PARENT   INVOLVEMENT

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

      Our Parent-Teacher Association is established to ensure that close and positive communication and cooperation between parents and the school occur.  We encourage you to become a member of our PTA.  Your suggestions regarding our procedures would be welcomed in the School Office or by the PTA.  There are four PTA offices filled by voter approval, each year:  President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.  Other ways to serve the PTA include working as a committee member or chairperson.  Please call the PTA office (425/431-7374 #5) if you want more information. 

STARS Foundation

        The STARS Foundation is unique to Edmonds Elementary School and we all feel a deep sense of pride that we have been able to create this special non-profit organization solely to enrich the lives of our students.   This organization of parents, teachers and community members create and support enrichment and learning opportunities for the children and families of Edmonds Elementary School.   The work of the STARS Foundation enriches the education of hundreds of students and helps students meet high academic standards.  The source of this funding comes from our gala annual auction. The STARS Foundation has become a highly valued resource for teachers.  An organization that not only allows them to dream of creative ways to educate and enrich students, but also provides the key financial resources to make the dreams come true.  In programs supported by the STARS Foundation students have written, illustrated and created hundreds of beautifully bound books, designed quilts based on their study of geometry and tessellating patterns, developed their own portfolios of photographs presented with reflective essays and have studied the timeless art of illumination.  In addition, hundreds of books for take home and in school reading are part of grants for second, third and fourth grade students.  Our Artist in Residency programs have beautified our courtyard and resulted in our clay tile murals, which adorn the breezeways. Other projects support the arts, drama and writing in every classroom.  The fine and performing arts are a powerful way of engaging students in learning and problem solving.  But the work of the STARS Foundation is not limited to the arts, it touches every academic subject.  In addition, the STARS Foundation has supported programs for families and the community such as our annual spring “ORCA”Strated Art Show.

Parent Involvement at School

There are many opportunities for our parents and the wider community to be involved at Edmonds Elementary.  Those who wish to work directly with children have an opportunity to volunteer in the classroom, tutor students just outside the classroom, or work in the teacher’s workroom (copying, laminating), or the health room.  Those who have special areas of expertise in the area of technology have assisted students and teachers in the use computers and new software, or provided enrichment lessons and activities.  Others have worked in the school library, or assisted with art programs.  For the safety of students, all volunteers at school must fill out an Applicant/Disclosure Form and a Washington State Patrol background check. These must be submitted each year.  Forms are sent home in the First Day Packets, and we encourage parents to complete the forms early in the year.  If you are planning to participate in a field trip, your volunteer paperwork must be submitted no later than 24 hours prior to the event. Edmonds Elementary school does not permit parent drivers on field trips unless the parent is driving themselves to the destination.

Visiting School

Parents are encouraged to visit their students during the school day.  Classroom visits must be scheduled in advance.  Scheduling provides school staff with the opportunity to be sure that students are in class and engaged in the type of learning activity parents wish to view.  The School Board has an agreement with its employees regarding parents visiting school, which provides that classroom visits have the approval of the Principal and be discussed with appropriate staff members prior to the visit.  Advance planning through the school office is required for these visits.

If you have questions about your student or the educational program of the classroom, please set up a convenient time to speak directly with the teacher to discuss these issues.  This should be done outside of the observation time so that the instructional program for all students is not interrupted.  Problems or concerns are best discussed with the classroom teacher first and if not resolved then brought to the attention of the Principal.

Parents are asked to stop by the office, sign in and get a visitor’s badge before visiting the school. This policy is part of our school security system.

Communication

Open communication is the key to building a successful partnership between the school and parents. When the school and the parents are working together, every child can succeed.  Feel free to call your child’s teacher to ask about what’s going on in the classroom, your child’s progress, behavior, the lessons being taught, etc.  Please feel free to call Mrs. Oliver any time about all school-wide related issues, curriculum, school activities, inability to contact the teacher, or any physical, social or emotional needs that could affect your child’s performance in school.

Conferences

Parent/teacher conferences for all students grades K-6 are planned for late October.  Students will be dismissed early (11:00 a.m.) on those days.  Lunch is served at school prior to dismissal.  In addition, there will be an early dismissal in March for conferences for students who enroll later in the year or for updates.  Parents will have the opportunity to schedule all of their children’s conferences on the same day. 

Please do not wait until the formal conferences if you have questions or concerns.  We encourage teachers and parents to schedule conferences as they are needed throughout the year.  Feel free to call and schedule a conference.

Conference Pointers

1.   Decide in advance what you want to discuss.

2.   Be prepared to give the teacher necessary information about your child.

3.   Find out why things are done a certain way.

4.   Leave other children at home, if possible.

5.   Listen and share.

6.    Try and respect the time allotted for the conference – there may be other meetings teachers need to attend

7.    When you return home, review the conference and decide what steps you should take to continue helping your child.

Report Cards

Grades (K-6) will receive report cards two times a year (January and June).

Newsletter

Our school newsletter, The Orca News, is published twice a month and is sent home via email.  It contains important information concerning special events, schedules, community events and other student news.