Family Engagement Policy and Plan for Shared Student Success

School Year 2025-2026

Revision Date: 05/16/2025

 

Principal: Antonio Byrd                            Assistant Principal: Charles Niedlinger                           

 

 

What is a Family Engagement Policy?

A Parent and Family Engagement Policy is a plan that describes how Garden City Elementary School will provide opportunities to enhance family engagement and support student learning. We value the contributions and participation of families to establish an equitable partnership with the common goal of improving student achievement. This plan describes the different ways the school will support family engagement and how families can help plan and participate in activities and events to promote student learning at school and at home (Section 1116) of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.

 

Where is the Family Engagement Policy available?

The Family Engagement Policy will be distributed to all families at the beginning of the school year through student communication folders. Additionally, copies are available in the Family Center, where you may also view it and provide feedback. The Policy will also be posted on the school’s website and shared at the Annual Title I meeting.

 

How is it jointly developed/revised?

The following actions were taken to involve parents/guardians in the joint development of  school-parent/family compacts that outline how school staff, parents/guardians, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state’s high standards:

 

·   An invitation to attend the Annual Title I Family Forum was sent to parents in the spring of the previous school year, offering parents/guardians the opportunity to help plan for the upcoming school year.

·   A final Family Engagement Policy and School-Family Compact(s), with all of the feedback incorporated, will be posted on school website, presented at fall Annual Title I meeting, sent home with all students to serve as an agreement between the school, parents, and students of the shared responsibility for improving student achievement.

 

What is Title I? 

Garden City Elementary is identified as a Title I school as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Title I is designed to support State and local school reform efforts tied to challenging state academic standards and reinforce and enhance efforts to improve teaching and learning for students.  Title I programs must be based on effective means of improving student achievement and include strategies to support family involvement. All Title I schools must jointly develop a written family engagement policy with all families . 

 

Who is the purpose of Title I?  

All students participating in the Title I, Part A program and their families are encouraged and invited to fully participate in the opportunities described in this policy.  The school will provide opportunities for the participation of families with limited English, disabilities, and families of migratory children. 

 

Implementation

The staff at Garden City Elementary recognizes that the education of students is a responsibility shared with, administrators, teachers, parents and the community. Maximum learning occurs when parents are actively involved and supportive of the education of their children.  In an effort to enhance and expand parental involvement at the school level, parents will be invited to attend several meetings throughout the year in order to provide input in the planning, the review and the improvement of school-wide Title I programs.

 

In order to provide parents/guardians with continuous communication, opportunities for input, and to increase family engagement, the following mandatory Title I family meetings will be held each academic school year:

 

·   Title I Annual Meeting (Fall) – Introduces the School/Family Compacts, the Family Engagement Policy, the Title I budget, and the School Improvement Plan. Information about the school’s curriculum, assessments, and other important information is also shared at this meeting.

·   Family Forum (Spring) – Provides parents/guardians with the opportunity to provide input on School Improvement Planning, the Family Engagement Budget, the Family Engagement Policy,  the School-Parent/Family Compact, and staff training .

 

School-Family Compacts

As part of our family engagement plan, Garden City Elementary and our families develop a school-parent/family compact, which is an agreement that explains how parents/families and teachers will work together to make sure students reach grade-level standards. The compacts are reviewed and updated annually based on feedback from parents, students, and teachers during Title I Annual Meeting and from the Annual Family Engagement Survey. The school-parent/family compacts also are reviewed with families during parent-teacher conferences.

 

1% SET-ASIDE FOR PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Each year, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System reserves 1% from the total amount of the Title I, Part A funds it receives to carry out family engagement requirements.

 

ACCESSIBILITY

In carrying out the parent and family engagement requirements established by Section 1116 of the ESSA, the district family engagement coordinator will communicate and collaborate with the Office for Student Support Services to ensure full opportunities for participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children including providing information and school reports in a language parents can understand.

 

GOALS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

 

SCCPSS District Goals:

 

Goal 1: To Ensure all Students are College and Career Ready.

 

Goal 2: To Provide a Supportive Learning Environment that is Conducive to Teaching and Learning.

 

Goal 3: To Maximize Family and Community Engagement that Contributes to the Advancement of Student Growth and Success.

 

Goal 4: To Build Professional Capacity in Order to Achieve a Premier Student- Focused Workforce

 

 

Garden City Elementary School Goals:

Goal 1: Garden City Hawks in Grades K-5 will improve reading proficiency as measured by the iReady Reading Diagnostic assessments.

 

Goal 2: Garden City Hawks in Grades K-5 will improve math proficiency as measured by the iReady Math Diagnostic assessments.

 

Goal 3: Garden City Hawks in Grades 3rd - 5th will improve grade-level content mastery in Reading, Math & Science as measured by GMAS.

 

Goal 4: Garden City will improve family and community partner engagement as measured by the Title 1 Annual Family Survey.

 

Parent and Family Engagement

Garden City Elementary believes that family engagement means the participation of parents and family members in regular two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:

·       That parents/families play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning.

·       That parents/families are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school.

·       That parents/families are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.

 

Family Resource Center

HOURS: Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Come visit the Family Resource Center to check out books, study materials, and activities to use at home with your child. Computers are available for parents to log into PowerSchool/ParentAccess and explore educational resources.

