesses and organizations to enhance school programs and events, such as volunteers, donations of materials, sponsorship for food or guest speakers, reading partners or mentoring.
• Support parents in accessing county and community resources, such as health care, counseling, and tutoring, through the school social worker, family liaisons, and Neighborhood School Readiness Team that supports early childhood education.  
• Offer outreach and training for targeted families, such as, Early Literacy classes, Wee Play, HIPPY, Korean Literacy Preschool Program, and parent coffee meetings.  

Welcoming All Families

Efforts will be made to ensure that all parents/caregivers are welcomed and provided opportunities to actively engage within the school, including the following:

• Create a welcoming atmosphere at the school with courteous faculty and staff who are multilingual, parent-friendly signs, availability of resources in multiple languages.
• Provide interpretation services for parent-teacher conferences, workshops, and meetings.
• Translate or provide interpretation of all school documents and communication to make them accessible in the caregiver’s preferred correspondence language and for those with vision or hearing impairments.
• Support two-way communication between families and staff through assistance of a family liaison for outreach, supporting during parent conferences, liaison between home and school when new families transition, communicating critical information to parents about student progress and serving as a point of contact for questions for families.
• Expand access for family participation in informational meetings and learning sessions through PTA meetings and bi-weekly parent coffees.

Compact Provisions

School staff, parents/caregivers, and students must work together to ensure student success.

The staff will:

Assist caregivers in understanding the school’s program through the following actions:

• Hold an annual meeting to present information on the school’s Title I programs, state and division curriculum and assessments, and the school’s state and federal accountability status.
• Provide multiple opportunities for caregivers to ask questions and give input into the Title I programs.
• Communicate frequently with families using a variety of methods such as conferences, home visits, technology, Wednesday folders, family liaisons and interpreters when needed.
• Family handbook is updated every year and shared with families at the start of the school year. 

Build caregivers’ involvement in the school’s Title I program through the following actions:

• Include caregivers as members of the School Improvement and Innovation Planning (SIIP) Committee and as collaborators in developing the SIIP and plans for the use of Title I family engagement funds.
• Elect a Title I Parent Advisory Committee member to represent our school at district wide meetings and report back to the school and parents.

The parents/caregivers will:

Demonstrate understanding that participation in my child’s education will help his or her achievement through the following actions:

• Participate in decisions related to school programs and my child’s education and share my questions or comments about the programs in my child’s school.
• Volunteer in my child’s classroom or in school activities, as my schedule allows.
• Encourage and support my child’s learning at home and at school.  
• Check backpacks daily and monitor homework.
• Attend conferences and school events that support student achievement.
• Ensure that my child attends school on time every day.
• Contact my child’s teacher with questions and concerns.
• Read and/or encourage independent reading daily. 

The student will:

Share the responsibility to improve my academic learning to achieve the state’s challenging standards through the following’s actions:

• Get enough sleep every night.
• Come to school on time unless I am sick. 
• Try my hardest, work with my classmates to complete learning tasks, and ask for help when needed.
• Give my parents all notes and papers from my teacher. 
• Use the strategies and tools I have learned to do my best in class every day.
• Support my learning by using self-control and showing respect to all people.