Parent and Family Engagement Policy and Compact

Parent and Family Engagement Policy and Compact

London Towne Elementary School                                     

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.

London Towne 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.

London Towne Elementary jointly developed this policy and compact with members of the school community and adopted it for the 2024-2025 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 monthly PTA meetings and a family coffee each semester. 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 and mailings.

Important Dates

Parent-Teacher Conferences  

  • Mid-October to Mid-November
  • Daters are determined by families and/or teachers

Progress Report Distribution

  • November 14
  • February 4
  • April 8
  • June 11

School Events

  • Open House and Welcome Chats:  August 16
  • Back to School Night:  August 28 
  • PTA Meetings: 10/8, 11/12, 12/10, 1/14, 2/11, 3/11, 4/8, 5/13 & 6/10

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 PTA meetings and opportunities to serve on various London Towne parent committees. 
  • Engage caregiver input when developing the School Innovation and Improvement Plan (SIIP), Title I Schoolwide Plan, 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 Title I Schoolwide Plan, offer multiple methods for caregivers to submit comments about programs they may not find satisfactory, and submit any such comments with the Title I Schoolwide Plan to FCPS central offices.
  • Invite family members to help in organizing and executing a variety of school events to build collective ownership, such as PTA meetings and various London Towne parent committees.
  • Provide opportunities for caregivers to volunteer within the school in various ways, such as in classrooms, on field trips, and during PTA functions.
  • Encourage families to take part in annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness 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 our weekly News You Choose email newsletter, Talking Points messaging, eNotify messages, and social media, such as Instagram.  
  • Encourage all caregivers to attend an annual meeting on August 28, 2024 during Back to School Night 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 during PTA meetings and/or at a family coffee each semester. 
  • Provide opportunities throughout the year for families to better understand the school’s goals for students and find ways to improve student learning by communicating student and school goals via school newsletter and during PTA, and semester family events.
  • Maintain resources for caregivers to review student assignments and ongoing communication about student work, such as the weekly Thursday folder and regular office hours with our family liaison.
  • 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 having a variety of parent information sessions throughout the school year such as use of the FCPS databases, social and emotional learning, introduction to Schoology, STMath, Imagine Learning, digital citizenship, parenting workshop, etc.  
  • Offer regular opportunities for families to learn directly from school staff about the school’s academic, behavioral, and social programming through monthly PTA meetings.
  • 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 as during literacy, math, and/or science nights.  Additionally, a preschool literacy program (HIPPY) will be offered to families from October – June.
  • Provide ongoing access to resources in the school, such as family liaison, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, and Social Worker. 
  • Provide mentors for students through MentorWorks and Westfield HS Mentor Program. 
  • Provide opportunities to donate and access supplies donated by others, such as backpacks, school supplies, books, and winter coats.
  • Leverage partnerships with local businesses and organizations to enhance school programs and events, such as Centreville Baptist Church, Centerville Presbyterian Church, and Grace Covenant Church.
  • Support parents in accessing county and community resources.
  • Offer outreach and training for targeted families, such as Neighborhood Networks, the HIPPY program, and Parent Participation/Education groups, etc.  

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 the annual Open House and Back to School Nights, family workshops, and family school 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 family liaison for: obtaining legal service, basic medical care, shelter, food, vision, and dental services. 
  • Expand access for family participation in informational meetings and learning sessions through PTA meetings that have translation services available (Spanish) by our Family Liaison.  

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 challenging standards, using approved curriculum resources.
  • Engage in ongoing professional development and support to all teachers to ensure effective instructional practices are used in all classrooms.
  • Be aware of the individual needs of each child.
  • Treat each child with dignity and respect.
  • Encourage parents to participate in scheduled Family Content-Area Nights, Hispanic Heritage Night, International Night, Grade-Level Showcases, STEAM conference, PTA Meetings/Activities, etc.

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.
  •  Support content areas with computers, STEAM Lab, Pride Lab (community circles), STMath, & LEXIA.
  • Provide opportunities for students to explore individual choice through after school clubs (Chess Club, Intro to Computers and Coding, Art Clubs, Yoga, and Sports activities.) (PTA)

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 for caregivers to ask questions and give input into the Title I programs.
  • Provide parents with the Title 1 Family Engagement Policy and School-Home Compact.

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

  •  Include caregivers as members of the School Innovation and Improvement Planning (SIIP) Committee and as collaborators in developing the Title I Schoolwide Plan and plans for the use of Title I family engagement funds.

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 by reading to or with my child each night. 
  • Encourage my child to do his/her very best every day.
  • Check my child’s Thursday Folder each week, sign, and return any necessary paperwork.

The student will:

Share the responsibility to improve my academic learning to achieve the state’s challenging standards through the following 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.
  • Follow FCPS Student Rights and Responsibilities and London Towne’s expectations in all settings.