BPS Community Resource

October 7th- Duck Derby

October 9th-13th- Fall Break

October 19th- Catoosa County Family Collaborative Meeting

October 26th- BPS Spirit Night at Freddy's Custard and Steakburgers

October 30th- APEX Fun Run Begins

October 30th PTO Fast Pass Drawing

October 31st-Trick or Treat at School

This month is going to be a very festive month for us! The Duck Derby and Catoosa County Parks and Recreation Fall Festival kicks off the fun. Come out to the Jack Mattox Complex on October 7th from 3-6pm. Ducks can still be purchased for the fundraiser, and all proceeds benefit Communities in School of Catoosa County. Make sure you pick BPS as your school that's representing; the top school gets a prize!

Fall Break begins October 9th, make sure to spend some time encouraging fire safety in your home, as this is also Fire Prevention Week. As the weather gets colder and families are turning on heaters and fireplaces, now is a great time to remind your kids about what to do in case of a fire or a carbon monoxide emergency.

When we return from school, we are full tilt into the second nine weeks of school with field trips, PBIS celebrations, and the APEX Fundraiser kick off! For parents, the Catoosa Family Collaborative Meeting will be held on October 19th at 8:45am at the Catoosa Learning Center. We will close out this month with Trick or Treat at School and a visit from a very special character to take pictures with. (hint: He protects Gotham City in his spare time!!) If you have any question about what is happening this month or you would like more information please reach out to me anytime.

Room Parents, Parent Teacher Organization, and Parent Volunteers

The beginning of the school year is a busy time, Title I Parent Involvement is no exception. This first quarter of school is focused on familiarizing families with what Title 1 is and what there is to offer families in our school. We get feedback from families through surveys and meetings to uncover needs and create a unique plan, every year, to support our school families in the best possible way. Here are some of the events, activities , documents, and tools available to parents that have taken place since school began in August.

• Right to Know Letter
• Volunteer Orientation Meeting
• Annual Meeting
• Fall Survey

Parent & Family Engagement Vision:

Battlefield Primary strives to provide a supportive and enriching learning environment through which students will achieve academic excellence. We believe this will best be accomplished as students, teachers, and families are committed to working together.

What is Family Engagement and why is it so important to a child's education?

Family Engagement is a shared responsibility in which schools, community agencies, and organizations are committed to reaching out to engage parents in meaningful ways and the parents are committed to actively supporting their children’s and adolescents’ learning and development.

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

• That families play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;

• That families are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;

• That families 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;

• In addition to regular meetings, families have the right to request meetings. The PIC will take requests to the BPS administration where they will consult on the best way to incorporate requests into the plan of action.

Parent & Family Engagement Program and Curriculum

Battlefield Primary School is committed to providing quality curriculum and instruction that enables students served under Title I to meet performance standards in an effective learning environment. BPS promotes good communication between families and teachers on an ongoing basis through:

• Parent-Teacher conferences, at least annually, during which the Family-School Compact is discussed along with its impact on student achievement

• Student’s nightly agenda

• Progress reports to parents on their child’s progress

• Newsletters

• Opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class

• School web page

• Letters/notes sent home

• Student Support Team Meetings

Families at BPS take responsibility for supporting their child’s learning in the following ways:

• Monitoring attendance

• Homework completion

• Monitoring computer, television, and phone habits

• Volunteering in the child’s classroom

• Participation in decision making in the education of their child

• Monitoring positive use of extracurricular time

• Monitoring positive use of technology

What does a Parent Engagement Coordinator do and what resources can they provide?

The Parent Involvement Coordinator (PIC) provides assistance and information to teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff members by educating staff in the value and importance of family contributions. The PIC provides assistance in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with families as equal partners in education through staff training, professional development materials, and monthly communications. The PIC presents, when necessary, at faculty meetings and is available for consultations. The BPS PIC communicates with staff after every family meeting, informing them of concerns and triumphs. System PICs present to teachers regarding the value and utility of engaging with families in the education of their children. Parent programs that build ties between home and school are implemented and coordinated by the BPS PIC and the PIC responds to parent requests for parent and family engagement activities. Information is provided by the PIC to parents in a format, to the extent practicable, in a language they can understand. The BPS PIC also attends kindergarten and 3rd grade transition events with resources available to families to encourage them to more fully participate in their child’s education. BPS works with community-based organizations and business partners. Information about opportunities for organizations and businesses to work with families and schools and encouraging the formation of partnerships are targeted. Business representatives are encouraged to become involved in the school, such as visiting classrooms and attending family meetings as guest speakers and as a resource to families. Providing motivation and encouragement to students as well as providing career and business information are the focus of such meetings. The PIC

also maintains the Parent Resource Workroom and has resources available in the parent room and online such as: a parent library, community resource information, translation service information, and all Title 1 documents and meeting information.