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.

Bailey’s Elementary 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 that 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.

Bailey’s Elementary jointly developed this policy and compact with members of the school community and adopted it for the 2023-2024 school year. Several 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 PTA Meetings, Principal/Parent Coffees, emails and a comment box in the Parent Resource Center.   Comments are submitted with the school’s policy and compact to FCPS central offices and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). This policy and compact are made available to the broader school community through the school website.

Important Dates            

Open House

• August

Back to School Night

• September

Parent-Teacher Conferences                                                 

• November

Progress Report Distribution

• November
• February
• April
• June

School Events

• Open House/Back to School Event
• PTA Meetings-Monthly
• Arts In Action Day
• Family Science Night
• Advanced Academics Parent Night
• CETA Night
• Partners in Print Event
• Family Field Trip to Kennedy Center

Building Capacity for Involvement

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 as Parent Teacher Association, Garden Committee, and Family Engagement Committee.
• Engage caregiver input when developing the School Improvement and Innovation Plan (SIIP), SIIP Needs Assessment (SNA), 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 with SIIP to FCPS central offices.
• Invite family members to help in organizing and executing a variety of school events to build collective ownership, such as becoming members of the school’s Family Engagement Committee, working with Parent Liaisons, supporting attendance initiatives, Family Science Night, Garden Committee, and PTA events.
• Provide opportunities for caregivers to volunteer within the school in various ways, such as supporting outdoor learning, reading with students, helping teachers in the classroom, supporting students in the cafeteria during lunch, and working in the bookroom.
• Encourage families to take part in the annual evaluation of the division-level Title I parent and family engagement policy in order to identify barriers to greater family participation

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 News You Choose, eNotify, Thursday folders, monthly classroom newsletters, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Encourage all caregivers to attend an annual meeting in August, 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 Open House/Back to School Event, parent-teacher conferences, curriculum nights, and PTA meetings.
• Provide opportunities throughout the year for families to better understand the school’s goals for students and find ways to improve student learning by dedicating a portion of each principal coffee/PTA meetings to various topics.
• Maintain resources for caregivers to review student assignments and ongoing communication about student work such as monthly newsletters and Thursday folders.
• Provide ongoing feedback on student progress through quarterly progress reports that show specific areas of proficiency and areas for continued growth.
• Hold parent-teacher conferences for all students at least annually in the fall and more often, as needed.

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 Family Science Night, and weekly parent workshops in the Parent Resource Center.  
• Offer regular opportunities for families to learn directly from school staff about the school’s academic, behavioral, and social programming through PTA Meetings and curriculum.
• 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, such Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) events, and Curriculum Nights.
• Provide ongoing access to resources in the school, such as the Children and Family Clothing Boutique, Parent Resource Center, Parent Workshops, and information on Curriculum Nights. 
• Provide opportunities to donate and access supplies donated by others, such as donations through the McLean Bible Church and Muslim Women’s Coalition.
• Leverage partnerships with local businesses and organizations to enhance school programs and events, such as Partners in Print, Changing Education Through the Arts events, All Ages Read Together, Wee Play, and curriculum events.
• Support parents in accessing county and community resources, such as sharing school and community events, connecting with school personnel, and working closely with school parent liaisons.
• Offer outreach and training for targeted families, such as parent classes, and share the dates and information for Family Engagement meetings and learning events in the community. 

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 Family Engagement Meetings, conferences, workshops, Parent-Teacher Conferences and CETA events.
• 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 parent liaison for interpretation services for parent -teacher conferences, technology-assisted interpretation, Principal coffees, and PTA meetings.
• Expand access for family participation in informational meetings and learning sessions by employing parent liaisons to focus on making connections with parents and enhancing support and opportunities for a successful schooling experience.  The staff will support in English, Spanish, and Arabic.

Compact Provisions

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

The staff will:

Provide a high-quality curriculum and instruction that enables students to meet challenging academic standard through the following actions:

• Teach all students according to the state’s rigorous standards using approved curriculum resources.
• Provide ongoing professional development and support to all teachers to ensure effective instructional practices are used in all classrooms.
• Communicate clear expectations of student behavior and academic learning.
• Provide translations of documents, conferences, and events whenever possible.
• Be aware of and responsive to the individual needs of each child.
• Teach concepts to children in accordance with the State Standards of Learning and the County Program of Studies.

Provide a supportive and effective learning environment for students through the following actions:

• Provide clear expectations for student behavior and academic learning.
• Offer a variety of resources to help students with their learning.
• Be aware of and responsive to the individual needs of each child.

Provide assistance to 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 and avenues for caregivers to ask questions and give input into the Title I programs.

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.
• Invite them to attend Open House, Back to School Events, Parent Teacher Conferences, and other school events.

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. 
• Encourage and support my child’s consistent daily school attendance.

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 and work with my classmates to complete learning tasks.
• Give my parents all notes and papers from my teacher.
• Ask for help when I’m not sure what to do.
• Eat breakfast and lunch every day.
• Know my teacher’s name.