• Jim Thorpe Fundamental School

    A National Blue Ribbon School

    2450 W. Alton St., Santa Ana, CA  92704

    (714) 430-5800, Fax (714) 430-5899

     

    Parent Involvement Policy

    2022-2023 School Year

     

    The staff at Thorpe Fundamental seeks to involve parents in an effective home-school partnership in order to provide the best possible education for our students. Parents are equal partners in the education of their children. All parents are expected to participate in the educational process for their children. As necessary, accommodations for parents with special needs will be taken into consideration. This includes parents who may have disabilities, may be limited English speakers, or may have limited access to school functions due to their employment/work schedules. Thorpe Fundamental School provides information regarding the school’s programs and information about parent’s rights and responsibilities, discipline policy, student progress, school test results, grading practices, school curriculum, and student promotion requirements through regular communication.

     

    Regular Communication with Parents:

    In order to build consistent, timely and effective communication between the home and the school, multiple communication tools are in place. Regular communication (in both English & Spanish) will include, but not be limited to, the following:

    ·         Monthly parent newsletters

    ·         Attendance letters and recognition

    ·         Trimester Report Cards/Parent-Teacher Report Card Conferences

    ·         Information regarding student achievement on state assessments

    ·         Kinder parent meetings

    ·         Monthly parent meetings

    ·         Annual Title I parent information meeting to inform parents of the requirements and rights involved and to plan and review Title I programs and Parent Involvement Policy

    ·         Parent~Student~Teacher Compact

    ·         English Learner Advisory Committee meetings

    ·         Back to School Night

    ·         Open House

     

     

    Parent Training/Support:

    At Thorpe Fundamental School, our administration and teachers will support parent involvement by providing opportunities to help parents develop skills to use at home that support their children’s academic efforts and social development. Meetings will also provide an explanation of the curriculum, assessments and proficiency levels that students are expected to meet. Additionally, parent groups, such as PTA, will coordinate parent trainings based on parent interests.

     

    Homework:

    As per SAUSD board policy, homework is assigned each school night and serves a number of purposes: to practice classroom learning, to develop responsibility and work habits, and to provide parents with an opportunity to interact with their children and their education. Parents are involved in their children’s homework by reviewing it for completeness and by signing homework, contracts, agendas, reading logs, etc.

     

     

    Citizenship and Student Behavior:

    Students are to display good citizenship in all areas of campus including the lunch area, on the playground and in the classroom. Staff and parents should work together to help children understand the meaning and importance of good citizenship and the importance of demonstrating positive character traits. Specific rights, rules and responsibilities regarding student behavior are detailed in the Thorpe Fundamental Discipline Plan.

     

    Parent Visitation:

    We encourage parents to visit the classrooms.

    The following visitation guidelines will help minimize disruption of the class.

    1. Schedule your visit with the classroom teacher and school office in advance.
    2. Leave younger children supervised at home to lessen distractions in the classroom.
    3. All visitors must stop by the office to sign in as a visitor and receive a visitor’s badge. Also, please check out through the office before leaving campus.

     

    Parent Participation:

    Parents are urged to involve themselves in one or more school or district committees. These committees meet to plan for student activities, and academic programs, to discuss parent and staff concerns, to approve categorical budgets and to enhance parent understanding and skills. Every parent and student at Thorpe Fundamental School will sign the Parent/Student Compact which specifies that every family will volunteer 15 hours per year to the school. Without parent participation, our many extra programs could not exist, and our students would not be nearly so successful. Notices about meetings and activities listed below will be sent home regularly in both English and Spanish.

    ·         School Site Council (SSC) – Reviews, modifies, and approves the Single Plan for Student Achievement and Categorical budgets, determines school improvement goals, prioritizes budget expenditures for some categorical programs, and monitors progress toward meeting the goals and collaborates to develop the Parent/Student Compact and Parent Involvement Policy.

    ·         English Learner Advisory Council (ELAC) – Assists in planning the program to serve English Language learners at the school site and explore opportunities for all students to learn English. The council also collaborates to develop the Parent Involvement Policy. The district DELAC helps set district English Learner program goals and plans for the spending of extra funding provided by the state for this purpose.

     

    Other Opportunities:

    ·         Trimester Assemblies

    ·         Back to School Night

    ·         Open House

    ·         Chaperoning on Fieldtrips

    ·         Working at home on projects/materials for classroom teachers

    ·         Library Support

    ·         Classroom/PTA Liaison