School-Family Compact

470-254-5285

cassidyj@fultonschools.org

Kenneth Greene, Assistant Principal

470-254-8423

GreeneK@fultonschools.org

Allyson Segal, Assistant Principal

470-254-8422

KapellaK@fultonschools.org

Maria Baron, Bilingual Parent Liaison

470-254-8427

BaronM@fultonschools.org

Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/holcombbridgems
Location: 2700 Holcomb Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA, USA
Phone: 470-254-5280
Twitter: @HolcombBridgeMS

Instagram: @HolcombBridgeMS

A School-Family Compact is an agreement that parents, students, and teachers jointly develop. It explains how parents and teachers will work together to improve student academic achievement.

· Link to goals of the School Plan.

· Focus on student learning skills.

· Share strategies and responsibility of helping students meet or exceed state, district, and school academic goals.

· Explain how teachers and parents will communicate about student progress.

· Describe opportunities for parents to volunteer and participate in the school.

The faculty & staff of Holcomb Bridge Middle School worked together with parents and students. The School-Family Compact is developed through collected input on the Parent Input Survey (last collected March 2026). Information is also gathered throughout the year: school-wide surveys, Annual Family Engagement Survey, emails from teachers, parent conferences and HBMS Parent Workshops.

The School-Family Compact is updated every year to include parents, students, teachers, and staff members’ input. Comments and suggestions are always welcome any time of the year from parents, students, teachers, and staff.

Our school will host school activities to build home-school partnerships to support student learning throughout the year. Some of our planned events include:

Please note that event dates and times are subject to change.

Open House/Back to School Bash - July 30, 2026

Meet your child's teachers, get help with school logistics, and get tips for helping your student build academic skills at home.

Annual Title I Meeting - September TBD

Learn about our school's Title I accountability, our current academic performance, and goals to help our students achieve at higher levels.

Curriculum Night - September TBD

Parents will engage in discussion with teachers about what students will learn in each course this year. Parents will receive support with accessing the curriculum, supporting learning at home, and build connections with school staff to foster strong partnerships for learning.

Parent University: ESOL Services - September TBD

Parents of English Learners will better understand the services and supports their children will receive to improve English language proficiency.

Parent University: Improving Literacy -October TBD

This session will support parents to better understand how to support literacy achievement at home.

Parent University: Technology- November TBD

Parents will be introduced to the technology tools available to them and their children to enhance and monitor learning. We will also discuss copyright laws and expectations for responsible use of AI.

Parent University: Transition to High School for 8th grade parents - March 2027 (date TBD)

Rising 6th Grade Parent Night - March 2027 (date TBD)

Annual Input Meeting (planning for 2027-28) - March 2027 (TBD)

Parents will be given the opportunity to share feedback to help shape our goals and services for the next school year.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Parents may volunteer for the school library, maker space, field trip chaperones, career speakers, PTA/family events, and AVID tutoring. If you have a special talent or skill that you would like to share with our school community, we want to hear from you! Contact Principal Cassidy with questions.

To begin the volunteer process, you must complete the child abuse reporting training and the online registration process by clicking on the link below. When registering, one must use their legal name as it appears on your government identification. The process is self-paced. On your first visit to the school, your government identification will be required. Click here for more information.

Holcomb Bridge Middle School is committed to frequent two-way communication with families about student learning. This includes:

• Weekly school newsletters: Hawk Talk is published every Friday during the school year. It is shared via email and text message and also posted to the school website.
• School website
• E-mails, fliers, phone calls and text messages via Blackboard Messenger/Finalsite.
• Provide parents with reports on their children’s progress, progress reports (every 4.5 weeks), report cards (every 9 weeks), teacher e-mails, conferences as needed.
• Infinite Campus Parent Portal Account
• Canvas Parent Observer Account
• Academic Parent Workshops
• Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, and PTA Facebook
• Parent -Teacher Conferences (by request)

Parents are encouraged to contact teachers directly as needed. A staff directory is published online on our website. For support with questions about your child's education, contact Principal Jennifer Cassidy at 470-254-5285 so she can assist to answer your questions.

1. Increase the percentage of all students scoring proficient or distinguished on Reading Milestones.

2. Increase the percentage of all students scoring proficient or distinguished on Math Milestones.

For measurable outcomes and to review the Strategic Plan 2027 visit https://www.fultonschools.org/strategicplan

By May 2027, HBMS will increase the percentage of students in grades 6-8 performing on or above grade level in reading by at least 5%, as measured by the Georgia Milestones reading indicator.

Focus Areas for Reading: Use critical reading strategies for students to be able to read a variety of texts with comprehension and understanding of vocabulary in context.

Our School Literacy Goal

By May 2027, HBMS will increase the number of students reading on or above grade level by at least 5%, based on the Georgia Milestones assessment.

Why This Matters

Strong reading skills are the foundation for success in every subject—not just ELA. When students can:

• Understand what they read
• Figure out new words
• Explain their thinking with evidence

They are better prepared for high school, college, and future careers.

At HBMS, we are focusing on helping students become critical readers—students who don’t just read but think deeply about what they read.

Across all grades (6–8), we are focusing on three key habits:

✅ Understanding new words in context
✅ Rereading and thinking deeply about texts
✅ Supporting ideas with evidence from the text

You can support this work at home in simple, powerful ways!

When teachers teach, students practice, and families reinforce at home, we create a strong support system that helps every child grow as a reader. Together, we can ensure all HBMS students become confident, capable readers ready for future success.

Daily At-Home Reading Goal:

✅ 20 minutes of reading each day
✅ Mix of stories, articles, and informational texts
✅ Talk about reading like a conversation—not a quiz!

School/Teacher Responsibilities

• Provide Monthly Family Reading Toolkits
  Send home short passages with guiding questions (inference, main idea, vocabulary in context), a simple reading strategy (annotate, summarize, question), and a brief parent guide on how to support without giving answers.

• Share Mini Learning Videos for Families
  Provide short (5–10 minute) recorded videos from instructional coaches and literacy teachers showing how students break down texts and use vocabulary strategies like context clues and word parts.

• Send a Weekly “Word of the Week” Communication
  Share a vocabulary word in context and 2–3 discussion questions.

Student Responsibilities

• Use Reading Strategies Consistently
  Apply strategies (annotating, summarizing, questioning) when reading at school and at home.

• Participate in Monthly Reading Practice
  Read and respond to the texts in the monthly Family Reading Toolkits using context clues to understand vocabulary.

• Take Ownership of Vocabulary Learning
  Work to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using context clues and word parts and use new vocabulary in speaking and writing.

Parent/Family Responsibilities

• Engage with School Reading Resources
  Watch the short instructional videos and use the Family Reading Toolkits to better understand how to support reading at home.

• Discuss Weekly Vocabulary with Your Child
  Use the “Word of the Week” and guiding questions to have brief conversations focused on comprehension and vocabulary.

Encourage your child to explain their thinking, use strategies, and determine word meanings using context clues before stepping in.

Our parent resource room has computers available for parent use to check Infinite Campus Parent Portal accounts, utilize email to communicate with teachers, and monitor student academic progress. Academic resources are available for checkout to support student learning at home.

or By Appointment

Contact:
Maria Baron (bilingual English/Spanish)

470-254-8427