The Family and Community Engagement Plan is in place because we know that families have a major influence on the learning and academic performance of children.  As a result of this understanding, positive results occur when schools, families, and communities support learning for our students.  You, as family members and stakeholders in your children’s educations, are extremely important to the mission of White Pine School.  Our goal through this document is to make sure that you are as informed as possible in the happenings at our school and the vital role that you play in our students’ success.

Positive School Climate

Positive school climate is fostered throughout White Pine school. Administration has led out with the idea that “We are Stronger Together” and this has become our new school slogan. This frame of mind will foster positive school climate and our school counseling department will monitor our progress with this idea as they administer the Olweus Bullying survey and the School Climate survey to students during the year.

Throughout the year, counselors work with both elementary and middle school students to ensure growth in the areas of mental, social, and physical health. Individual and group counseling sessions are available, as well as sessions that include parent involvement. Counselors also push out into individual classrooms to offer lessons encompassing these three areas, as well as study skills and guidance as it relates to high school scheduling and college or career pathways.

White Pine has a strong Parent-Teacher Organization. PTO seeks to involve teachers, parents, and community leaders. Recent projects include fund raising for new gym flooring, purchase of benches to be placed at our front entry, and new window coverings for the entrance. Improvements such as these raise school pride, which fosters a positive climate.

Cyclone Service, a middle school service learning organization, is offered for middle school students. Members are encouraged to focus on their community and ways they can make a positive impact. Projects include assisting teachers, staff, and younger students at the school level, as well as participating in food and coat drives, making Christmas ornaments for nursing home patients and veterans, and collecting items to be used by the homeless or by foster children in the community.

National Honor Society promotes positive behavior and academic excellence. White Pine’s National Junior Honor Society offers service opportunities for students, just as Cyclone Service does. Students feel a sense of honor and achievement when chosen as members.

The White Pine Student Nutrition Department also encourages positive school climate. They prepare healthy meals and offer food choices that provide proper nutrition for young, growing bodies. Students that are healthy come to school feeling better and can grow into lifelong learners.

Positive school climate is indeed a team effort and these are just some of the ways White Pine School students, faculty, and staff are proudly working to build this positive atmosphere.

Newsletters

Newsletters are a great way for teachers to communicate with parents the happenings in the classrooms. Sent weekly or monthly, the class newsletter provides information about events, homework assignments, instruction, skills, and assessments. New this year is a school-wide newsletter to help parents stay informed of all events at White Pine School. Many teachers use technology with a phone app called Remind. Teachers can send messages to subscribed parents information about assignments and events.

Conferences/Meetings

Parent-teacher conferences are held in October and in March at White Pine School. Parents are encouraged to attend these conferences to be become more aware of the demanding academic standards taught in the classroom, discuss ways to reinforce skills at home, ask questions, and voice any concerns. In addition, K-3 teachers will discuss Read to Be Ready unit starters that are being taught in the classroom. Parents will receive news about meetings through classroom newsletters, the school’s website http://wps.jc-schools.net/, weekly one-call messages, and the sign in the front of the school. If additional meeting times are needed, our faculty is more than happy to make appointments with parents during planning times or after school. Bilingual translation is provided if needed.

Staff Training

Staff training will be provided throughout the school year during professional development sessions. Professional development generally refers to ongoing learning opportunities available to teachers and other education personnel through their schools and districts. The sessions will consist of curriculum information, instruction/assessment, and technology trainings. Curriculum trainings give educators new ideas for teaching academic lessons. Instruction/Assessment trainings show educators new ways to assess learning in the classroom. Technology is constantly changing. Therefore, educators must be updated on the latest improvements or newest websites available. In addition, each grade level will have weekly meetings also known as Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). During these meetings, items for discussion will include data such as TCAP scores and academic lessons from Math, Science, History, and Language Arts.

Title I Literacy Events

We are a school-wide Title I school, which means we receive federal funds to benefit all students due to our demographics. Mrs. Patterson, Instructional Coach, coordinates parent involvement activities such as a Book Character Pumpkin decorating contest in the fall, Supper with Santa in December and a PTO Book Fair night in the spring. Our school also celebrates Read-Across America each March with activities to promote literacy awareness. These activities include Pre K-8th grades. Our school, in partnership with the Mossy Creek Literacy Council, participates in the “Young Authors” contest for K-8 students each year. Additionally, Pre K families are invited to an Early Literacy Development Workshop each year to increase knowledge and receive resources to promote literacy development with our youngest learners.

