P/T Handbook

37026852110105Tamarack Jr./Sr. High8096257793355Parent, Community, and School Involvement HandbookHandbook built and presented by Tamarack High’s school/ community relations committee: Jessica Bills, Mike Tozzo, Leif Sivertsen, and Joanna Stiner.Tamarack Jr. Sr. High School P.O. Box 1234Fern Gully, Alaska 99133Head Office: ( 907) OUR-KIDS57912059309006089654140200The staff of Tamarack Jr./ Sr High would like to welcome back parents and students for another great year at the home of the Fighting Banana Slugs! Contact Us: Home of the Fighting Banana SlugsFall 2010- Spring 201153524156095365Tamarack Mission StatementTamarack Junior & Senior High School recognizes that each student requires individual engagement. To ensure each child is nurtured in a caring environment, we work together with parents and community members emphasizing the development of the whole child and highlighting cultural enrichment.Welcome Letter………………………..……3Standard V:Decision Making and Advocacy………16-17Arboretum Tips and Concerns………..…...4Standard VI:Community Collaboration…….…….…18-19Alaska Academic Content Standards……...5Appendix: A…………………………..……20Alaska Cultural Standards……………….…6Appendix: B………………………………..21Defining the PTA’s Mission……...……......7Appendix: C……………………………..…22Standard I: Communication…...........………………..8-9Appendix D………………………….….….23Standard II:Parenting………………………………..10-11References…………………………………..24Standard III:Student Learning……………………....12-13Resources for More Information……….....25Standard IV: Volunteering……………………...........14-15Table of Contents5274310359410338582045466065976535814043859458131175Understanding that “parent and family involvement increases student success”, we ask for your assistance and support in ensuring our youth are provided the proper environment they need to grow. (National PTA, 2004, p. 4) With the encouragement of our parents, community members, and teaching staff, our youth will blossom and flourish!Sincerely, The Tamarack StaffWelcome Back To Tamarack!Welcome to Tamarack Junior Senior High!Thank you for joining us as we rally to support the growth of our students! With your nurturing support, we know that each student in the Foxglove School District will receive the facilitation they need to develop strong character.Our hope is that this handbook will be a useful resource for parents, community members, and school staff as we unite on behalf of our students. Parental and community involvement is vital in encouraging student engagement. Our desire is to work with you towards a common goal: the success of each student.6508751244600Arboretum Tips and ConcernsPreparing the SoilJust as every plant needs the proper balance of soil nutrition in order to grow, so our students need the proper balance of interaction from parents in order to grow. Parental involvement is pivotal in ensuring our students develop in the proper environment. Who are parents? Anyone who is the primary caregiver of a student: from a mother or father, to an aunt or uncle, to a cousin, to an adoptive or foster parent. “When parents are involved, students achieve more.” (National PTA, 2004, p. 8) Thank you for your commitment to ensuring our youth are provided rich soil in which to grow.Ensuring the Optimum EnvironmentPlants need rain and shine and an optimum range of temperatures to enable them to grow and thrive. Students respond directly to their environments; ensuring they are facilitated by the proper atmosphere enables them to thrive. Community members and teaching staff are integral in providing this optimum environment. “When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more.” (Henderson and Mapp, 2002) The participation of mentors, neighbors, job personnel, coaches, teachers, and administrators sets a student up with the proper atmosphere to flourish.Providing NutrientsLandscapers understand that plants have different nutritional needs. Some are more alkaline, others are acidic; some need compost and care, others prefer rocky ledges and wind. Developing an awareness of our students’ needs enables us to facilitate their individual growth and development. As we consider their cultural backgrounds, we grant them the nutrients they need to withstand adverse obstacles they may encounter as they grow. Being able to “bridge the gap between the culture at home and the culture at school” will enable educators to ensure our youth are cultivated according to their individual needs, (National PTA, 2004, p. 8).487997564636651060450123634563436540068529787856261105386705461645In order to foster success of Alaska’s students and communities as a whole, the Alaska Department of Education has set standards for creating quality teachers and schools. For a detailed treatment of the standards please visit <http://www.eed.state.ak.us/standards>By following through with these standards, our school will:Work together as partners in a teacher-parent-family-community unit (Standards for Alaska’s Teachers).Create a collaborative unit (including students) that acts together in the process of decision-making regarding the public educational system (Standards for Quality Schools).Promote understanding and respect for the diverse people that make up our community as a whole. Include the community as a whole (schools, parents, families, other community members, and businesses—private and public) in the equation of student success.The National PTA (2004) recognizes that when parents, families, and community members are part of the equation of student success, students behave positively and achieve more academically and emotionally.Alaska Academic Content StandardsTamarack Junior/ Senior High School Mission StatementTamarack Junior/ Senior High School Mission Statement<br />30467306775455287010513715725170435610Actively involving every member of the community to engage in the process of public education creates a positive perception of both one’s culture and the other cultures that compose a community. This atmosphere encourages healthy communication between the various partners of the teacher-parent-family-community unit. In this way, students have role models of both their own and others’ cultures.Some of the cultural objectives Tamarack Jr. / Sr. High will make priority include:1)Maintaining multiple avenues for Elders to interact formally and informally with students at all times;2)Includes explicit statements regarding the cultural values that are fostered in the community and integrates those values in all aspects of the school program; and3)Encouraging and supporting experientially oriented approaches to education that makes extensive use of community-based resources and expertise.Tamarack also values passing on the many diversified indigenous languages our students value as an expression of their cultural heritage. By inviting in native speakers of these languages and incorporating linguistic classes into our curriculum, we hope to meet the following goals:1)Provide cultural and language immersion programs in which students acquire in-depth understanding of the culture of which they are members;2)Offer courses that acquaint all students with the heritage language of the local community; and3)Make available reading materials and courses through which students can acquire literacy in the heritage language.Tamarack’s staff also desires to be culturally enriched and create a culturally-aware atmosphere in their classrooms. Teachers understand their need to individually immerse themselves in the culture of Foxglove School District in particular and Alaska in general. They have determined to meet goals that will support cultural enrichment, including:1)Incorporating local ways of knowing and teaching in their work;2)Use the local environment and community resources on a regular basis to link what they are teaching to the everyday lives of their students;3)Participate in community events and activities in an appropriate and supportive way;4)Work closely with parents to achieve a high level of complementary educational expectations between home and school.We welcome your support and feedback in making Tamarack Jr. and Sr. High a culturally responsive school!Alaska Cultural Standards<br />,[object Object]

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