Parent & Family Engagement Policy

Contact

Tara Marie, Principal
285 Cedar Ridge Elementary Rd SE Dalton, GA 30721
(706) 712-8400
tara.marie@wcsga.net

Parent & Family Engagement Policy and Plan for Shared Student Success

Updates May 14, 2025, - Cedar Ridge Elementary will take the following measures to promote and support parents as an important foundation of the school in order to strengthen the school and reach our school goals. We will:

Ensure that all information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is published in both English and Spanish, posted on the school Website, and included in the monthly periodic school newsletter for all parents.
Provide periodic training for staff on strategies to improve communication with families and ideas to increase family engagement. Staff will also share best practices during regularly scheduled faculty meetings (or collaboration meetings).
Share information in English and Spanish on the school website, Facebook, and in the school newsletter for parents to understand the school’s academic standards and assessments, as well as the ways parents can monitor their child’s progress and work with educators.
Communicate with all families and the community on a regular basis regarding school-wide events and activities, through phone messages, social media, and flyers.
Work with our families to develop relevant training and helpful presentations to educate our staff on the importance of family involvement.
Provide necessary materials and handouts for families at conferences, meetings, and activities to help families work with their child to improve their child’s achievement.
Use our community stakeholders to improve awareness of the activities and events listed in the school's parental involvement policy.
Offer literacy classes for parents to help further enhance their various educational levels.
Collect feedback from parents at all events in order to respond to families’ requests for additional support for parental involvement activities.

Resources

School Plan for Shared Student Achievement

What is it?
This is a plan that describes how Cedar Ridge will provide opportunities to improve parent engagement to support student learning. Cedar Ridge values the contributions and involvement of parents to establish an equal partnership for the common goal of improving student achievement. This plan describes the different ways that Cedar Ridge will support parent engagement and how parents can help plan and participate in activities and events to promote student learning at school and at home.

How is it revised?
Cedar Ridge School encouraged parents through various means such as surveys and meetings to review and revise this parental involvement policy, as well as the school wide plan, our school-parent compact and the parental involvement budget. Additionally, parent input and comments regarding this plan are welcome during the school year. The plan is posted on our school Web site for parents to view and submit feedback throughout the year. All parent feedback received during the year will be used to revise the plan for the next school year. We also distribute an annual survey online and by paper to ask parents for their suggestions on the plan and the use of funds for parental involvement. Parents can also give feedback during several parent meetings and activities during the school year.

Who is it for?
All students participating in the Title I, Part A program, and their families, are encouraged and invited to fully participate in the opportunities described in this plan. Cedar Ridge will provide a full opportunity for the participation of parents with limited English, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children.

Where is it available?
The plan is available on the school Website. Parents can also retrieve a copy of the plan at the front office.

2025-2026 District & School Goals

2025-2026 District Goals

Goal 1: Increase the WCS graduation rate from 91.13% to 93.13% over the next three years for all students.
Goal 2: Reduce the achievement gap(s) in English Language Arts & Mathematics.
Goal 3: To increase the capacity of all WCS teachers and leaders to enhance student learning through evidence-based professional learning.

CRE School Improvement Goals

Goal 1: By the conclusion of the 2026-2027 school year, all teachers will engage in collaborative practices and professional development aimed at enhancing Tier I instruction and boosting overall student achievement.
Goal 2: By the conclusion of the 2026–2027 school year, K–5 students will demonstrate a 3% increase in overall MAP Growth achievement scores in both Reading and Mathematics.
Goal 3: By the conclusion of the 2026–2027 school year, increase participation in Title I family events by 3% compared to the previous year.

School–Parent Compacts

As part of this plan, Cedar Ridge Elementary and our families will develop a school-parent compact, which is an agreement that parents, teachers, and students will develop that explains how parents and teachers will work together to make sure all our students reach grade-level standards. The compacts will be reviewed and updated annually based on feedback from parents, students, and teachers. The school-parent compacts are sent home and available on our school website

Parental Resource Center & Involvement

Parent Resource Center

Come visit the Parent Resource Center to check out books, study materials, and activities to use at home with your child.

Monday – Friday, 7:30 am – 2:30 pm

Parental Involvement

Cedar Ridge Elementary believes that family involvement means the participation of families in regular two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:

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

Parental Involvement Standards

Cedar Ridge Elementary supports the National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships as the school’s model in engaging parents, students, and the community. These standards are:

Welcoming All Families
Communicating Effectively
Supporting Student Success
Speaking Up for Every Child
Sharing Power
Collaborating with Community

Helping at Home

One of the most frequent questions we get from parents is, “How can I help my child at home?” Fortunately, there are lots of ways. Here are just a few:

Read to and with your child each day.
Find fun ways to apply skills being learned at school.
Utilize the Internet and other web apps with your child (IXL, EPIC, Prodigy.).
3rd-5th grade parents can access Infinite Campus to help keep track of grades throughout the year.

What is Title I?

Cedar Ridge is identified as a Title I school as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Title I is designed to support State and local school reform efforts tied to challenging state academic standards in order to reinforce and enhance efforts to improve teaching and learning for students. Title I programs must be based on effective means of improving student achievement and include strategies to support parental involvement. All Title I schools must jointly develop with all parents a written parental involvement policy.

Parental Involvement Events

Here are a few of the events that Cedar Ridge Elementary will host to build the capacity for strong parental involvement to support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement. Dates subject to change.

Meet the Teacher - August- Parents have the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher and receive information about CES.
Fall Book Fair - September 3rd-11th
Grandparents Breakfast- September 10th
Spring Book Fair – TBA
Open House – September 9th
Annual Title I Meeting - We invite you to view our Annual Title 1 meeting presentation. At this virtual event, we will be sharing about our Title I program, and parent requirements of the Parent/School Compacts. We will also be sharing information about our School Improvement Plan, & Family Engagement Policy. Invitation flyers will be sent home with students. Details will also be posted and made available on our school website, social media, & Class Dojo accounts.
Career Day - TBA- Students have the opportunity to learn about many possible career choices.
Milestones information Meeting – TBA Parents of third through fifth graders can learn important information about the Georgia Milestones Assessment.
Parent/Teacher Conferences - Teachers will be scheduling conferences throughout the school year. Title 1 Documents will be made available for input upon request. We welcome your feedback.
Parent Input Meetings - Parents are invited to Parent Input meetings held at 2 different times of the year. Parents will be able to view important Title 1 documents, such as the, School Improvement Plan, School-Parent Compacts, Family Engagement Policy, in addition to giving input on funding for parent involvement activities, and more. We will also send out parent surveys during the year for those who cannot attend the input meetings.

We welcome parents to give feedback at each event.

Cedar Ridge Elementary is committed to helping our parents attend the parental activities listed in this plan. Please call or email us if you need assistance with childcare or transportation in order to participate in our programs at (706) 712-8400 or tara.marie@wcsga.net.

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