Every fall, the ESL department hosts a K-2 Literacy Night for Spanish speaking families. This year, the literacy night will focus on writing. The students, with their parents, will make and write a book in English. Additionally, the parents will also receive information, such as tumble books, on books accessible online after school hours.

Parent Training

To adequately meet the needs of our diverse community, outreach at White Pine School has focused efforts on engaging families through cultural events that provide opportunities for Spanish speaking families to participate in school life. The initial task was to create a welcoming environment in which non-English speaking parents could meet, receive school information and share questions or concerns in an accessible language. The 'Familia ESL' group of WPS has formed out of these meetings, and along with the ESL team, continues to sponsor our school salsa garden, our 'Christmas in Mexico' and 'Cinco de Mayo' cultural events, and our ongoing English language classes for parents. These events have allowed our Spanish speaking families a chance to increase their school involvement despite any language barriers and engage the English-speaking community. In conjunction with the parent group, a Student Ambassador group of bilingual middle school students was formed to welcome and assist Spanish speaking parents attending school events to further increase participation. The benefit to academic achievement comes from the ownership taken by Spanish speaking families in their school community, resulting in their students' growing enthusiasm in attendance and increased academic performance, as well as a greater desire to access literacy skills through the Spanish lending library and K-2 elementary family literacy night. The focus of the literacy night will be on writing. Students, with their parents, will make and write a book together. Parent participation in weekly meetings has led to an opportunity to develop an after-school student club that will provide enrichment activities otherwise inaccessible to this demographic. As well, the garden provides a parent sponsored project that can be used across grade levels as an educational tool. Moving forward, we hope to establish a connection between the garden space and local FFA and CTE programs to build interest in possible careers in local industry.

School-wide communication has increased in weekly Blackboard calls that reach families in both English and Spanish, keeping everyone informed of school events. Open house and PTO provide yet another engagement activity for parents to visit the school and engage teachers. The PTO has incorporated family activities into these events to create an interactive experience between parents, students and teachers along with beautification projects to create a more welcoming space.

By far, our largest parent involvement event of the year takes place during December. The event provides activities to engage parents and students in academic and cultural literacy activities and the opportunity to meet other members of the community in a festive environment. It has also allowed our 'Familia ESL' team to showcase various aspects of Latino culture and food.

How You Can Help – Volunteer!

Not only does our school run on the many staff members we have in each of our buildings, but they also run on volunteers. Without the help of parents, community members and families, our school would not be the success that it is today. Below is information about how to get involved in your school, White Pine School.

· Complete the Parent Volunteer Agreement

· Participate in a class for guidelines to protect you and the students

· Complete a back ground check

Thank you for your desire to make White Pine great!

School-Parent Compact

 

As an effective Title I institution, it is our mission to clearly outline our expectations to all stakeholders in our community. In order to meet this requirement, our school administrators, faculty, and parents designed a School-Parent Compact. This document describes our commitment to quality curriculum and instruction and establishing a safe learning environment. It also includes information about conferences/meetings, grade reports, and access to staff and parental responsibilities. A copy of the school-parent compact is sent out at the beginning of each school year and additional copies will be available in our front office. The School-Parent Compact is also available on our school's website.

Newsletters are a great way for teachers to communicate with parents the happenings in the classrooms. Sent weekly or monthly, the class newsletter provides information about events, homework assignments, instruction, skills, and assessments. Many teachers use technology with a phone app called Remind. Teachers can send messages to subscribed parents information about assignments and events.

With the advent of distance learning in the 2020-21 school year, teachers are communicating with students and parents through email, phone calls, and TEAMS meetings on a weekly, and sometimes daily, basis.

