The Family and Community Engagement Plan and all other  Title I information are available on our school’s website at https://www.gcpsk12.org/SweetwaterMS under the Title I Section. Families can also find paper copies of this Family and Community Engagement Plan in our Parent Center. 

It is reviewed and revised at least annually during the Planning Meeting in the spring. All feedback forms from the Planning Meeting are submitted to the Office of Federal Programs for review.  Families who are not able to attend the Planning Meeting have the opportunity to review draft documents and provide input during the draft document review period.

All documents and communications are provided to families in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese (when possible), and are presented in a family-friendly format. Flyers and emails are sent to parents to notify them of upcoming meetings and events. Sweetwater also utilizes Parent Square and Instagram to post upcoming meetings and workshops. Finally, our electronic marquee also advertises upcoming events.

To schedule a conference or a classroom visit, parents must contact the grade-level clerk. The grade-level clerk will schedule the meeting and notify the parents of the date and time.

6th Grade – Mrs. Obu – 770-806-7811

7th Grade – Mrs.  Irrizary– 770-806-7809

8th Grade – Mrs. Tomlin – 678-380-7228  

Empathy: Cultural competence, staff, and student well-being, educator diversity.
Equity: Multi-tiered system of supports, opportunity and access, equitable resource allocation.
Effectiveness: Results-based evaluation system, talent management, educational return on investment.
Excellence: Preferred education destination, post-secondary and workforce readiness, world-class communication and engagement.  

We will provide all students with a high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment to meet high academic standards.

Equity 2A:  Multi-tiered System of Supports -  To provide tiered support in Language Arts to ensure that all students are successful.

Targeted Foundational Skills: Students will use exploratory, critical, and analytical reading strategies at all grade levels in all core content areas.  Students will write, interpret, and use expressions, equations, and inequalities to develop an understanding of statistical thinking.  

It is a plan that describes how our school will provide opportunities to improve family engagement that will support student learning at school and at home. All students and their families are invited and encouraged to fully participate in the opportunities described in this plan. The school will provide information and as many opportunities as possible for the participation of all family members.

It is a written agreement that outlines how the school, the students, and the family will work together to ensure your child’s academic success. An effective School-Family Promise contains the following elements:

• Clear learning goals that are linked to the school’s improvement plan
• Specific skills students will learn during the year
• Strategies that staff, families, and students will use to improve student learning
• Ways to extend learning at home
• Methods teachers and family members will use to communicate about student progress
• Opportunities for family members to observe and participate in the classroom
• Jointly-developed by families, school staff, students, community business partners, and other stakeholders during our Planning Meeting
• Reviewed during Open House, Curriculum Night, and Parent-Teacher Conferences.  Revised during Title I Planning meeting and Title I Document Review.  

ENGAGING AND EMPOWERING FAMILIES WITH…

• Title I Program Information: Program information is available during the Title I Planning Meeting in the spring and Annual Parent Meetings in the fall, on the school website, and in the Parent Center.
• Curriculum Information: Knowing what your child is learning at school is important. We will keep you informed throughout the year about what your child is learning during parent meetings, conferences, eCLASS, and on our school website.
• Student Progress Monitoring: Parent Vue is an online resource that allows families to view grades, attendance, schedules, assessments, your child’s results, course history, and much more. Monitoring your child’s progress in school is an important way to be engaged.
• Parent Resources: We have many resources available for checkout to use at home with your child. We also host several parent workshops to empower you as you work with your child at home.
• Staff Training: We will train our staff to communicate with you effectively. Your input on how we train our staff is valuable.
• Communication: To the extent feasible, we will communicate all information with you in a language and format you understand. Whenever possible, we will provide interpreters during parent workshops and academic events. Translation is available for most documents.
• Transition Support: Entering a new school can be scary for both students and families. We will host events to ensure you and your child are aware of what is expected and how you can prepare as your child transitions to a new school level, college, and career.

Sweetwater Middle School will…

• Host Intervention workshops focused on the use of various reading materials and exploratory, critical, and analytical reading strategies along with student Lexiles to improve students' reading comprehension.
• Assist parents in selecting and using Parent Center resources and online resources that focus on building students' reading comprehension and reading stamina.
• Provide parents with training on using Imagine Learning.
• Host workshops in Mathematics to explain the various interventions to support students in Math.  

 Chekquita Johnson                   5/23/2024

Principal’s Signature                  Date

As Students, we will…

• Use various types of reading material, as well as exploratory, critical, and analytical reading strategies to improve comprehension.
• Use Patriot Time for additional instruction for remediation and enrichment in Mathematics and Literacy. 
• Attend the Literacy Bootcamps and Interventions that are provided by teachers to improve literacy. 

As Families, we will…

• Attend workshops to learn how to use various exploratory, critical, and analytical reading strategies to improve reading comprehension.
• Use various resources to help improve mathematics computation and reasoning. 
• Use resources such as Imagine Learning to improve language acquisition for ELL students.

During the Regular School Year

Parent Square, Phone Calls, Text messaging, Class DoJo, Emails through Synergy, and school newsletters 

During times of Crisis (Digital Learning)

Parent Square, Google Voice, Zoom, Talking Points, Text Messaging, the Activity Feed on e-Class Page, Weekly E-mails, Newsletters, and E-mails with Step-by-Step instructions with pictures.

If you need interpretation and/or translation services, please contact: Mariah.Colon@gcpsk12.org - 770-806-7814

Title I Planning Meeting and Annual Meeting

SEL Parent Meeting

Local School Council

Meet the Teacher

Drive-thru Food Pantry

Annual Meeting

Curriculum Night

ESOL Parent Information Sessions - ACCESS Testing and Parent Forum

GA Milestones Information Night

Rising 6th Grade Transition Night

Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences – October 2024

Winter Parent-Teacher Conferences – March 2025

English Classes for Parents and Students

Fall Festival, Car Show, and Community Fair

International Night

Dinner and Movie Cultural Heritage Nights

• Title I is a federal program designed to support school reform efforts to improve teaching and learning for all students.
• Title I programs are based on effective means of improving student achievement and include strategies to support family engagement.
• The Title I Office reserves at least one percent of the district’s allocation to fund family and community engagement programs. The use of these funds is based on suggestions gathered at our spring Planning Meetings from families and community members. Funds are distributed equally to all our Title I schools.
• Childcare and/or transportation may be provided for meetings and school events.

Sweetwater Middle School will be a world-class school for the 21st century, committed to honoring the dreams of the families who choose our school.

Sweetwater Middle School students will be promoted to high school on time.

Our Family Engagement Center has learning games, books, and other resources available for families to check out and use at home. Our Parent Instructional Coordinator is Ms. Mariah Colon.   She is available to help you find resources, navigate the Parent Portal, connect with teachers, and learn about ways you can help your children at home.

Our Family Engagement Center is located in room 1.92.

8:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Please contact Ms. Colon for additional information about our Family Engagement Center and resources available for check-out.

770-923-4131

Mariah.Colon@gcpsk12.org

Drive-Thru Food Pantry Days

Media Center Volunteer

International Night Heritage Celebrations

Teacher Christmas Appreciation

Teacher Appreciation Week & Field Trips

8th Grade Dance and 8th Grade Day