1. Parent Academy Topic: Understanding Your Child’s School 1

2. Outcomes School Organization Visitors & Volunteers Policies & Procedures Communicating with School Report Cards Transitioning to Intermediate / High School 2

3. How the school is organized? 3

4. School Organization In the office  Principal  Assistant Principal—some half-time  School Secretary  Clerk  Duty aides In the classrooms  Teachers  Learning Support Teachers  Paraprofessionals/instructional aides On the campus  Custodian  Duty aides 4

5. School Organization 5 Certificated Employees: Someone who must have a specific credential or authorization from the state to do their job. Classified Employees: Employees in permanent positions who do not require state licensure. CertificatedClassified PrincipalOffice Staff Assistant PrincipalInstructional Aides TeachersParaprofessionals PsychologistsCustodians Speech PathologistsOther Support Staff

6. Visitors and Volunteers 6

7. Visitors to Campus 7 Safe, Secure Campus Policy All visitors must sign in Visitors must have identification Classroom visits should be arranged with the teacher or administrator in advance Visitor badges must be worn Visitors must also provide Age, if less than 21 Purpose for entering school grounds Visitors may be asked for Address Occupation

8. Volunteers 8 Volunteers are an important part of all of our schools. In order to keep campuses safe and orderly, we have the following volunteer guidelines: Have a TB test at least once every 4 years All volunteers will be checked for sex offender violations Early Childhood volunteers who have contact with children other than relatives will be fingerprinted

9. Parent Volunteering Opportunities & School Committees 9 At your school: Classroom/School Volunteering PTA—Parent, Teacher Association SSC—School Site Council SAC-SCE —School Advisory for State Compensatory Education ELAC—English Learner Advisory Council

10. Policies and Procedures 10

11. School Policies/Procedures 11 The Student Handbook, given out at the start of the year, is a parent’s guide to all important school information. Requirements for visitors and volunteers Hours Illness verification School Calendar and much more!

12. School Policies/Procedures 12 All schools operate under the Palmdale School District’s Board Policies and Administrative Regulations (BPs and ARs) You can access these online at gamutonline.net

16. Communicating with Your Child’s Teacher 16

17. Communicating with Your Child’s Teacher 17 Don’t wait until you have a parent conference if you have a concern Call school office and leave message—teachers are busy during the day and will return your call before or after school, unless there is an emergency Arrange a face-to-face meeting for important issues, when possible

18. Communicating with Your Child’s Teacher 18 Send a note with child or in child’s planner E-mail—most teachers use e-mail and will communicate with you this way if you would like Meet with the teacher first before calling the principal

19. Report Cards— What do They Mean? 19

20. Report Cards— What do They Mean? 20 Report cards are an individual teacher’s assessment of how well your child is meeting state standards in each of the content areas. Teachers take into consideration: oTests and quizzes oProjects oClass work oHomework oParticipation Teachers may count assignments differently from year to year; make sure you understand what your child’s teacher’s requirements are for earning grades

21. Report Cards— What do They Mean? 21 Ask to see how your child has done on district assessments (PASS) and the state assessments (CSTs). The Parent Portal is available to all parents with students in PSD Intermediate Schools

23. Transitioning to the Next School 23

24. Transitioning to Intermediate School 24 Visit your new school at Open House Students will have six teachers instead of one Grades earned in Intermediate School and scores on state tests impact placement in high school Support classes are offered for students struggling in language arts and math Special classes such as AVID, honors and electives help prepare students for high school

25. Transitioning to High School 25 The high school district visits our intermediate schools at the end of the year to explain registration and school programs High schools look at test scores, grades and teacher recommendations for student placement in classes Options include AVID, honors, AP/CP, support classes, pathways and electives

26. Questions? 26