Title I Compacts - Grades K-6
School-Family Compacts
Building Partnerships
Our school offers ongoing events and programs to build partnerships with families.
There are many opportunities for families to volunteer, observe, and participate in school activities to build partnerships that will support student learning.
- Parent-Teacher Conferences
- Curriculum Nights
- Volunteering/ Observing in your child’s classroom
- Open House
- Frequent Progress Reports
What is a School-Family Compact?
A School-Family Compact for Achievement is an agreement that families, students and teachers develop together. It explains how families and teachers will work together to make sure all our students reach or exceed grade-level standards.
Jointly Developed
The families and staff of Edmonds School District partnered together to develop this School-Family Compact for Reading Achievement. Families are encouraged to attend annual meetings to review this compact and make suggestions. Families are also encouraged to participate in our annual survey that we use to collect feedback from our families. Families are welcome to contribute comments at any time.
Communication about Student Learning
Edmonds School District is committed to frequent two-way communication with families about children’s learning. Some of the ways you can expect us to reach you are:
- Class newsletters to families
- Ongoing phone calls, notes, emails, and reports to families on student’s progress
- Updates on the classroom and school websites
- Family-teacher conferences in October and March.
Do you have questions about your child’s progress?
Contact your child’s classroom teacher by phone or email.
K-6 Title 1 Compacts
Kindergarten
In our Kindergarten Classrooms
The Kindergarten team will work with students and their families to support students’ success in the Common Core State Standards.
Some of our key connections with families are:
- Materials to help families support the learning goals
- School and district family literacy nights
Student Commitments
- Attend school everyday ready to learn.
- Be responsible for own learning.
- Set personal learning goals.
- Read everyday.
Optional:
- My own personal learning goal is: _______________________________________________
- My teacher can help me reach it by: ________________________________________________
- My family can help me accomplish it by: ________________________________________________
Tips for Home
Talk to your child - Ask your child to talk about their day at school. Encourage them to explain something they did, or a game they played during recess.
Say silly tongue twisters - Sing songs, read rhyming books, and say silly tongue twisters. These help kids become sensitive to the sounds in words.
Read it and experience it -Connect what your child reads with what happens in life. If reading a book about animals, relate it to your last trip to the zoo.
Use your child's name - Point out the link between letters and sounds. Say, "John, the word jump begins with the same sound as your name. John, jump. And they both begin with the same letter, J."
Play with puppets - Play language games with puppets. Have the puppet say, "My name is Mark. I like words that rhyme with my name. Does park rhyme with Mark? Does ball rhyme with Mark?"
Trace and say letters - Have your child use a finger to trace a letter while saying the letter's sound. Do this on paper, in sand, or on a plate of sugar.
Write it down - Have paper and pencils available for your child to use for writing. Working together, write a sentence or two about something special. Encourage her to use the letters and sounds she's learning about in school.
Play sound games - Practice blending sounds into words. Ask "Can you guess what this word is? m - o - p." Hold each sound longer than normal.
Talk about letters and sounds - Help your child learn the names of the letters and the sounds the letters make. Turn it into a game! "I'm thinking of a letter and it makes the sound mmmmmm."
1st grade
In our First Grade Classrooms
The First Grade team will work with students and their families to support students’ success in the Common Core State Standards.
Some of our key connections with families are:
- Materials to help families support the learning goals
- School and district family literacy nights
Student Commitments
- Attend school everyday ready to learn.
- Be responsible for own learning.
- Set personal learning goals.
- Read everyday.
Optional:
- My own personal learning goal is: _______________________________________________
- My teacher can help me reach it by: ________________________________________________
- My family can help me accomplish it by: ________________________________________________
Tips for Home
Don't leave home without it - Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office. Always try to fit in reading!
Once is not enough - Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.
Dig deeper into the story - Ask your child questions about the story you've just read. Say something like, "Why do you think Clifford did that?"
Take control of the television - It's difficult for reading to compete with TV and video games. Encourage reading as a free-time activity.
Be patient - When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind to child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.
Pick books that are at the right level - Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.
Play word games - Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip.
I read to you, you read to me - Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids enjoy this special time with their parents.
Gently correct your young reader - When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many beginning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first letter.
2nd Grade
In our Second Grade Classrooms
The Second Grade team will work with students and their families to support students’ success in the Common Core State Standards.
Some of our key connections with families are:
- Materials to help families support the learning goals
- School and district family literacy nights
Student Commitments
- Attend school everyday ready to learn.
- Be responsible for own learning.
- Set personal learning goals.
- Read everyday.
Optional:
- My own personal learning goal is: _______________________________________________
- My teacher can help me reach it by: ________________________________________________
- My family can help me accomplish it by: ________________________________________________
Tips for Home
Tell family tales - Children love to hear stories about their family. Talk about a funny thing that happened when you were young.
Create a writing toolbox - Fill a box with drawing and writing materials. Find opportunities for your child to write, such as the shopping list, thank you notes, or birthday cards.
Be your child's #1 fan - Ask your child to read aloud what he or she has written for school. Be an enthusiastic listener.
One more time with feeling - When your child has sounded out an unfamiliar word, have him or her re-read that sentence. Often kids are so busy figuring out a word they lose the meaning of what they've just read.
Create a book together - Fold pieces of paper in half and staple them to make a book. Ask your child to write sentences on each page and add his or her own illustrations.
Do storytelling on the go - Take turns adding to a story the two of you make up while riding in a car or bus. Try making the story funny or spooky.
Point out the relationship between words - Explain how related words have similar spellings and meanings. Show how a word like knowledge, for example, relates to a word like know.
