Parent & Family Engagement Plan

Goal: Henry County Schools is on an ambitious pursuit to become a high-performing school district and community, while striving to hold ourselves accountable for advancing opportunities, access, and outcomes for every student by the following three Priority Student Outcomes: 

• We will advance opportunities, access, and outcomes for every student group in Literacy Proficiency at every grade. 
• We will advance opportunities, access, and outcomes for every student group in Readiness to Learn at every level. 
• We will advance opportunities, access, and outcomes for every student group in College, Career, and Life Ready Skills - post graduation.

ELA

1. The percent of students reading on or above grade level, as measured by GMAS, will increase 5% points for students in grades 3rd-5th from 58% to 63%, 40% to 45% and 62 to 67% respectively by May 2026
2. The percent of 3rd-5th students performing at the Proficient and Distinguished levels in the area of ELA on the GMAS will increase by 3%, from 22% to 25%, 20% to 23% and 25 to 28% respectively by May 2026
3. The percentage of 1st grade students performing at or above the grade level mean RIT will increase from 27% to 30% as measured by MAP by May 2026

Math

1. The percent of students, as measured by GMAS, performing on the proficient and distinguished levels will increase by 5% for students in grades 3rd-5th from 29 to 34%, 14 to 19% and 10% to 15% respectively by May 2026
2. The number of students performing at or above the grade-level mean RIT, as measured by MAP, will increase by 10, 1st from 23 to 33, 2nd from 20 to 30, 3rd from 30 to 40, 4th from 22 to 32 and 5th 18 to 28 by May 2026

Wesley Lakes School Parent Compact is an agreement parents, teachers, and students developed jointly explaining how parents and teachers will work together to ensure our students reach their grade-level standards. The compact has been placed in “Title I Resources” on our school’s website. Compacts are reviewed and updated annually based on stakeholder feedback. The Compact will be made available on the school website and during student conferences. Building Capacity of School Staff - Staff will continue to be informed on the value and utility of the contributions of parents and Wesley Lakes Elementary will continue to develop and implement programs and build connections between home and school. Wesley Lakes remains committed to supporting our parents and families’ attendance to the family programs and/or activities listed in this plan. Please contact us at 770.914.1899 if you require assistance to participate in our programs.

Wesley Lakes will reserve 1% from the total amount of Title I Parent and Family Engagement funds it receives in the 2025-2026 school year to carry out the parent and family engagement programs and activities listed in this plan and as described in federal law. The district will provide clear guidance and communication to assist each Title I school in developing an adequate family engagement budget that addresses their needs assessment and parent recommendations. Wesley Lakes will host a Parent Input Meeting to allow parents to provide suggestions and feedback as to how the parent and family engagement funds will be used at Wesley Lakes.

Parent evaluations, feedback, and meeting minutes will be reviewed by the school to determine the areas of need for the upcoming school year and consider changes to the family engagement budget.

Wesley Lakes will host the following events to build capacity for strong family engagement to support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement. Meetings will be offered on various days, times, and in differing formats to accommodate our stakeholders. If you are not able to attend due to childcare or transportation issues, or if there is some other reason you cannot attend, please contact the school. Parents may request additional opportunities for meetings at any time. Information will be posted on our school website, Class Dojo- our communication platform, notices will be sent home, and copies of the information will also be available upon request at the school.

Semester 1

• September 8th – Grandparent Breakfast
• October 9th - Annual Title I Parent Meeting followed by Curriculum Night
• November 8th – Literacy Lap (K – 5th)
• December 16th – GMAS BASH (3rd – 5th)

Semester 2

• January 13th – New School vs Old School
• March - Technology Support Parent Workshop
• May 1st – Dolphin Dive to Kindergarten / Middle School Night
• May - Title I Spring Input Meeting

Wesley Lakes believes that family engagement means the participation of parents and family members in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, which include ensuring that: 

• Parents play a vital role in assisting their child’s learning. 
• Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school. 
• Parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and participating on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.

Wesley Lakes will take the following action steps to promote and support parents and family members as an important and necessary foundation of our school in order to strengthen the school and reach our goals. We will: 

• Ensure information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is published in both English and Spanish, and posted on the school website, included in school communications, and posted on our Family Resource Bulletin Board. 
• Provide necessary information on the: Georgia Standards of Excellence, HCS District Assessments, Georgia Milestones Assessments, Title I, Part A Requirements
• Share information (by sending home with students, posting on the school website, parent-teacher conferences, email communications, and having available at school) in order for parents to understand the state and school academic content standards, the state and local academic assessments, including information on standardized testing content, testing procedures, and interpretation of test scores. Wesley Lakes wants to assure that parents are aware of the ways they can monitor their child’s progress and work with educators. 
• Provide training each semester for staff on strategies to improve communication and connectivity with parents in order to increase family engagement with reading and math activities for our students outside the classroom. 
• Partner with early childhood programs, middle school, parent resource centers, or other programs (as appropriate) to help prepare parents for a successful school transition. 
• Communicate with all families and the community on a consistent basis regarding school-wide events and activities through phone messages, social media, school website, flyers, videos, Google/Zoom Meets, etc. 
• Work with our parents to develop relevant training, presentations, and/or resources to educate our staff on the importance of parent and family engagement. 
• Provide necessary materials and handouts for parent conferences, meetings, and activities to help parents work with their child to improve student achievement. 
• Provide materials and training to help parents and families work with their children at home to improve their children’s academic achievement. The materials and training include, but are not limited to, literacy training, reading, writing, and math strategies. Technology training will be available and, in part, will include education about the harms of copyright piracy. 
• Offer literacy and computer resources (to include education about the harms of copyright piracy) for parents and family members to help further enhance their skills and knowledge base. 
• Collect feedback from parents and family members at events, meetings, presentations, etc. in order to further support parents and family members effectively based on their needs.

All parent and family engagement correspondence, opportunities, services, and resources will also include students and staff affiliated with A Friend’s House.

Each Title I School will conduct two training sessions during the school year for teachers, administrators, specialized instructional support personnel, and other school leaders and staff, with the assistance of parents, to learn and discuss strategies to increase family engagement, improve school-family communication, and build ties with parents and the community. After a review of parent input and survey results from our Parent Input Meetings, Wesley Lakes shall educate its school staff with ongoing training and support on the following:

• The value and utility of parent contributions
• Effective ways to reach out, communicate, and work with parents as equal partners
• Implement and coordinate parent programs
• Build connections between parents and Wesley Lakes staff
• Provide information in a format, to the extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand
• Receive ongoing training and support

• Creating a Welcoming School and Classroom Environment
• Encouraging Parent Leaders
• Communicating with Parents
• Empowering Parents to Support Their Child