Elementary Schools

Said policy will also be made available to the local community through the Alice Smith website, social media such as Facebook, as well as posted publicly on Alice Smith’s Information Board.

Alice Smith will convene annually every spring on the first and second Monday in May. There will be three set meeting times throughout the two Mondays: morning, mid-afternoon, and evening hours so that all parents with students will have an important opportunity to provide their insight and/or ask any questions. This annual parent meeting will focus on the types and kind of services offered through the Title 1 Program, receive information about upcoming school-wide events, activities, and community services.

Alice Smith offers different types of flexible meetings/information for all our families, along with our friendly open-door policy. Our goal is consistent and meaningful two-way communication, all with a translator as necessary.

·        Written materials in English/Spanish. 

·        Parent/Teacher Home Visits are highly encouraged to build our relationship with our families. The Parent/Teacher Home Visit Program is designed to build upon that important relationship between our staff and the community. Not only is the academics of the student focused on in the second visit, but also during the first visit, an in-depth conversation about the parent’s hopes and dreams for their child is discussed as well.

·        A Principal’s Connect Ed weekly phone call/email every Sunday evening with our weekly events and topics, along with intermittent Connect Ed calls/emails with important relevant information to better serve our families.

·        Parent/Teacher Conferences are held two times a year, but are highly encouraged throughout the year. Every fall and spring one week is set aside for these meetings to take place during various times of the day to discuss and review the student’s progress and to discuss the Parental Accord’s shared responsibilities of staff, parents, and students in the student’s academic progress.

Parents are invited through flyers and Connect Ed messages/emails to an annual Spring meeting where both staff and parents collaborate and provide input, along with specifics to help compose our School Performance Plan.

·        School staff, teachers and families will continuously collaborate to support student’s learning and healthy development at both the home and school environments. Throughout the year parents will be provided information on grade level requirements, homework policies, how to monitor school work from home or through Infinite Campus, how to work with educators concerning the classroom curriculum and technology support.

·        Information about school policies, state academic content standards, academic assessments, target proficiency level assessments, and learning options for students will be provided. Families are always encouraged to attend our Literacy and Math family friendly events, as well as other school events. Due to the matter that parent engagement is such a vital element for the improvement and progress of our students here at Alice Smith Elementary School, parents will also be involved in jointly developing ways to help educate Alice Smith staff in how to effectively communicate with, engage, and work with parents as equal partners in their child’s education

Multiple forms of communication are used to provide our families with information about school and parents programs, meetings, workshops, and other activities. We use take home fliers, Connect Ed phone calls/email messages, newsletters, one on one phone calls, and posting on our Parent Information Board. Meaningful communication with our parents is a high priority. Translations of written materials and interpreters for meetings, conferences, one on one phone calls, and daily conversations will be made available when practical so that all parents can be informed in a timely manner.

If parents/guardians are not satisfied with the SPP, their comments will be submitted to the district along with the plan.

·        Conferences are held twice a year, at various times during the day, to discuss student progress and review of The Parent Educational Accord and the shared responsibilities between the staff, parent, and student.

·        Communicating well and effectively is Alice Smith’s goal. Parents are welcome and encouraged to visit and volunteer in the classrooms. It is our expectations that teachers reach out to make positive contact with parents about their students throughout the year.

·        Supporting student success: School staff and families will continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development both at school and home. Throughout the year parents will be provided information on grade level requirements, homework policies, how to monitor school work at home, how to work with educators, classroom curriculum and technology support. Information about school policies, state academic standards, academic assessments, target proficiency level assessments, and learning options for students will be provided.

·        Speaking Up for Every Child: Alice Smith is dedicated to provide opportunities for families to be empowered to participate actively in the academic process of their children. Families are encouraged to be advocates for their own and other children, to ensure they are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities such as: English classes, Infinite Campus, and technology support that will support their success and their child’s. Families will receive information on all opportunities for parent education and training to assist them in advocating for students and families.

