Mission and Beliefs of Blountville Middle School

Family and Community Involvement Plan Blountville Middle School 2016-17 Mission and Beliefs of Blountville Middle School In order to understand our plan for family and community engagement, it is first necessary to review our school mission statement and beliefs, which were originally created by a stakeholder team including parents, students, faculty, staff, and community members. For the most part, all of these beliefs continue to hold true, as they are central to both education and community. Mission Statement: The mission of Blountville Middle School is to be a leader in promoting student learning and achievement through demonstrated excellence. Beliefs:  Learning is a lifelong process.  Attitude and commitment affect learning and community involvement.  Every individual has the potential to learn and experience success.  Every individual is unique and deserves to be to be treated with dignity and respect in a safe and nurturing atmosphere.  Individual students respond to different teaching styles.  Education is a cooperative effort of parents, students, educators and community.  The community and school are resources for each other, and BMS is committed to career preparation and character development.  Students share responsibility for their education.  Parents share the responsibility for the education of their children.  Parental involvement is essential in promoting learning.  Extracurricular activities and the arts are vital to the educational process.  Every student deserves the opportunity to be well prepared for high achievement on assessments.  State and national standards provide the foundation for effective curriculum, instruction, and assessment. We believe: If the school is to fully meet the needs of the whole child, there must be a strong partnership and shared commitment between home, school, and the community, assisting children to become lifelong learners and achieve academic excellence. The following are our practices, reflected through the PTA’s Standards, to ensure a positive partnership between the administration faculty, and parents: 1. Standard 1 – Welcoming All Families into the School Community

Families are active participants in the life of the school, and feel welcomed, valued, and connected to each other, to school staff, and to what students are learning and doing in class.

a. Goal 1 - Creating a Welcoming Climate: When families walk into the building, they feel the school is inviting and is a place where they belong.

a.i. Families are greeted by a warm and friendly staff member upon entry into the school. a.ii. New students and families are provided with information regarding school procedures and a tour of the school. The person providing the tour of the school ensures that they are introduced to faculty and staff members throughout the building. a.iii. Open House and New Student Orientation in the fall of each year give new groups of parents and students the opportunity to meet the teachers and navigate through the school prior to the first day of class. b. Goal 2 - Building a Respectful, Inclusive School Community: The school’s policies and programs reflect, respect, and value the diversity of the families in the community.

b.i. Teachers work to ensure that student and family cultures are affirmed through instructional activities, classroom libraries, and discussion.

b.ii. The media center houses print and other resources representative of student and family cultures reflected throughout the community at large.

b.iii. Sullivan County provides a language interpreter when the need is indicated for communication during a parent-teacher conference, IEP team meeting, etc.

b.iv. School activities and events are planned and scheduled to accommodate families from various backgrounds. There are many evening events; such as: Open House, Athletic Events, student musical programs, art shows and Athletic Awards Program. There are also activities and events scheduled during the school day; such as Academic Awards Day and Field Day.

b.v. Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled individually to accommodate the family’s schedule when possible. They are held during early morning hours and during the school day and even after school.

b.vi. Guest speakers are invited to speak with students about a variety of topics including, but not limited to, Dr. Reed, who speaks to students about the dangers of tobacco usage, Vietnam Veterans, who speak to eighth graders about their experiences in combat and society, the robotics class from Central, who demonstrate the things they have learned and the opportunities available to our students when they go to Central, Eastman Engineers, who encourage students to pursue strong math and science foundations in high school, and Health Department representatives, who teach students about the dangers of online predators and general internet safety.

b.vii. The EPIC Team provides multiple opportunities for students to be shown respect and inclusion. One activity was called Positive Post-Its. The team members placed Post It notes on students’ locker and teachers’ doors with encouraging messages on them. Acts of Kindness was an activity that occurred just before spring testing. The team member and faculty sponsors gave students candy with encouraging messages attached. Another activity was called Third Party Complements. The team members wrote complements to every student in the school and the faculty sponsors delivered them to students during lunch time.