Quick, quick - Use new words your child has learned in lively flash card or computer drills. Sometimes these help kids automatically recognize and read words, especially those that are used frequently.
3rd Grade
In our Third Grade Classrooms
The Third Grade team will work with students and their families to support students’ success in the Common Core State Standards.
Some of our key connections with families are:
- Materials to help families support the learning goals
- School and district family literacy nights
Student Commitments
- Attend school everyday ready to learn.
- Be responsible for own learning.
- Set personal learning goals.
- Read everyday.
Optional:
- My own personal learning goal is: _______________________________________________
- My teacher can help me reach it by: ________________________________________________
- My family can help me accomplish it by: ________________________________________________
Tips for Home
Make books special - Turn reading into something special. Take your kids to the library, help them get their own library card, read with them, and buy them books as gifts. Have a favorite place for books in your home or, even better, put books everywhere.
Get them to read another one - Find ways to encourage your child to pick up another book. Introduce him or her to a series like The Boxcar Children or The Magic Tree House or to a second book by a favorite author, or ask the librarian for additional suggestions.
Talk about what you see and do -Talk about everyday activities to build your child’s background knowledge, which is crucial to listening and reading comprehension. Keep up a running conversation, for example, while cooking together, visiting somewhere new, or after watching a TV show.
Are we there yet? - Use the time spent in the car or bus for wordplay. Talk about how jam means something you put on toast as well as cars stuck in traffic. How many other homonyms can your child think of? When kids are highly familiar with the meaning of a word, they have less difficulty reading it.
Teach your child some “mind tricks” - Show your child how to summarize a story in a few sentences or how to make predictions about what might happen next. Both strategies help a child comprehend and remember.
Different strokes for different folks - Read different types of books to expose your child to different types of writing. Some kids, especially boys, prefer nonfiction books.
4th grade
In our Fourth Grade Classrooms
The Fourth Grade team will work with students and their families to support students’ success in the Common Core State Standards.
Some of our key connections with families are:
- Materials to help families support the learning goals
- School and district family literacy nights
Student Commitments
- Attend school everyday ready to learn.
- Be responsible for own learning.
- Set personal learning goals.
- Read everyday.
Optional:
- My own personal learning goal is: _______________________________________________
- My teacher can help me reach it by: ________________________________________________
- My family can help me accomplish it by: ________________________________________________
Tips for Home
Practice reading difficult text out loud - Do this until your child no longer stumbles over words.
Read the same story or novel separately - Then discuss it together.
Monitor independent reading choices - Make sure your child is challenging themselves. Make sure they are transitioning from early reader books with only a few words on the page, to longer books with chapters.
Keep a running list of difficult vocabulary words and their meanings - Include words your child is learning in other subjects such as science and social studies.
Play word games like Scrabble and hangman - Or, find fun word games online.
Start to introduce informational materials - Read items such as instructions, mail or maps together.
Read non-fiction articles in newspapers or online - Discuss the difference between facts and opinions.
Encourage research - When your child asks questions, ask them to think about where they might find the answer.
Develop recall skills - After your child reads, have them verbally summarize the main ideas and details to you.
5th grade
In our Fifth Grade Classrooms
The Fifth Grade team will work with students and their families to support students’ success in the Common Core State Standards.
Some of our key connections with families are:
- Materials to help families support the learning goals
- School and district family literacy nights
Student Commitments
- Attend school everyday ready to learn.
- Be responsible for own learning.
- Set personal learning goals.
- Read everyday.
Optional:
- My own personal learning goal is: _______________________________________________
- My teacher can help me reach it by: ________________________________________________
- My family can help me accomplish it by: ________________________________________________
Tips for Home
Practice reading difficult text out loud - Do this until your child no longer stumbles over words.
Read the same story or novel separately - Then discuss it together.
Monitor independent reading choices - Make sure your child is challenging themselves. Make sure they are transitioning from early reader books with only a few words on the page, to longer books with chapters.
Keep a running list of difficult vocabulary words and their meanings - Include words your child is learning in other subjects such as science and social studies.
Play word games like Scrabble and hangman - Or, find fun word games online.
Start to introduce informational materials - Read items such as instructions, mail or maps together.
Read non-fiction articles in newspapers or online - Discuss the difference between facts and opinions.
Encourage research - When your child asks questions, ask them to think about where they might find the answer.
Develop recall skills - After your child reads, have them verbally summarize the main ideas and details to you.
6th grade
In our Sixth Grade Classrooms
The Sixth Grade team will work with students and their families to support students’ success in the Common Core State Standards.
Some of our key connections with families are:
- Materials to help families support the learning goals
- School and district family literacy nights
Student Commitments
- Attend school everyday ready to learn.
- Be responsible for own learning.
- Set personal learning goals.
- Read everyday.
Optional:
- My own personal learning goal is: _______________________________________________
- My teacher can help me reach it by: ________________________________________________
- My family can help me accomplish it by: ________________________________________________
Tips for Home
Practice reading difficult text out loud - Do this until your child no longer stumbles over words.
Read the same story or novel separately - Then discuss it together.
Monitor independent reading choices - Make sure your child is challenging themselves. Make sure they are transitioning from early reader books with only a few words on the page, to longer books with chapters.
Keep a running list of difficult vocabulary words and their meanings - Include words your child is learning in other subjects such as science and social studies.
Play word games like Scrabble and hangman - Or, find fun word games online.
Start to introduce informational materials - Read items such as instructions, mail or maps together.
Read non-fiction articles in newspapers or online - Discuss the difference between facts and opinions.
Encourage research - When your child asks questions, ask them to think about where they might find the answer.
Develop recall skills - After your child reads, have them verbally summarize the main ideas and details to you.