Parent-teacher conferences are held in October and in March at White Pine School. Parents are encouraged to attend these conferences to be become more aware of the demanding academic standards taught in the classroom, discuss ways to reinforce skills at home, ask questions, and voice any concerns. Parents will receive news about meetings through classroom newsletters, the school's website https://wps.jc-tn.net/, weekly one-call messages, and the sign in the front of the school. If additional meeting times are needed, our faculty is more than happy to make appointments with parents during planning times or after school. Bilingual translation is provided if needed. Teachers have also been given a daily time designed to support distance learners and their families.

Staff training will be provided throughout the school year during professional development sessions. Professional development generally refers to ongoing learning opportunities available to teachers and other education personnel through their schools and districts. The sessions will consist of curriculum information, instruction/assessment, and technology trainings. Curriculum trainings give educators new ideas for teaching academic lessons. Instruction/Assessment trainings show educators new ways to assess learning in the classroom. Technology is constantly changing. Therefore, educators must be updated on the latest improvements or newest websites available. In addition, each grade level will have weekly meetings also known as Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). During these meetings, items for discussion will include data such as TCAP scores and academic lessons from Math, Science, History, and Language Arts.

We are a school-wide Title I school, which means we receive federal funds to benefit all students due to our demographics. Mrs. Patterson, Instructional Coach, coordinates parent involvement activities such as a Book Character Pumpkin decorating contest in the fall, Supper with Santa in December and a PTO Book Fair night in the spring. Our school also celebrates Read-Across America each March with activities to promote literacy awareness. These activities include Pre K-8th grades. Our school, in partnership with the Mossy Creek Literacy Council, participates in the “Young Authors” contest for K-8 students each year. Additionally, Pre K families are invited to an Early Literacy Development Workshop each year to increase knowledge and receive resources to promote literacy development with our youngest learners.

Every fall, the ESL department hosts a K-2 Literacy Night for Spanish speaking families. This year, the literacy night will focus on writing. The students, with their parents, will make and write a book in English. Additionally, the parents will also receive information, such as tumble books, on books accessible online after school hours.

To adequately meet the needs of our diverse community, outreach at White Pine School has focused efforts on engaging families through cultural events that provide opportunities for Spanish speaking families to participate in school life. The initial task was to create a welcoming environment in which non-English speaking parents could meet, receive school information and share questions or concerns in an accessible language. The 'Familia ESL' group of WPS has formed out of these meetings, and along with the ESL team, continues to sponsor our school salsa garden, our 'Christmas in Mexico' and 'Cinco de Mayo' cultural events, and our ongoing English language classes for parents. These events have allowed our Spanish speaking families a chance to increase their school involvement despite any language barriers and engage the English-speaking community. In conjunction with the parent group, a Student Ambassador group of bilingual middle school students was formed to welcome and assist Spanish speaking parents attending school events to further increase participation. The benefit to academic achievement comes from the ownership taken by Spanish speaking families in their school community, resulting in their students' growing enthusiasm in attendance and increased academic performance, as well as a greater desire to access literacy skills through the Spanish lending library and K-2 elementary family literacy night. The focus of the literacy night will be on writing. Students, with their parents, will make and write a book together. Parent participation in weekly meetings has led to an opportunity to develop an after-school student club that will provide enrichment activities otherwise inaccessible to this demographic. As well, the garden provides a parent sponsored project that can be used across grade levels as an educational tool. Moving forward, we hope to establish a connection between the garden space and local FFA and CTE programs to build interest in possible careers in local industry.

School-wide communication has increased in weekly Blackboard calls that reach families in both English and Spanish, keeping everyone informed of school events. Open house and PTO provide yet another engagement activity for parents to visit the school and engage teachers. The PTO has incorporated family activities into these events to create an interactive experience between parents, students and teachers along with beautification projects to create a more welcoming space.

By far, our largest parent involvement event of the year takes place during December. The event provides activities to engage parents and students in academic and cultural literacy activities and the opportunity to meet other members of the community in a festive environment. It has also allowed our 'Familia ESL' team to showcase various aspects of Latino culture and food.

Not only does our school run on the many staff members we have in each of our buildings, but they also run on volunteers. Without the help of parents, community members and families, our school would not be the success that it is today. Below is information about how to get involved in your school, White Pine School.