2. Standard 2 – Communicating Effectively

a. Goal 1 – Sharing Information between School and Families: The school keeps all families informed about important issues and events and makes it easy for families to communicate with teachers.

a.i. Teachers use student planners, telephone calls, school/class websites, email, and text messaging to communicate with families and community members.

a.ii. Administrators use the school marquee sign, school website, School Messenger (electronic alert system), Facebook, newsletters, telephone calls, written letters, and email to communicate with families and community members.

a.iii. The School Counselor makes the “Middle Years Newsletter” available on the school’s website. This publication gives helpful advice regarding many issues pertaining to pre-teens and teenagers, such as; test taking skills, social media concerns, study skills, and educational summer projects.

a.iv. The Principal and Staff use the school marquee sign, written letters, Facebook, School Messenger and community flyers to communicate with families and community members.

a.v. A Parent Involvement Survey is sent home with each student inviting parents to participate in the Second Harvest Backpack Program, Shoe Program, Clothing Program, and Santa Pal Program. The School Social Worker and School Counselor coordinate these opportunities.

a.vi. The principal is available to speak with parents or community members by phone, email, or for personal conference when needed; letters are also sent home through the student body when it is necessary to release information from administration to parents and community members.

a.vii. Serious matters of concern are immediately addressed through the use of the School Messaging program.

a.viii. Families are connecting with faculty and staff members through multiple school and community activities; such as, Open House, Parent-Teacher Conference Day, and through grade level orientation meetings at the beginning and end of the year. The meetings are planned cooperatively with the feeder elementary schools and the high school.

3. Standard 3 – Supporting Student Success

a. Goal 1 – Sharing Information about Student Progress: Families know and understand how well their children are succeeding in school and how well the entire school is progressing.

a.i. Parents are made aware of student progress through the daily planners, telephone calls, parent conferences, RTI assessment reports, IEP meetings, mid-term progress reports, on-line access to Parent Portal and report cards each nine-weeks.

a.ii. Parents have access to teacher websites with assignments given each day to students so that they can follow up to be sure their children have completed the assignments.

a.iii. Parents have electronic access to statewide curriculum standards and district-level expectations for each grading period through the district website.

a.iv. Student work is displayed throughout the school on a consistent basis.

a.v. Typically, letters written with the intent of explaining TCAP scores are sent home to parents with the first report card of the year, however, due to no state testing in 2016, this will resume in 2017.

a.vi. School-wide results will be explained and discussed in a newsletter distributed after the State Report Card is released.

b. Goal 2 – Supporting Learning by Engaging Families: Families are active participants in their children’s learning at home and at school.

b.i. Parents and community members are encouraged to volunteer as proctors during state testing sessions.

b.ii. Family Involvement Coordinator organizes and teaches classes on parenting skills and helping children with homework; she also organizes the Community Resources Fair.

4. Standard 4 – Speaking Up for Every Child

a. Goal 1 – Understanding How the School System Works: Parents can inquire how the local school and district operate and how to raise questions or concerns about school and district programs, policies, and activities. They understand their rights and responsibilities under federal and state law as well as local ordinances and policies.

a.i. Teachers review the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook with students at the beginning of every year.

a.ii. Parents have online access to the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook through the district website.

a.iii. School Board Policies are provided online for public view. a.iv. Parents may pose questions or comments to the district through the district website.

a.v. Parents may pose questions or comments to the school administration by emailing through the website or calling the school to schedule an appointment.

a.vi. The School Staff sponsor Open House each year at the beginning of the year so that parents and community members can meet the faculty and staff members at the school, as well as familiarize themselves with the facilities. Interpreters are available when needed.

a.vii. Information regarding federal programs, such as Common Core, Race to the Top and the Individuals with Disabilities Act can be found through links on the school website.

a.viii. Office staff, Family Involvement Coordinator, and the School Counselor, using Community Chest funds, work with families to provide Christmas gifts, shoes, eyeglass vouchers, food, clothing, and school supplies through local donations by churches, businesses, Second Harvest Food Bank, the county Social Workers, and community members. b. Goal 2 – Empowering Families to Support Their Own and Other Children’s Success in School: Parents are informed of opportunities and encouraged to monitor students’ progress and guide them toward their goals through high school graduation, postsecondary education, and a career.

b.i. The local high school sponsors “Meet the Cougars” during the fall and spring athletic seasons; eighth grade students are introduced and walk to the center of the arena. This helps to build interest in the high school athletic programs and encourages the students to continue this valuable activity after middle school. They are given a ticket for a free meal at the concession stand.

b.ii. Field trips offer students an opportunity to visit a variety of locations. The eighth grade attends Career Crunch Day at the Academic Village located in downtown Kingsport, where they listen to a variety of different speakers from different career areas tell what they do and how to pursue their career field and get hands-on experience using some of the equipment used by workers in different career areas. This is a free field trip using Community Chest money for the bus ride. The eighth grade also visits Sullivan Central High School in the spring of each year where they are introduced to administrators and extra-curricular programs that are available for them to participate. They eat lunch there and are shown around the school by members of the Leadership Team. At the end of the year, the eighth grade teachers take the students on a Walking Tour of Blountville and end the walk with a picnic at a local church shelter. The eighth grade teachers also take the students, who choose to participate, on an overnight field trip to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials, the Capital, Mt. Vernon, Arlington Cemetery and other sites. The seventh grade attends a play at the Barter Theatre as part of the Reading/Language Arts curriculum.

