The Family and Community Engagement Plan and all other Title I information are available on our school’s website at https://www.gcpsk12.org/ITC under the Title I Section. Families can also request paper copies of this Family and Community Engagement Plan from our teachers or administrators. They are also posted in our Parent Centers.

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.

We communicate with students and parents in a number of ways, including:

• ParentSquare
• Email
  
• School website
• Phone calls

 

In addition, we suggest parents have a Parent Portal log in to check the following on any device:

• Grades
• Course history
• Discipline history
• Assessment data
• Bus routes and times
  
  

If you would like to schedule a meeting with us, please contact the following ITC faculty and staff members by email:

 

• Steve Frandsen, Principal
  steve.frandsen@gcpsk12.org

 

• Moonsun Jung, Assistant Principal
  moonsun.jung@gcpsk12.org
  
  
• Karen Mesa, Assistant Principal
  karen.mesa@gcpsk12.org
  

 

• 
  Getsy Munoz, Assistant Principal
  getsy.munoz@gcpsk12.org

 

• Kay Reynolds, Assistant Principal
  kay.b.reynolds@gcpsk12.org

 

• Rebecca Vega, School Social Worker
  rebecca .vega@gcpsk12.org

 

• Shaleah Edwards, Counselor
  Shaleah.edwards@gcpsk12.org

 

• Wayne Taylor, Counselor
  Wayne.Taylor@gcpsk12.org

 

• Patricia Escobar, Parent Outreach Liaison
  Patricia.Escobar@gcpsk12.org
  
  

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.

The International Transition Center will…

• Plan and implement engaging instruction with a literacy focus across content areas
• Provide parent communication and engagement in a variety of ways to encourage and equip parents to support their students’ academic progress
• Equip students and teachers with the resources and tools necessary for academic success
  
  

As Students, we will…

• Actively engage in the daily learning activities in all classes
• Be informed about our own progress, strengths, weaknesses, and academic opportunities through eCLASS, teacher feedback, and Talking Points
• Practice academic skills with parents at home

As Families, we will…

• Participate in parent meetings and workshops
• Read and ask questions about all communication from the ITC through School Messenger and email
• Monitor student progress using the Parent Portal

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, starting with the Planning Meeting in April 2024 and finalizing it in the Title I Annual Parent Meeting in August 2024.

It is a plan that describes how our school will provide opportunities to improve family engagement and 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.

Empathy: Cultural competence, staff and student wellbeing, educator diversity.

 

Equity: Multi-tiered system of support, 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.

 

The International Transition Center will increase the English Proficiency of its students. The percentage of students that improve one performance band in each language domain on the ACCESS assessment will increase by 10% for students who attend the ITC for a full academic year.

 

The International Transition Center will increase academic performance in Math. All students who attend the ITC for a full academic year will increase the mean score on End of Course tests by 10%.

 

We will achieve these goals by building parent capacity, working in professional learning communities, increasing literacy in all content areas, administering common assessments, using eCLASS tools, and offering extended learning time.

• 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.
  

  
  About the ITC…

  The International Transition Center (ITC) opened in August 2016 to serve English Language Learners, grades 7-11, who are newcomers to the American school system. The middle school's program of study seeks to accelerate the development of English proficiency and math skills to enable students to graduate within four years of entering high school. The high school's program of study seeks to accelerate the development of English proficiency, math skills, and the necessary career skills to enable students to transition to the workforce and/or adult educational opportunities. The International Transition Center (ITC) currently has sites at Berkmar HS, Central Gwinnett HS, Discovery HS, Duluth HS, Meadowcreek HS, and Norcross HS.

  
  
  

Throughout the year, we will lead parent workshops and keep parents informed both digitally and in person. In addition, our counselors, social workers, and administrators will be sending a quarterly newsletter with information about how you can support your student and encourage success in school.

We regularly use ParentSquare to communicate with parents and students. ParentSquare allows us to customize the information being sent out by class (teacher use), grade level and school site.

 

In addition, we offer many important documents and updates on our website at www.gcpsk12.org/ITC Information is posted on the website in both English and Spanish.

 

Teachers can email students through their GCPS G Suite where the district has set up each student with a unique gmail address using partial letters from the student’s name and the district ending g.gcpsk12.org. Students are encouraged to check their school email regularly. If your student does not know how to check his or her school email, encourage him or her to ask a teacher for assistance.

 

When communicating with us, if you need interpretation and/or translation services, please contact: Patricia Escobar at 678-226-7191

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 Patricia Escobar. 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 Centers are located at our Berkmar, Meadowcreek, and Norcross campuses.

 

If you are interested in volunteering to help our school, please contact Kay Reynolds at kay.b.reynolds@gcpsk12.org