· Complete the Parent Volunteer Agreement

· Participate in a class for guidelines to protect you and the students

· Complete a background check

Thank you for your desire to make White Pine great!

As an effective Title I institution, it is our mission to clearly outline our expectations to all stakeholders in our community. In order to meet this requirement, our school administrators, faculty, and parents designed a School-Parent Compact. This document describes our commitment to quality curriculum and instruction and establishing a safe learning environment. It also includes information about conferences/meetings, grade reports, and access to staff and parental responsibilities. A copy of the school-parent compact is sent out at the beginning of each school year and additional copies will be available in our front office. The School-Parent Compact is also available on our school's website.

El Plan de participación de la familia y la comunidad está en marcha porque sabemos que las familias tienen una gran influencia en el aprendizaje y el rendimiento académico de los niños. Como resultado de esta comprensión, se obtienen resultados positivos cuando las escuelas, las familias y las comunidades apoyan el aprendizaje de nuestros estudiantes. Ustedes, como miembros de la familia y partes interesadas en la educación de sus hijos, son extremadamente importantes para la misión de la escuela White Pine. Nuestro objetivo a través de este documento es asegurarnos de que esté lo más informado posible sobre los acontecimientos en nuestra escuela y el papel vital que desempeña en el éxito de nuestros estudiantes.

Ambiente escolar positivo

Se fomenta un clima escolar positivo en toda la escuela White Pine. La administración ha comenzado con la idea de que “Juntos somos más fuertes” y este se ha convertido en nuestro nuevo lema escolar. Este estado de ánimo fomentará un clima escolar positivo y nuestro departamento de consejería escolar supervisará nuestro progreso con esta idea mientras administran la encuesta Olweus Bullying y la encuesta de Ambiente Escolar a los estudiantes durante el año.

A lo largo del año, los consejeros trabajan con estudiantes de primaria y secundaria para asegurar el crecimiento en las áreas de salud mental, social y física. Se encuentran disponibles sesiones de consejería individual y grupal, así como sesiones que incluyen la participación de los padres. Los consejeros también se desplazan a las aulas individuales para ofrecer lecciones que abarcan estas tres áreas, así como habilidades de estudio y orientación en lo que respecta a la programación de la escuela secundaria y las trayectorias universitarias o profesionales.

White Pine tiene una sólida organización de padres y maestros. PTO busca involucrar a maestros, padres y líderes comunitarios. Los proyectos recientes incluyen la recaudación de fondos para el nuevo piso del gimnasio, la compra de bancos que se colocarán en nuestra entrada principal y nuevas cortinas para la entrada. Mejoras como estas generan orgullo en la escuela, lo que fomenta un clima positivo.

Cyclone Service, una organización de aprendizaje de servicios de escuelas intermedias, se ofrece para estudiantes de escuelas intermedias. Se anima a los miembros a centrarse en su comunidad y en las formas en que pueden tener un impacto positivo. Los proyectos incluyen ayudar a los maestros, el personal y los estudiantes más jóvenes a nivel escolar, así como participar en campañas de recolección de alimentos y abrigos, hacer adornos navideños para los pacientes de asilos de ancianos y veteranos, y recolectar artículos para que los usen las personas sin hogar o los niños de crianza en el comunidad.

La Sociedad Nacional de Honor promueve el comportamiento positivo y la excelencia académica. La Sociedad Nacional de Honor Juvenil Nacional de White Pine ofrece oportunidades de servicio para los estudiantes, tal como lo hace Cyclone Service. Los estudiantes sienten un sentido de honor y logro cuando son elegidos como miembros.

El Departamento de Nutrición Estudiantil de White Pine también fomenta un clima escolar positivo. Preparan comidas saludables y ofrecen opciones de alimentos que brindan una nutrición adecuada para los cuerpos jóvenes en crecimiento. Los estudiantes sanos llegan a la escuela sintiéndose mejor y pueden convertirse en aprendices de por vida.

El clima escolar positivo es de hecho un esfuerzo de equipo y estas son solo algunas de las formas en que los estudiantes, profesores y personal de la escuela White Pine están trabajando con orgullo para construir esta atmósfera positiva.

