Parent AcademyTopic: Understanding Your Child’s School

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Outcomes

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

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How the school is organized?

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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

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School Organization

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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.

Certificated ClassifiedPrincipal Office StaffAssistant Principal Instructional AidesTeachers ParaprofessionalsPsychologists CustodiansSpeech Pathologists Other Support Staff

Visitors and Volunteers

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Visitors to Campus

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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 provideAge, if less than 21 Purpose for entering school grounds

Visitors may be asked for Address

Occupation

Volunteers

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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

Parent Volunteering Opportunities & School Committees

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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

Policies and Procedures

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School Policies/Procedures

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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!

School Policies/Procedures

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• 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

Communicating with Your Child’s Teacher

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Communicating with Your Child’s Teacher

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• 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

Communicating with Your Child’s Teacher

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• 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

Report Cards—What do They Mean?

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Report Cards—What do They Mean?

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• 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 oProjectsoClass 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

Report Cards—What do They Mean?

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• 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

Transitioning to the Next School

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Transitioning to Intermediate School

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• 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

Transitioning to High School

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• 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

Questions?

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