b.iii. The Band Director, Principal, and School Counselor and Chorus Teacher visit the elementary schools in the spring in conjunction with the band tour to provide information to the fifth graders about registering for middle school. After a question/answer session, the students are given a choice between band, chorus, or general music for the related arts portion of their schedule for the next year. b.iv. Fifth and Sixth Grade orientation is held at the beginning of the year, providing parents a chance to ask questions and learn more about the academic expectations and social opportunities available throughout the year. It also gives students an opportunity to become familiar with the building prior to the first day of school.

b.v. The school counselor and the faculty work together to foster a community of college awareness in the fall by decorating classroom doors with logos of the colleges and universities from which each graduated. The announcements featured college awareness facts each day of the week, a bulletin board showing the alma mater of each teacher and administrator is displayed in the 8th grade hallway and everyone is invited to wear college shirts on Friday.

5. Standard 5 – Sharing Power

a. Goal 1 – Strengthening the Family’s Voice in Shared Decision Making: All families are full partners in making decisions that affect their children at school and in the community.

a.i. Surveys were sent home in early fall to inquire about the need for assistance with food, shoes, clothing, and Christmas presents. Sixty-three families requested supplemental food services through the Samaritan’s Purse Backpack program. Sixty-three students also requested a new pair of shoes and some new clothing and there were eighty-seven students’ families who requested help with Christmas presents in 2015-16.

a.ii. Parents donate time, money, and resources to make our school a safer environment. After the shooting at Sullivan Central High School, several parents pooled resources of money, skill, time, and equipment to install a security camera and door-lock system to ensure that only those who are screened by the office are allowed admittance into the building. This addition makes our parents feel that their children are protected.

a.iii. Parent volunteers are solicited through sign-up sheets at the Open House/Parent Involvement Meeting. Teams are formed based upon the return of these interest surveys.

b. Goal 2 – Building Families’ Social and Political Connections: Families have a strong, broad-based organization that offers regular opportunities to develop relationships and raise concerns with school leaders, public officials, and business and community leaders.

b.i. The physical education teacher, Ms. Armstrong, in conjunction with the Sullivan County Health Department and the Anti-Drug Coalition sponsored a school-wide poster contest to promote awareness of the dangers of smoking. The poster of one of our 5th graders was featured on a billboard near the school and the 5th grade teachers took the students to see the billboard. The event was featured in the Bristol Herald Courier.

b.ii. The fifth grade teachers did an amazing job of helping to build families’ social and political connections. During Black History Month, the fifth grade teachers provided quotes from famous African Americans to be read during the morning announcements. The student body was encouraged to research and identify the famous American to whom the quote belonged. At the end of the week, the student who identified the most people won an award. The fifth grade also conducted a Diabetes Awareness Change Drive and the group participated in a Walk for Diabetes. Following the walk, the 5th graders and their parents were invited to a Fun Day at Warriors State Park In Kingsport, TN.

6. Standard 6 – Collaborating with Community

a. Goal 1 – Connecting the School with Community Resources: Parents and school leaders work closely with community organizations, businesses, and institutions of higher education to strengthen the school, make resources available to students, school staff, and families, and build a family-friendly community.

a.i. The school nurse, provided through the local health department and the Family Involvement Coordinator provide assistance to parents seeking information regarding dental, vision and health care when possible.

a.ii. A dentist and dental hygienist remain in our building periodically to inspect children’s’ teeth and provide a free sealant treatment to those children who return permission forms.

a.iii. Local churches and businesses organize and donate school supplies, books, Christmas gifts, food, clothing, and shoes for those students and families who need it.

a.iv. Local businesses and organizations, such as Blountville Ruritan, Central Community Youth Athletic Association, Food City, Eastman Chemical and East Tennessee State University provide monetary donations for student scholarships and classrooms resources, and technology.

a.v. Blountville Middle School is used weekly as the meeting space for Art Smart, 4-H and CYAA ballgames. It is also used periodically for community events such as political party and civic organization meetings.

a.vi. The Beta Club conducts an annual school-wide food drive each year. Foods collected are delivered to a Blountville food bank and feed many people in our community each year.

a.vii. 8th grade teachers organized and 8th graders participated in a walk-a-thon to help the students raise funds for their individual cost of the DC field trip. This activity also encourages students’ awareness of the physical fitness and excessive walking the trip entails.

a.viii. The Art Smart program, sponsored and conducted by Frontier Health, hosts students from 5th-8th grades in a weekly after school program which introduces them to many creative activities such as crafts, dance, martial arts, etc. Students and even their families are also provided a meal after each meeting.