Boletines

Los boletines informativos son una excelente manera para que los maestros comuniquen a los padres lo que sucede en las aulas. Enviado semanal o mensualmente, el boletín informativo de la clase proporciona información sobre eventos, asignaciones de tareas, instrucción, habilidades y evaluaciones. La novedad de este año es un boletín informativo para toda la escuela para ayudar a los padres a mantenerse informados de todos los eventos en la escuela White Pine. Muchos profesores utilizan la tecnología con una aplicación de teléfono llamada Remind. Los maestros pueden enviar mensajes a los padres suscritos con información sobre tareas y eventos.

Conferencias / Reuniones

Las conferencias de padres y maestros se llevan a cabo en octubre y marzo en la escuela White Pine. Se anima a los padres a que asistan a estas conferencias para ser más conscientes de los exigentes estándares académicos que se enseñan en el aula, discutir formas de reforzar las habilidades en el hogar, hacer preguntas y expresar cualquier inquietud. Además, los maestros de K-3 hablarán sobre los inicios de la unidad Read to Be Ready que se están enseñando en el aula. Los padres recibirán noticias sobre las reuniones a través de los boletines informativos del aula, el sitio web de la escuelahttp://wps.jc-schools.net/, mensajes semanales de una llamada y el letrero en el frente de la escuela. Si se necesitan horarios adicionales para las reuniones, nuestra facultad estará más que feliz de hacer citas con los padres durante los horarios de planificación o después de la escuela. Se proporciona traducción bilingüe si es necesario.

La formación del personal

Se proporcionará capacitación al personal durante todo el año escolar durante las sesiones de desarrollo profesional. El desarrollo profesional generalmente se refiere a las oportunidades de aprendizaje continuo disponibles para los maestros y otro personal educativo a través de sus escuelas y distritos. Las sesiones consistirán en información sobre el plan de estudios, instrucción / evaluación y capacitaciones tecnológicas. Las capacitaciones curriculares brindan a los educadores nuevas ideas para enseñar lecciones académicas. Las capacitaciones de instrucción / evaluación muestran a los educadores nuevas formas de evaluar el aprendizaje en el aula. La tecnología cambia constantemente. Por lo tanto, los educadores deben estar actualizados sobre las últimas mejoras o los sitios web más nuevos disponibles. Además, cada nivel de grado tendrá reuniones semanales también conocidas como Comunidades de Aprendizaje Profesional (PLC). Durante estas reuniones,

 

 

Eventos de alfabetización del Título I

Somos una escuela de Título I para toda la escuela, lo que significa que recibimos fondos federales para beneficiar a todos los estudiantes debido a nuestra demografía. La Sra. Patterson, entrenadora de instrucción, coordina las actividades de participación de los padres, como un concurso de decoración de calabaza con personajes de libros en el otoño, una cena con Santa en diciembre y una noche de feria del libro de la PTO en la primavera. Nuestra escuela también celebra Read-Across America cada marzo con actividades para promover la conciencia de la alfabetización. Estas actividades incluyen los grados de Pre K-8vo. Nuestra escuela, en asociación con el Mossy Creek Literacy Council, participa en el concurso “Autores jóvenes” para estudiantes de K-8 cada año. Además, las familias de prekínder están invitadas a un taller de desarrollo de la alfabetización temprana cada año para aumentar el conocimiento y recibir recursos para promover el desarrollo de la alfabetización con nuestros alumnos más jóvenes.

Cada otoño, el departamento de ESL organiza una Noche de Alfabetización K-2 para familias de habla hispana. Este año, la noche de alfabetización se centrará en la escritura. Los alumnos, con sus padres, realizarán y escribirán un libro en inglés. Además, los padres también recibirán información, como libros rotativos, sobre libros accesibles en línea después del horario escolar.

