Cross Creek Elementary Mr. Clay Stanaland, Principal 324 Clark Road Thomasville, GA 31757 (229) 225-3900 www.thomas.k12.ga.us

Title I Annual Parent Meeting August 16, 2016 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Welcome Welcome parents and community members! We are glad to welcome you to our School’s Title I Annual Parent Meeting Slideshow. This slideshow will review our school’s Title I program. It will cover information that is important to you as parents.

What is a Title I School? A Title I school is one that receives funds from the federal government to support at-risk learners.

How does our school spend Title I money? Title I funds are used in the following ways: to implement parent involvement activities such as parent workshops and faculty training, to hire additional teachers to provide interventions and allow for flexible grouping in reduced class size models, to conduct afterschool and summer school tutoring, to provide professional learning opportunities for our teachers, and to provide supplies and computer applications to supplement student learning.

How does our school participate in the Title I Program? Our school district receives funds from the federal government to provide the services I just presented. These funds are allocated to each school based on a per pupil amount and used to accomplish goals written in the school improvement plan.

What are our school’s Title I (schoolwide or target assistance) requirements? Our school implements a school-wide program that allows teachers and administrators to work with any student in need of academic support. Examples of services are tutoring, summer school, intervention classes and parent training.

What is our school’s Designation Status? The state of Georgia ranks schools based on their student performance data. Schools with student performance problems are Priority, or Focus Schools. Schools that achieve the highest levels of student performance are called distinguished schools. The schools that are not in either of those categories, do not have a designation status. What does this status mean? Our student achievement scores are improving in all areas. Since our school is not low performing, we do not have a Designation Status.

Cross Creek’s Schoolwide Program What are our schoolwide goals? Improve academic achievement in each content area, including language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and writing Improve school-wide attendance rates, Reduce office referrals for misbehavior, Increase participation in volunteer and parental involvement activities. What programs/supports are in place to help my child? Grade level planning, Professional learning Intervention support and tutoring, Parent teacher conferences, Response to Intervention monitoring (RtI) Frequent progress reports, quarterly reports cards, and parent portal access

What curriculum does our school use? Instruction is based on the Georgia Standards of Excellence as outlined by the Georgia Department of Education. Lists of each grade level and subject requirements are available on the Internet at www.georgiastandards.org For further information, schedule a parent conference with your child’s teacher.

What tests will my child be taking? Students will take the following test: ITBS/CogAT, Benchmarks & Georgia Milestones How do these test measure my child’s progress? Standardized tests measure mastery of grade level content areas. Your student will be expected to complete multiple choice, short answer, and extended response items on the new tests this spring. There will be additional information delivered throughout the school year as we continually prepare for testing this spring. You will be informed via workshop sessions, teacher and school webpages, and through materials distributed to students by their teacher.

What tests will my child be taking ? (continued) What proficiency level is my child expected to meet? Student Performance on the Milestones is reported in four levels. Beginning Learner, Developing Learner, Proficient Learner, and Distinguished Learner. Students who score at the Beginning learner performance level may be required to take a retest before earning promotion to the next grade. More information is available on the assessment tab of the district website. Students are expected to earn passing grades in each of their classes, demonstrate regular attendance (can’t miss more than 6 days), and pass state required tests in order to earn promotion to the next grade.

What is required by law for parental involvement? Implementation of a District Parental Involvement Policy What is the district’s parental involvement policy? The district’s parental involvement policy is available online. It addresses ways to gather input for plan revision, and parent workshops. Implementation of a School Parental Involvement Policy What is the school’s parental involvement policy? The school’s parental involvement policy is available online, as well. It also addresses ways to gather input for plan revision, and parent workshops. Implementation of a School-Parent Compact What is a school-parent compact? An agreement between students, parents, and teachers to work together to master academic content over the course of the school year. The compact is a quick reference guide for events planned during the school year as well as a source for contact information.

What are the professional qualifications of my child’s teacher What are the professional qualifications of my child’s teacher? What is a parent’s right to know? The Thomas County School District will provide, upon request, certain information on the professional qualifications of classroom teachers and paraprofessionals. The following information may be requested: certification, college major/graduate certification, or degree held by teacher, and/or qualifications of the paraprofessional, if paraprofessional services are provided. You may also inquire whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and if so, their qualifications. (Section 1111(h)(6)A) If you desire information concerning the qualifications of your child’s teacher(s), please contact the principal at your child’s school.

What is the Intra-district Transfer Option for ESEA? This is a requirement listed in the latest revision of the ESEA of 1965, which requires districts to give parents the option to transfer to schools within the school district. This rule does not apply to charter schools. So, excluding Bishop Hall Charter school, because our school district has only one school for each grade, this is not an option in or district.

How is Title I parental involvement money spent? Parent involvement funds for each school are pooled together to hire parent involvement coordinators for the districts events. There is a team of five (5) full time and part time coordinators that work together to implement our volunteer and parent involvement program. Other expenses include communication, supplies for workshops, travel expenses for home visits, and professional learning. Last Year the district set aside $132,553 for parent involvement staff and activities.

What opportunities do the school provide for parental involvement? BEE Boosters (Academic Boosters) Parent Nights Parent/Teacher Conferences Book Fairs, Field Days, Grandparents Day, Donuts for Dads, Muffins for Moms Honors Assemblies Parent Advisory Council Volunteer Opportunities (Reading Mentors, Class Parents, Cross Creek Card Sales, Chaperones, Book Fairs, Mobile Dentist) Fall and Spring Parent Advisory Councils Revision Meetings for School Parent Involvement Policy and School Improvement Plan, Parent-Teacher Compacts, and the System Parent Involvement Policy.

How responsive will the school be to my questions when staff is contacted? Staff members are available for conferences, upon request. Staff contact information is listed on our school website (www.thomas.k12.ga.us). You may also contact our school (229) 225-3900 to obtain this information. Below is contact information for our Principal, Assistant Principal, Counselor, School Nurse and Parent Involvement Coordinator. Mr. Clay Stanaland, Principal: cstanaland@tcjackets.net, (229) 225-3900, ext. 104 Mrs. Brecca Pope, Assistant Principal: bpope@tcjackets.net, (229) 225-3900, ext. 105 Mrs. Lynn Bennett, Counselor: lbennett@tcjackets.net, (229) 225-3900, ext. 114 Mrs. Christy Glass, School Nurse: cglass@tcjackets.net, (229) 225-3900, ext. 126 Ms. Mary Dennis, Parent Involvement Coordinator: mdennis@tcjackets.net, (229) 225-3900, ext. 118

Your Opinion Matters! Because we are always looking for ways to better serve our families, we welcome your suggestions/opinions. Please use the following link to take a brief survey. (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CC-ParentMeeting). If you do not have internet access, please contact your Parent Involvement Coordinator (Mary Dennis). And she will gladly send one home with your child. Thank you for helping us to help you.

Closing In closing, we welcome parent questions and input. We want to make sure you are well informed about the Title I program, as well as the opportunities the school provides to get involved. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for watching!

Background Music: “The Moment” Music performed by: Kenny G From the album: Ultimate Kenny G