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

Alcova Elementary School communicates with families by providing interpretation/translation services during parent meetings.

In addition, Parentsquare, newsletters, eCLASS, Facebook and Instagram are used to communicate with parents.

Parents may request a meeting by contacting the school office at 678(376-8500) and scheduling an appointment.

Empathy: Cultural competence, staff and student wellbeing, 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 high quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment to meet high academic standards.

Alcova Elementary School’s long-term goal is to increase literacy and math achievement for all students (K-5) to meet or exceed annual targets on the state and district assessments.

Alcova Elementary School’s short-term goal is to develop an understanding of reading and math fluency to apply appropriate participation in collaborative discussion and application of literacy and mathematical skills. Foundational skills to support our short-term goal are: K – retell stories, identify characters/setting, fluently add/subtract within 5; 1st – compare/contrast stories, understand adding/subtracting within 20; 2nd – answer who/what/where/when/why, describe/analyze shapes; 3rd – cite text evidence for assertions, understand multiplication/division within 100; 4th – determine theme/main idea, understand fraction equivalence, and 5th – compare themes across genres; add/subtract fractions.

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 and revised throughout the year Alcova families will be asked to review and sign off on the School-Family Promise in the fall of 2024. The School- Family Promise will be uploaded to MyPaymentsPlus in the summer for parents to review and sign-off at the beginning of the school year. The document will be revisited again in the spring of 2025 at parent/teacher conferences.)

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: The Parent Portal is an online resource that allows families to view grades, attendance, schedules, assessment, and 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 effectively communicate with you. Your input on how we train our staff is valuable.

❖ Communication: We will communicate, to the extent feasible, 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 make sure both 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. 

Alcova Elementary School will…

• Offer literacy and math workshops for parents to provide tools and strategies to support literacy comprehension and mathematical reasoning.
• Offer instructional resources to parents, such as books, games, and instructional strategies via the Alcova Parent Center.
• Provide parents support in transitioning their child(ren) to kindergarten by working with local preschool programs to make sure parents have relevant and useful information about the Kindergarten registration process and host Kinder Academy in June for rising Kindergarten students to acclimate prior to the first day of school.

 Jacquetta Baldwin     May 4, 2024

Principal’s Signature                  Date

As Students, we will…

• Read nightly with our family and practice comprehension strategies learned at school.
• Use literacy resources from the Parent Center at home to increase reading time and comprehension skills
• Actively participate during Kinder Academy by  learning school routines, procedures, and expectations for success

As Families, we will…

• Attend literacy and math workshops to learn ways to improve our child(ren)’s reading comprehension and mathematical reasoning
• Check out instructional resources from the Parent Center to use with our child(ren) at home
• Ask questions, if needed, about the kindergarten registration process, and register our child(ren) to attend Kinder camp in June to build the foundations for a successful school year

Alcova Elementary School is committed to frequent two-way communication with families about student learning. Some of the ways we foster effective communication include: parent/teacher conferences, phone conferences, Parent Portal, Friday folders, email, and teacher/school websites.

If you need interpretation and/or translation services, please contact:

Natalie Grant 678-226-7996

natalie.grant@gcpsk12.org

Curriculum Night – August 2024

Parent Workshops – Fall 2024

Annual Title I Parent Meeting – August 2024

STEM Night – October 2024

GCPS Early Release Conferences–October 23^rd & 24^th

Parent Workshops –Winter 2025

International Night – March 2025

GCPS Early Release Conferences – March 5^th & 6^th

Parent Workshops – Spring 2025

Annual Title I Planning Meeting -March 2025

Rising Kindergarten Academy – Spring 2025

• 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.

 Alcova Elementary School

    Soaring to Excellence

Our Family Engagement Center has learning games, books, and many other resources available for families to checkout and use at home. Our Parent Outreach Liaison is Natalie Grant  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 Room 1.123 

Monday-Friday

(please call for an appointment)

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

678-226-7996

natalie.grant@gcpsk12.org

There are many opportunities to volunteer at Alcova Elementary School, such as the Parent Center, classrooms, Media Center, and our PTA. Please contact Natalie Grant, in the Parent Center, for more details. Classroom observations are available by appointment – to schedule, please contact your child’s classroom teacher.