Families are strongly encouraged to attend our family friendly learning events for Literacy and Math, along with the social school events which helps create the trust and commitment to our families. Parent engagement is a vital element for improvement in a student’s progress towards their academic achievements.

Alice Smith’s administrative team works closely with grade level teams in different forms such as MTSS and through Professional Development Days to ensure high quality instructional teaching is a high priority for our students. Both administrative and grade level teams are also working hard to communicating with our parents in a regular and effective manner.

Alice Smith works in collaboration with The Family Resource Center, Childfind for our two preschool programs, Sierra Kids through the city of Reno for an amazing before school childcare program, TEAM-UP for after school tutoring, Nevada Food Bank with their after-school dinner program Monday through Friday, Education Alliance,  SEL support, and Northern Nevada H.O.P.E.S. We also have reached out to our local community, and receive wonderful support from Steak & Shake, Lemmon Valley Walmart, and Lemmon Valley Grocery Outlet. Through the assistance of all of our resources parent requests and services will be provided as practicable.

Alice Smith uses multiple ways to communicate with parents and families. Home fliers, Connect Ed calls/emails, Facebook, newsletters, Class Dojo (per teacher), fliers posted on The Parent Information Board located by front doors, and fliers in Parent Carousel located in front office. Most recent fliers will also be placed in the waiting room where families bring in late students or withdraw students early.

Alice Smith diligently works with Family Resource Center, Nevada H.O.P.E.S. UNR, the Nevada Food bank, and several community neighbors such as the Golden Valley Library, Walmart, JTNN, Lemmon Valley Grocery Outlet, Steak & Shake, Kids’ Smiles Dentistry, Sierra Nevada Journeys, and Whole Foods to coordinate for the resources and services that our families might need.

Parent University provides access to childcare as needed basis and Volunteer Services has programs to help train families for volunteering in our classrooms in reading and math.

Volunteer Services and our own Parent Faculty Club are two great starts, along with our family friendly Literacy and Math events so that parents and families are empowered not only to help their own student, but are given the ability to help other students and parents.

·        Alice Smith holds annual conferences at various times of the day. We offer telephone, ZOOM conferences and in-home conferences for those parents who cannot make it during the Annual Parent Teacher Conference week and at any time throughout the year we are always encouraging meaningful and consistent communication between families and teachers.

·        Alice Smith is highly involved with the successful Parent Teacher Home Visit Program to help build trust and communication with its families to not only ensure of the child’s academic progress but show our students that Alice Smith C.A.R.E.S.

·        All conferences, meetings, and daily contact conversations are better served by a multi-lingual staff of English, Spanish, and Russian when practicable.

Alice Smith uses multiple forms to communicate with its parents of participating students, including but not limited to, The Principal's Weekly Connect Ed/email, home fliers, The Parent Communication Board, Parent Communication Carousel, Facebook, and Alice Smith’s website.

Parents will have the opportunity for leadership and participation through such things Coffee w/the Principal, multiple event committees in connection with Parent Faculty Club, and Advisory Committees that are established as necessary throughout the year such as Uniform Review Policy, COVID policy and attendance, etc.

Alice Smith diligently works to collaborate with its partners and the neighboring communities, including but not limited to, The Family Resource Center, Sierra Kids through the city of Reno, Child Find to provide preschool opportunities, Northern Nevada H.O.P.E.S., Education Alliance, Parent University, Volunteer Services, Lemmon Valley Grocery Outlet, Walgreens, Sierra Nevada Journeys, and Lemmon Valley Walmart. We call upon these community partners so that we are better able to provide services and coordinate resources that may be needed for our families on a case by case basis.

Meaningful and consistent communication is our goal at Alice Smith. Translations of written materials(as available), and interpreters for meetings, conferences, Parent Teacher Home Visits, phone calls, and Connect Ed calls will be to the extent practicable in a language parents and family members can understand.