• MASON SCHOOL 2021-2022

    School Parent Engagement Policy

     Statement pf Purpose

    The goal of Mason School’s Title I Program and the St. Louis Public School district is to encourage greater involvement of parents in the education of their children and to develop a strong partnership between parents, students, staff and school community.

    Mason School is committed to providing quality education developing each student academically, socially and emotionally through rigorous instruction, character education and critical thinking skills.  Our program will ensure that all of our students are empowered to be productive and responsible citizens of our global society.  We recognize that our children do better when the school and its families promote strong character and higher learning expectations.   We believe that our parents are children’s first teacher and their continued support is critical to a child’s success in school and beyond.

    Parental Involvement in Developing the Plan

    Mason School asks parents and staff to participate in at least two Mason PTO meetings per year which specifically focus on writing, reviewing and updating our School Parent and Family Engagement Plan.  Our Family and Community Specialist will conduct an annual Title I meeting within the first four weeks of school to inform parents of Mason’s participation in the Title I program.   A meeting will be scheduled to review and revise the School Parent and Engagement policy in March. The Family and Community Specialist will present this information to the Mason PTO and school planning committee for approval. The St. Louis Public School District will write a District Parent and Family Engagement Policy to help guide the district’s Title I goals.  This document is available in the school’s office and SLPS website for review.

    Meetings and Communication

    At the beginning of year, Mason School’s Title I plan and its guideline are presented to the parents.  This can be held at a regularly scheduled PTO meeting or a specially called meeting.  A second Title I meeting may be held during the second semester to inform parent s and community partners of the Title I program guidelines.  Additional information and updates are provided at regularly scheduled PTO meetings and monthly PTO and Student Support Team newsletters. In the spring Semester, parents, teachers, community partners and administrative staff are invited to an Annual School Panning Session to review and update the School Parent and Family Engagement Policy and School Parent Compact for the upcoming school year. The SLPS District Plan is also available to parents and community by contacting the school and district offices.

    The Plan

    Mason School will work with parents in the following way to encourage parental involvement.

    • An Open House will be held at the school prior to the first day of classes.
    • Parent – Teacher conferences are held twice a year (October and March).
    • Maintains an open door policy inviting parents in their child’s classroom as an observer. Parents are asked to coordinate with the classroom teacher and/or school administrators to ensure learning is not disrupted.
    • Parents are encouraged to schedule conferences during teacher planning period, to celebrate a child’s success or to discuss possible remediation as needed.
    • Family Nights are held quarterly. These activities provide a time for staff and families to participate in fun academically based themes to increase learning at home and community building.
    • Parenting workshops or mini-sessions will be held to compliment classroom instruction, Learning at Home techniques and activities. Provide parental workshops to empower families with needed resource materials.
    • A Title I brochure will be distributed including Title I guidelines and Mason School Parent and Engagement Policy.
    • Notices, letters, flyers progress reports, brochures and a calendar of activities will be sent home with students as needed. Additional contact will be made through the school’s website, parent portal and robo calls.
    • Teachers are encouraged to refer families in need to the Family and Community Specialist who will then help to coordinate services with administrators and student support staff.
    • Parents will be notified of their rights to request information about staff qualifications.
    • Parents will be notified if their child is assigned to, or taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified per DESE certifications.
    • Parents will be notified by the ESOL office if their child is placed in a program for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. The teacher of the program will provide information regarding the program activities, how it will help their child learn English, and the program’s exit requirement.  The ELL teacher will also work with the family to develop strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the program.

    School-Parent Compact

    Mason parents, students, teachers, staff and administrators all agree that high student performance is a shared responsibility.  Therefore, each family will be required to adopt the School-Parent Compact 2021-2022 by reviewing and signing the document in August (during the first two weeks of school).  The compact will include a checklist of school, parent and student shared responsibilities.

    Types of Parental Involvement

     PTO meetings and Family Nights will focus on helping parents become involved in and be informed of the different ways families can be involved in their child’s education.  These topics will include, but are not limited to, navigating the Saint Louis Public School District, understanding testing/assessments, technology in the school, curriculum and goal settings by reading in school and at home, increase student performance in math and science, continuing their child’s education at home,  parent involvement in homework assignments, and support teacher expectations.

     Type of Parental Involvement

    There are six types of parental involvement all of which are encouraged at Mason School.

    • Parenting: Assist families with parenting skills and setting home conditions to support children as students. Also, assist schools to better understand families
    • Communicating: Conduct effective communications from school to home and fro home to school about school programs and student progress.
    • Volunteering: Organize volunteers and audiences to support the school and students.  Provide volunteer opportunities in various locations and times.
    • Learning at Home: Involve families with their children on homework and other curriculum related activities and decisions.
    • Decision Making: Include families as participants in school decisions, and develop parent leaders and school representatives in the community.
    • Collaborating with the Community: Coordinate resources and services from the community for families, students, and the school. Also, provide services to the community through school based community projects.