Fairfax County Public Schools’ Title I program is established to improve student achievement and help all students meet the objectives of the Fairfax County Program of Studies and Virginia Standards of Learning.

To assure that this goal is met, a partnership with families is essential. The Woodlawn Elementary School vision is for the school to be the center of the community. Within our community parents, staff members, and students communicate to make informed decisions about student learning. They are empowered and involved in positively changing our community, country, and world.

Our school encourages families to be teachers of their children at home and to bring their expertise and talents to the school. As a school we will offer families:

• A welcoming environment
• Staff members who are friendly, helpful, and who greet families and visitors as they enter the school.
• Staff members who welcome families by name and in their home language whenever possible.
• Children’s art and class work posted throughout the school.
• A security system that creates a safe building.
• Signs in both English and Spanish that welcome visitors and inform them about what is happening throughout the school.
• Spanish interpreters or headphones available at conferences, workshops, and meetings.

• Timely information
• A program at Back-to-School Night that informs parents that Woodlawn is a Title I school and invites them to work together with the school to improve student achievement.
• The school web page, updated regularly, to inform parents about school routines and student progress.
• Teacher-parent conferences held at the end of the first quarter and at other times during the school year as necessary.
• A school message system used to call parents to remind them of school events and share other news.
• Student progress reports sent home each quarter and interim reports are sent to parents on a regular basis.
• A kindergarten orientation held each spring for rising kindergarten students and their parents.
• Parents informed about and given assistance in understanding Woodlawn’s Standards of Learning and other assessment results.
  

• Programs and activities that engage families in working together to improve student achievement
• Opportunities to participate in the development of and give input into the school improvement plan.
• Family workshops through our partnership with Neighborhood Networks that assist parents in working with their children at home.
• Programs such as Partners-In-Print where FECEP through sixth grade students and their families learn strategies for improving literacy skills.
• After-school enrichment activities for students led by parent, school, and community volunteers.
• Rising Stars, an after school mentoring program, supported by community partnerships with DeWitt Army Hospital, Rising Hope and Aldersgate Churches, Mount Vernon High School, and Whitman Middle School.
• Additional partnerships to assist parents and the school in other ways as opportunities arise.

• Opportunities for building strong relationships between teachers and families
• An open house and family picnic before the start of the school year that encourages staff members and families to get to know one another.
• Parents invited to visit classrooms during the Veteran’s Day Open House and at other convenient times arranged with the teacher.
• Teachers letters to their students during the summer to introduce themselves and welcome them to their classroom.
• Staff member communication with families on a regular basis through school and classroom newsletters, notices, phone calls, and email messages. (These communications are translated whenever possible.)
• Preschoolers assisted in making a transition into kindergarten. (The children are invited to visit kindergarten classes and preschool teachers are encouraged to collaborate with kindergarten teachers.)
• Additional programs collaboratively developed by teachers and in conjunction with the PTA and community partners to meet the changing needs of our school community.

• Assistance to be more involved in their child’s learning
• A School-Home Compact encouraging teachers, parents, and students to share responsibility for high student performance developed in consultation with families and reviewed annually.
• English classes offered twice a week through a partnership with the Northern Virginia Literacy Council.
• Interactive family homework assignments—Homeside Activities— given twice a quarter.

This policy was developed by a committee of parents and school staff members. This group met together and developed a survey that was distributed to all families. They used the survey results to draft a policy that was shared with the PTA, the entire community through our newsletter, and the Woodlawn staff for comment. Because the survey results pointed out areas of strength and directions for improvement, the committee will also use results to set a course for the future.