 

If you need support, please reach out to our Family Engagement Facilitator/Family Community Resource Coordinator: Zuleyka Lopez Rosa, (912) 395 – 6820 ext. 71745 zuleyka.lopezrosa@sccpss.com

 

2025-2026 FAMILY ENGAGEMENT Events and Activities

Garden City Elementary will host the following events to build the capacity for strong family engagement to support a partnership between the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement. All meetings for parents and family members will be held in the evening at 5:30 pm, except for Parent-Teacher and Student conferences which will be scheduled between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.

 

Open House – July 2025

Meet your child’s teacher and our friendly and helpful school staff for the year.

Title I Annual Meeting – September

We invite you to an evening of learning and sharing about our Title I program, including our parent

and family engagement policy, the schoolwide plan, the school-parent compacts, and parents’ requirements. Invitations will be emailed and posted in the school newsletter, social media, and local media.

International Festival - September 2025

Learn about and have fun celebrating the diverse cultures that make-up our school, Interpretation of iReady Diagnostic Results (Reading & Math Scores) and Standardized Testing strategies.

Math & Science STEAM Night - December 2025

Learn how to make math fun at home, Interpretation of iReady Diagnostic Results (Reading & Math Growth) and Standardized Testing strategies.

Math games provide an opportunity for teachers and students to use high interest, engaging games and competitions to practice the Georgia Math Standards of Excellence in numbers, operations, and geometry.

SCCPSS Student Success Expo & STEM Festival – January 2026

Support our students competing in this district event, gather information about the Choice Programs offered for students in Savannah Chatham County.

Parent-Teacher and Student Conferences – October 2025, January 2026, and March 2026

Scheduled updates on your child’s progress

Black History & Literacy Night- February 2026 

Learn how to make reading fun at home, Interpretation of Lexile Results (Reading Scores) and Standardized Testing strategies.

Title I Annual Family Forum – Late February/Early March

Provides an opportunity for parents/family members to participate in discussions with the principal and staff regarding the school improvement plan, family engagement policy, school-parent/family compacts, and the family engagement budget.

SCCPSS Books & Blankets Family Fun Event- April 2026 

Join the school staff and community partners in fun literacy activities, gather free literacy resources for your student to take home.

 

Building the Foundation

Garden City Elementary will take the following measures to promote and support parents/families as an important foundation of the school in order to strengthen the school and reach our school goals. We will:

 

·    Communicate effectively by ensuring that information related academic standards/assessments, events, etc. is published in a language and format accessible to parents and is communicated in multiple ways.

 

·    Offer training for parents and family members to help further enhance their various educational levels.

·    Partner with early childhood programs, feeder schools, college and career ready resources, or other programs to help prepare parents and their children for successful school transitions.

 

·    Provide necessary materials and handouts for parents/guardians at conferences, meetings, and activities to help parents work with their child to improve their child’s achievement.

 

·    Collaborate with Community Partners to provide information and introduce resources to benefit families.

 

·    Based on parent/guardian feedback, provide staff training to improve communication with parents and ideas to increase family engagement with reading and math activities for our students outside of the classroom.

 

·    Collect feedback from parents and family members at all events, place input cards around the building and post a suggestion form on the school website in order to respond to parents’ requests for additional support for parent and family engagement activities.

 

VISTA Parent Involvement—Volunteers In Schools Targeting Achievement

Garden City Elementary and Savannah Chatham County invite all parents to volunteer and build partnerships with school, families, and the community. Parents can volunteer in the school or submit their ideas and suggestions during all activities and meetings as well as through our parent surveys. Volunteers provide valued resources and experiences for our students and create connections that strengthen our schools.  If you would like to learn more about the ways you can be involved, please contact the Parent and Community Relations Specialist or visit: Volunteers - Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (sccpss.com).

 

Parent and Family Engagement Standards

Garden City Elementary and our parents have adopted the National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships as the school’s model in engaging parents, students, and the community. These standards are:

 

1.      Welcoming All Families

2.      Communicating Effectively

3.      Supporting Student Success

4.      Speaking Up for Every Child

5.      Sharing Power

6.      Collaborating with Community

 

SCHOOL COUNCIL

The school council is an advisory body created to offer advice to the principal on matters pertaining to student achievement and school improvement. The school council initiative was created by the Georgia State Legislature as a method of involving parents, teachers, and community stakeholders in the educational process.  It is governed by state law; O.C.G.A § 20-2-85 and O.C.G.A § 20-2-86. The school council is made up of elected parents, appointed community/business members, elected teacher representatives, and the school principal, with the parent group constituting the largest segment. If you would like to learn more about the school council, please contact our principal.

 

Garden City Elementary’s school council members list will be provided upon request.

 

We want to hear from you! If you have any suggestions or if there is any part of this policy that you feel is not satisfactory with the goals for academic achievement, please let us know.

 

SCCPSS Family Engagement Policy

Family and Community Engagement Strives to... 

1. Welcome All Families/Community 
2. Communicate Effectively with Families and the Community 
3. Support Student Success 
4. Empower Families 
5. Share Leadership with Families and the Community 
6. Collaborate with the Community   

For more information about SCCPSS Title I, please click here.

If you have questions related to events, activities, or support related to Title I schools  or District family engagement, please contact the Compensatory Programs/Title I office at 912-395-5635.