Entrenamiento para padres

Para satisfacer adecuadamente las necesidades de nuestra diversa comunidad, el alcance en la escuela White Pine ha enfocado los esfuerzos en involucrar a las familias a través de eventos culturales que brindan oportunidades para que las familias de habla hispana participen en la vida escolar. La tarea inicial fue crear un ambiente acogedor en el que los padres que no hablan inglés pudieran reunirse, recibir información escolar y compartir preguntas o inquietudes en un idioma accesible. El grupo 'Familia ESL' de WPS se ha formado a partir de estas reuniones, y junto con el equipo de ESL, continúa patrocinando nuestro jardín de salsa escolar, nuestros eventos culturales 'Navidad en México' y 'Cinco de Mayo', y nuestro continuo idioma inglés. clases para padres. Estos eventos han permitido a nuestras familias de habla hispana la oportunidad de aumentar su participación escolar a pesar de las barreras del idioma y de involucrar a la comunidad de habla inglesa. Junto con el grupo de padres, se formó un grupo de estudiantes embajadores de estudiantes bilingües de la escuela intermedia para dar la bienvenida y ayudar a los padres de habla hispana que asisten a los eventos escolares para aumentar aún más la participación. El beneficio para el rendimiento académico proviene de la apropiación asumida por las familias de habla hispana en su comunidad escolar, lo que resulta en el creciente entusiasmo de sus estudiantes por la asistencia y un mayor rendimiento académico, así como un mayor deseo de acceder a las habilidades de alfabetización a través de la biblioteca de préstamos en español y K -2 noche de alfabetización familiar de primaria. El enfoque de la noche de alfabetización estará en la escritura. Estudiantes, con sus padres, Harán y escribirán un libro juntos. La participación de los padres en las reuniones semanales ha brindado la oportunidad de desarrollar un club de estudiantes después de la escuela que proporcionará actividades de enriquecimiento que de otro modo serían inaccesibles para este grupo demográfico. Además, el jardín ofrece un proyecto patrocinado por los padres que se puede utilizar en todos los grados como herramienta educativa. En el futuro, esperamos establecer una conexión entre el espacio del jardín y los programas locales de FFA y CTE para generar interés en posibles carreras en la industria local.

La comunicación en toda la escuela ha aumentado en las llamadas semanales de Blackboard que llegan a las familias tanto en inglés como en español, manteniendo a todos informados sobre los eventos escolares. La jornada de puertas abiertas y el PTO brindan otra actividad de participación para que los padres visiten la escuela e involucren a los maestros. El PTO ha incorporado actividades familiares en estos eventos para crear una experiencia interactiva entre padres, estudiantes y maestros junto con proyectos de embellecimiento para crear un espacio más acogedor.

De lejos, nuestro evento de participación de padres más grande del año se lleva a cabo durante diciembre. El evento ofrece actividades para involucrar a los padres y estudiantes en actividades de alfabetización académica y cultural y la oportunidad de conocer a otros miembros de la comunidad en un ambiente festivo. También ha permitido que nuestro equipo de 'Familia ESL' muestre varios aspectos de la cultura y la comida latinas.

Cómo puede ayudar - ¡Sea voluntario!

Nuestra escuela no solo funciona con los muchos miembros del personal que tenemos en cada uno de nuestros edificios, sino que también cuenta con voluntarios. Sin la ayuda de los padres, miembros de la comunidad y familias, nuestra escuela no tendría el éxito que tiene hoy. A continuación, encontrará información sobre cómo participar en su escuela, White Pine School.

· Complete el Acuerdo de padre voluntario

· Participe en una clase de pautas para protegerlo a usted y a los estudiantes

· Completar una verificación de antecedentes

¡Gracias por su deseo de hacer que White Pine sea grandioso!

Acuerdo entre la escuela y los padres

 

Como institución de Título I eficaz, nuestra misión es delinear claramente nuestras expectativas a todas las partes interesadas de nuestra comunidad. Para cumplir con este requisito, nuestros administradores escolares, profesores y padres diseñaron un Pacto entre la escuela y los padres. Este documento describe nuestro compromiso con un plan de estudios e instrucción de calidad y con el establecimiento de un entorno de aprendizaje seguro. También incluye información sobre conferencias / reuniones, informes de calificaciones y acceso al personal y las responsabilidades de los padres. Una copia del pacto entre la escuela y los padres se envía al comienzo de cada año escolar y habrá copias adicionales disponibles en nuestra oficina principal. El Pacto entre la escuela y los padres también está disponible en el sitio web de nuestra escuela.