McEwen High School Parent Involvement Policy
We at McEwen High School are of the belief that education
is the shared responsibility of the family, school, student, and community. To
that end, this parent involvement policy has been developed. It will be
reviewed annually.
We have a parent involvement committee that
meets annually, to discuss ways to improve family/school relationships and
possible activities to be held during the year that involve parents. A copy of
the agenda and notes from these meetings are kept on file in the office.
Additionally, teachers, administrators, and the
guidance counselor conduct many activities throughout the year with the intent
to increase parental involvement in the educational process. Some of the
actions of teachers collectively, are:
- Inviting parents to chaperone
events involving students
- Asking parents to judge local
competitive events
- Asking/inviting parents to
assist in preparing students for various events, i.e. vocational competitions,
etc.
- Send various information
sheets home to keep informed parents of current and future activities
- Send mid-six weeks status
reports home
- Send report cards each six
weeks
- Make telephone calls to
parents as needed
- Conduct parent/teacher
conferences after the first and fourth six weeks
- Ask parents to come in for
additional conferences as needed
- Speak to parents informally
when they meet out in the community
- Invite parents to contact
teachers at home if needed
- Conduct M-Team meetings as
appropriate
- Initiate student improvement
contracts
- Sent Gateway test information
letters home
The professional school counselor is very proactive in
involving parents in their
child’s education and keeping parents informed. Some of
the activities the counselor conducts are:
- Conduct an orientation night
in the spring for eight grade students and their parents. The purpose of this
meeting is to assist the transition from middle school to high school. At
this meeting, the counselor passes along useful information, including a wide
variety of subjects that will be helpful to students and their parents
throughout the child’s high school career and beyond. Parents and students are
given the website where they will find Gateway Standards and practice tests on
which students will be tested (See Appendix 1).
- Conduct a financial aid
workshop in December each year for seniors and their parents
- Help plan conduct a college
and career fair in September each year for juniors and seniors
- Send weekly progress reports
home at parents’ request
- Prepare, update, and
promulgate a course catalog, master course schedule, and registration packet
each spring for each student and parents to help facilitate updating the
students’ 4-year plan for the following year (See appendices 3 - 5).
- Contact every parent and
student by mail at the end of the year if the student failed one or more
subjects. Provide a list of options for classes for the upcoming year and
schedule conferences as necessary.
- Contact every student and
parent by mail during the first two weeks of summer to inform them of the
students’ next year schedule
- Publish honor rolls in local
paper and post it around school each six weeks
- Send test information home via
student at least two weeks prior to all standardized tests (ASVAB, PSAT, PLAN,
EOC, GATEWAY, etc.)
- Plan and conduct separate
award days for seniors and underclassmen to honor student achievement.
Invitations are sent to parents for these events.
- Send letters to parents after
first six-weeks if the student failed one or more classes to inform and invite
parents to the upcoming parent-teacher conference.
- Hold conference with parents
regarding their child’s personal/social/emotional and/ or college/ career
issues. Parent or counselor may request these conferences.
- Visit each English class to
pass along information. During these meetings students are given websites
where they can see what standards they will be tested on in each area and take
practice tests to help them prepare.
The report card is used to send a wide array of information to parents at the
end of each six-weeks. It shows grades, attendance, school mission statement,
vision statement, grading scale, and other information. A statement that
parents have the right to access their child’s record is included. Also, on the
report card are websites that show the test standards for state mandated tests.
The sites also contain practice tests the student can take to help prepare them
for the upcoming test (See appendix 5).
In addition to contacting parents for various
reasons, the principal sends absentee letters to parents when their child misses
five days, ten days, and causes the Central Office to send a 15 day letter.
Every freshman and new students are given a Student Handbook upon arrival at
McEwen High School. This handbook contains information regarding what is
expected of students and how we do things here. It also contains all the
mandated information required. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors are given a new
sheet containing changes at the beginning of each year. Student Handbook
information is designed to be proactive by letting parents and students know how
to be successful at McEwen High School.
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