Ritchen Parent Engagement Policy 2024-25

Emilie Ritchen Elementary School

2200 Cabrillo Way, Oxnard, California 93030
Phone: (805) 385-1572
Fax: (805) 981-4685

Title I School-Level Parent and Family Engagement Policy

Last updated at 10 am on 8-30-24

2.0 With approval from the local governing board, Ritchen Elementary School has developed a written Title I parent and family engagement policy with input from parents and family members of participating children.

The involvement of parents and community members is an essential component of nurturing students. Every effort to invite and consider parent and community input was made to ensure the success of our students. At ELAC, SSC and PTA meetings, this policy was shared and reviewed. The school has also distributed this policy to parents and family members of children served under Title I, Part A. The policy is also posted on our website and sent home to all parents at the beginning of the year. (EC Section 11503; 20 United States Code [U.S.C.] Section [§] 6318[b][1-4])

2.1 Involvement of Parents in the Title I Program

The policy describes the means for carrying out Title I parent and family engagement requirements. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[b][1])

Oxnard Empowers Strategic Plan 4.3 Parent and Family Resources: Create resources and tools and mobilize staff to support parents from underserved or marginalized groups with their child’s student profile success and train them to become educational partners, while providing incentives for continued support in educational partnership.

To involve parents and family members in the Title I program at Ritchen, the following practices have been established:

a) The school convenes an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of participating children shall be invited to attend and encouraged to attend, to inform parents and family members of their school’s participation in the Title I program and to explain the requirements, and the right of the parents to be involved. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[c][1])

• Title I parent information meetings are held annually at back to school night.
  • Inform parents of their school’s participation in the Title I program.
  • Explain the requirements of Title I.
  • Explain the right of parents to be involved.
• Election of parents to advisory committees as needed.

b) The school offers a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide, with Title I funds, transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services relate to parent involvement. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[c][2])

• Parent Teacher Association (PTA), School Site Council (SSC) and English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC) meetings along with parent information and training meetings will be held both during the school and in the evenings.
  • Parent meetings are held regularly throughout the school year.
    • Parent workshops.
    • Parent tech trainings.
    • Parent meetings are held at different days/times to accommodate parent availability.
• Title I funds are utilized to provide parent educational opportunities for parents and provide translation to encourage parents to participate.
• A variety of different parent education programs are offered throughout the school year.

c) The school involves parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s Title I program, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parent and family engagement policy and the joint development of the schoolwide program plan. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[c][3])

• Ritchen holds an annual Title 1 meeting during back to school night.
• Title funds and activities are reviewed at school site council meetings throughout the school year and adjustments are made based upon available data/information regarding effectiveness of activities.
• Parent training, parent education, school site council, ELAC, etc. are regularly offered and Title 1 funds will be utilized to provide training, food, etc for parent trainings/meetings.

d) The school provides parents of participating children with the following

1. Timely information about the Title I program. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[c][4][A])
   • This occurs at our SSC and ELAC meetings.
   • School holds an annual Title 1 meeting.
   • Timely information through parent emails, phone calls, flyers, Back to School Night, video bulletins, ELAC, SSC, and PTA (English/Spanish for all activities).
   • Parent/teacher conferences for all students after the first trimester, and as needed after the second trimester (translation available as needed).
2.  A description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the achievement levels of the challenging State academic standards. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[c][4][B])This also occurs throughout the school year as needed during our parent conferences, ELAC and SSC meetings.
   • Parent/Teacher conferences for all students in the fall, and as needed in the spring trimester. Parent/teacher conferences are also scheduled as necessary.Posting of California School Report Card annually as required.Ritchen parents receive a parent/student handbook (in both English and Spanish).
   • The Ritchen website provides information about the staff, classroom activities and parent resources.
3. If requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[c][4][C])
   • This also occurs throughout the school year as needed during our parent conferences, ELAC and SSC meetings.
   • If requested by parents, Ritchen provides opportunities for regular meetings to formulate questions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their child, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.
4. If the schoolwide program plan is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school submits any parent comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the local educational agency. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[c][5])
   • The school immediately submits all written documentation of parent comments that reflect the program is not satisfactory.
   • This also occurs throughout the school year as needed during our parent conferences, ELAC and SSC meetings.

2.2 Building Capacity for Involvement (Parent and Family Engagement Policy Continued)

Oxnard Empowers Strategic Plan 4.2 FAMILY ENGAGEMENT & SUPPORT: Create family engagement opportunities that address community aspirations and needs.

To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, each school and local educational agency assisted with Title I, Part A funds establishes the practices listed below. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[e])

a) The school provides parents with assistance in understanding such topics as the challenging State academic standards, State and local assessments, the requirements of Title I, Part A, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[e][1])

• This occurs throughout the school year as during our parent conferences, ELAC, SSC meetings and parent informational and education meetings.
• Assist parents in understanding the academic content and achievement standards and how to monitor and improve achievement of their child through general parent information and parent education meetings.
• Hold parent/teacher conferences for all students in the fall and as necessary or requested by parents throughout the school year
• Review state standards for the grade level at parent/teacher conferences.
• Discuss student achievement and opportunities for students at Back to School Night.

b) The school provides parents with materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children's achievement. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[e][2])

• This occurs throughout the school year during our parent conferences, ELAC, SSC meetings and parent informational and education meetings.
• Parent training opportunities include parent workshops, technology trainings, etc. are offered throughout the school year as coordinated by the school administration, counselors, and outreach specialist.

c) The school educates teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, other school leaders, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[e][3])

