Presented by: Andy McDermott Principal-Willow Elementary School Title I Annual Meeting

5:30-5:55-Principal Greeting-Staff introductions; Title I presentation; and Willow Elementary PTA greeting. 5:55-6:00-Transition to classrooms 6:00-6:20-Classroom presentation #1 6:20-6:25-Transition to classrooms 6:25-6:45-Classroom presentation #2 6:45-7:00-Dinner and dessert from PTA

We will not have student of the month awards this year

President Lyndon B Johnson passed the Elementary and Secondary Education (ESEA) in 1965 as a part of his “War on Poverty” It is intended to provide each child with fair and equal opportunities to achieve an exceptional education and succeed on state tests. Schools qualify based on the number of students who qualify for “free and reduced lunch”. Title I funds support all students in our school.

It provides family nights for our school community. It has provided a staff member here to allow us to better serve students needs. It allows us to get more materials for students and teachers who need them. It allows us to provide professional development for staff. It allows us to update our technology resources and provide additional resources for students and staff.

Game Night, Craft Night, Science Night, Chili Cook- Off, and Eggstravaganza last year. We partner with the PTA to provide more opportunities for students and families.

Steps Toward Educational Progress and Partnership (STEPP Plan) Web based Title I plan for Willow Elementary Log-in information will be on the next school newsletter. This is a continuous improvement plan that is updated throughout the school year. Please consider joining our team, meeting times will go out in the newsletter.

Parent Involvement Policy and Parent Compact. Both will be sent home with your child. We need feedback to make it better. Last year’s policy is in the lobby, please grab a copy and review it

Program assessments from district math and reading programs. Developmental Profile for all Kindergarten students. AIMSweb Fluency and comprehension testing (K-3) Children’s Progress Academic Assessment(CPAA) (K-1) Measures of Academic Progress tests in the areas of Reading, Language Arts, and Math (K-6) Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP) in the areas of Language Arts and Mathematics (3-6) and Science (4)

We have earned four out of five stars for the last two years on the Alaska State Performance Index or ASPI. New ratings will be out later this fall and we will tell you how we did last year. We were above the district average on AIMSweb scores in K-3 We showed above average growth on Map scores in every grade level but third last year and more than double the national average in many subjects and grades. There are no scores for last year’s AMP yet. We expect them in October. Last year was the first AMP year.

Yes, it is this year, but we need your help for that to continue. We have historically had more than 40% of our students qualify for “free and reduced lunch”. We are currently under 40% for the first time in 5 years. Our percentage has dropped more than 22 percentage points in the last four years. The community demographics of Willow have not changed significantly in the same time period.

As a school we have fewer resources to provide support to families in need and the school as a whole. We have a smaller budget but not smaller needs. Last year we could provide a ½ time teacher to support our title program. This year we are able to afford a ¼ time aide for interventions and extended contract days for teachers to support family nights.

I will send a form home with each student next week. Please apply, even if you are not going to take advantage of the free and reduced lunch portion of the program. The higher our percentage as a school the larger our Title I budget will be. Help us provide more for your children.

You can and should: Request meetings to make suggestions to school staff as needed Participate in decisions regarding your child and their education Request teacher qualifications Review the STEPP plan monthly online