Middle School Family and Community Involvement

Goal 1: Facilitate Community Involvement:
Community will be involved in the interests of the school in a variety of ways. Because the library has its own external entrance to the school, and the school library entrance is locked after hours, the library is open after hours to the local community. This provides the community with a vested interest in the school, which may also assist with helping the local community to vote for important levies that are beneficial to the school. Increased community revenue to the school will facilitate more learning programs and opportunities for the middle school students. Also, there is a 50 hour community service requirement that must be completed by the end of eighth grade by all students. This requirement is to be signed and verified by the community service delegation of the student’s choice, and must be approved by the guidance counselor beforehand. An eighth grade paper is required by all students, to summarize their experience and community involvement. Also, school sports are open to the local community, as well as school performances and local events that will be hosted at the school. There will also be yearly community advisory sessions, where administrators and staff open the cafeteria and auditorium up to the local community to field questions, and discuss effective community involvement strategies to enhance both the community and middle school student’s overall experience.

Goal 2: Facilitate Parent Involvement:
Statistics indicate that parental involvement enhances student learning. Parents will become involved in their student’s middle school education via parent-teacher conferences, parent’s day, parent assessments, and signed reports. Parent-teacher conferences will be held monthly, and are designed to provide open lines of communication between parents and teachers concerning student performance. Parent’s day will be held once a school year, and is designed for students to bring their parents to school for the day to participate in activities such as art exhibits, plays, physical activities (parent/student sports teams), contests and lectures. Half of the day, the parents will have the opportunity to view active teacher teaching and lessons, and the other half of the day is dedicated to the activities listed above. Quarterly grade reports are required to be signed by the parent of every student, and each grade report will include a one paragraph, all encompassing summary of the student, written by the student’s homeroom teacher (which must also be signed). The parents will also have the opportunity to assess the teacher’s performance, as a survey will be included with the signed, returned report card. This will help to facilitate parent/teacher communication to effectively improve the instruction and holistic educational experience of the students.

Goal 3: Facilitate Family Involvement:
Family involvement is also important to enhance the support structure of the student. Because middle students undergo extreme transitions during adolescence, a strong support system is imperative. By combining a strong family support system with a strong school support system, the student will have a greater chance of success. The middle school implements Family Service Centers, which work in concordance with guidance counselors and school psychologists to assist in family interventions and cohesiveness. Teachers also provide home learning tasks, in which the entire family can participate in relationship building, reflective experiences that the student can share while in class. Such tasks may include genealogy projects, family trips, or family questionnaires, which can open up lines of communication. The school also participates in Family Diversity Day, where each family is invited to share their culture with the rest of the middle school community. Family Diversity Day will include food, festivities, plays, games, cultural lectures, and information sessions concerning the diverse backgrounds of our students. It encourages family and community involvement within the school, and helps with the enculturation of our students.