• Parent informational meetings and trainings are offered throughout the school year as coordinated by the school administration, counselor, and outreach specialist. These include:
  • Parent workshops and trainings.
  • School Site Council.
  • ELAC.
  • Technology trainings.
  • Video bulletins posted on our school website.
• Professional development for teachers and support staff throughout the school year.
• Parents are adequately represented on school/stakeholder groups including school site council, PTA, and ELAC.

d) The school, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinates and integrates parent involvement programs and activities with other Federal, State, and local programs, including public preschool programs, and conducts other activities, such as parent resource centers, to encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[e][4])

• This occurs throughout the school year as during our parent conferences, ELAC, SSC meetings and parent informational meetings.
• Parent trainings including parent workshops, technology trainings, etc. are offered throughout the school year as coordinated by the school administration, counselor, and outreach specialist.
• Ritchen coordinates with parents/families to ensure that we have parent representation at all district committees including DELAC, Parent Advisory Committee, etc.

e) The school ensures that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to parents in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[e][5])

• All of our parent meetings are held in both Spanish and English as needed.
• All school communications, including print, video, and pictures, are shared with parents/families in both English and Spanish.
• Translation is offered for all committee meetings including SSC, ELAC, etc.
• Ritchen immediately provides translation for parents in person, online, or on the telephone.
• Spanish translation is immediately available when necessary for a parent. Mixteco translation is arranged through the utilization of OSD Mixteco translators.

f) The school provides such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section as parents may request. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[e][14])

• As the need arises from the feedback that we receive from our major stakeholders, our school provides the appropriate level of meetings to address the concerns or needs that are being expressed.
• Parents are encouraged to participate in workshops and trainings, and parents are frequently asked at these meetings for suggestions about future meeting agenda/information requests.

2.3 Accessibility

Oxnard Empowers Strategic Plan 4.4 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS & RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: Launch a community engagement initiative to build a strong positive and supportive community by creating a welcoming school environment and strong relationships with community organizations and businesses.

Ritchen, to the extent practicable, provides opportunities for the informed participation of parents and family members (including parents and family members who have limited English proficiency, parents and family members with disabilities, and parents and family members of migratory children) including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. § 6311), as amended by ESSA, in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language such parents understand. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[f])

• All of our parent meetings and all forms of written communication are done in both Spanish and English as needed.
• All school communications, including print, video, and pictures, are sent home in both English and Spanish.
• Translation is offered for all committee meetings including SSC, ELAC, etc.
• Ritchen provides translation for parents in person, online, or on the telephone.
• Spanish translation is immediately available when necessary for a parent. Mixteco translation is arranged through the utilization of OSD Mixteco translators.

2.4 School-Parent Compact

Oxnard Empowers Strategic Plan Goal 4: FAMILY/COMMUNITY ALLIANCES FOR STUDENT SUCCESS → Create and grow family and community alliances focused strategically on their collaborative leadership role in supporting and promoting student success for all students, as defined by the Oxnard Student Profile.

As a component of the school-level parent and family engagement policy, each school served under this part shall jointly develop with parents for all children served under this part a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state’s high standards. The school-parent compact shall carry out the requirements listed below. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d])

a) Describe the school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the children served under this part to meet the challenging state academic standards, and the ways in which each parent will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning; volunteering in their child’s classroom; and participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d][1])

• At Ritchen the staff is focused on three main goals that have to do with high academic achievement, meeting the needs of the whole child and building our school community. Our teachers through various classroom activities focus on building all three goals.
  • The school’s responsibility is to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a meaningful, supportive, and effective learning environment in which students served under Title 1 meet the statewide academic grade level content standards.
  • This responsibility includes sharing information about intervention and enrichment opportunities with parents/families, staff availability to work directly with parents to support students, and parent education on how to support students.
  • Regular communication with parents regarding their students progress including progress reports, parent conferences, and implementation of parent monitoring tools within Canvas.
  • Creating a positive school climate through the implementation of SOAR (Safety, Ownership, Attention, Respect) and other programs to create a safe and nurturing school and classroom environment that is conducive to learning.

b) Address the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis through, at a minimum, the requirements listed below. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d][2])

1. Parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools, at least annually, during which the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual child’s achievement. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d][2][A])
   • Hold parent/teacher conferences for all students in the fall and as necessary or requested by parents throughout the school year.
   • The teachers at our school also use the Canvas platform to communicate daily the academic expectations and also to share out behavior reports as needed.
2. Frequent reports to parents on their children’s progress. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d][2][B])
   • Ritchen sends out formal grade notifications three times per year (at the conclusion of each trimester in November, March, and June)
   • The teachers at our school also use the Canvas platform to communicate daily the academic expectations and also to share out behavior reports as needed.
3. Reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and observation of classroom activities. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d][2][C])
   • Ritchen regularly communicates with parents regarding the variety of ways in which parents/guardians can directly communicate with staff members including email, phone communication, and parent/teacher conferences.
   • Ritchen Parents are welcome to observe in classrooms with previous notification to the school.
4. Ensuring regular two-way, meaningful communication between family members and school staff, and, to the extent practicable, in a language that family members can understand. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d][2][D])
   • All forms of communication with our families are done in both English and Spanish.
   • Ritchen regularly communicates with parents, guardians, and stakeholders in an ongoing manner throughout the year.
   • This communication includes video bulletins, phone calls, email, voice messages, our district sponsored school website, through our student applications on iPads, and through our school sponsored social media platforms.

Ritchen Parent Engagement Policy 2024-25 PDF