THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA
SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT

The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush and the parents of the students participating in activities, services, and programs funded by Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) agree that this compact outlines how the parents, the entire school staff, and the students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership that will help children achieve the State’s high standards.

This school-parent compact is in effect during school year  2016-17

REQUIRED SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT PROVISIONS

School Responsibilities

The Arts Academy At Benjamin Rush will:

1. Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards as follows:

• The school will implement the School District of Philadelphia’s      

                              Core Curriculum.

                        –     All classrooms are equipped with Promethian (Smartboards) to

                              enhance technology in the classroom.

                        –     Mobile laptop carts, computer lab, music technology lab and media arts

                              labs, and chrome books available.

                        –    Provide Blended Learning opportunities for remediation and enrichment

• Provide interventions for at-risk students.
• Utilize Response to Intervention and Instruction (RTII) as a way to identify struggling students and implement appropriate strategies to help students succeed.
• Have students participate in Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered by the School District of Philadelphia.

2. Hold parent-teacher conferences (at least annually in elementary schools) during which this compact will be discussed as it relates to the individual child’s achievement.  Specifically, those conferences will be held:

Back to School Night:             September

Report Card Conferences:      Quarterly

3. Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress.  Specifically, the school will provide reports as follows:

–     Jupiter Grades on-line grading system provides parents with individual

                              login information to get up to the minute reports on individual student                                  progress.  Parents can get grades as well as reports on any missing                                         assignments and communicate with the teachers. 

                        –    Teachers will make phone calls to parents as needed to address                               academic and behavioral concerns.

                        –    Interim reports will be posted on Jupiter grades in the middle of each

                             report period.

 4. Provide parents reasonable access to staff.  Specifically, staff will be available for consultation with parents as follows:

–     Teachers will be available before and after school as agreed upon by

                               both the teacher and parent.

                        –     Teachers will be available to meet with parents during Back to School

                               Night and Report Card Conferences.

                        –     Teachers may schedule meetings with parents during their individual

                               preparation periods.

• Parents can call the school and leave a message for teachers to call back during their prep period or before/after school.

 5. Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class,          and to observe classroom activities, as follows: 

• Parents are encouraged to volunteer in the school.
• Parents with expertise in certain areas are welcomed to partner with the school to use their individual talents.
• Parents will be invited to serve as chaperons on trips.
• Parents may visit their child’s classroom by making an appointment with the teacher prior to visiting.
• Parents who obtain their clearances may volunteer in the lunchroom, library, and other areas of the building.

Parent Responsibilities

We, as parents, will support our children’s learning in the following ways:

• Limiting cell phone and computer usage
• Scheduling doctors’ appointments after school hours
• Being familiar with teacher’s expectations and school policies
• Monitoring student compliance with school dress code as outlined in student handbook
• Checking the rushartsonline.org website on a consistent basis
• Login to Jupiter Grades regularly to check academic progress
• Monitoring attendance
• Making sure homework is completed
• Monitoring amount of television watched
• Volunteering in my child’s classroom or during lunch time
• Participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to my child’s education
• Promoting positive use of my child’s extracurricular time
• Staying informed about my child’s education and communicating with the school by promptly reading all notices from the school or the school district either received by my child or by mail and responding, as appropriate
• Serving, to the extent possible, on policy advisory groups, such as being the Title I, Part A parent representative on the school’s School Improvement Team, the Title I Policy Advisory Committee, the District wide Policy Advisory Council, the State’s Committee of Practitioners, the School Support Team or other school advisory or policy groups.

 

Student Responsibilities (revise as appropriate to grade level)

We, as students, will share the responsibility to improve our academic achievement and achieve the State’s high standards.  Specifically, we will:

• Be involved in school activities
• Be punctual
• Be respectful
• Adhere to dress code
• Utilize technology and social media responsibly
• Follow rules for both the school and teachers and adhere to The Student Code of Conduct issued by the School District of Philadelphia
• Login to Jupiter Grades to keep a check on progress
• Do homework every day and ask for help when help is needed
• Read at least 30 minutes every day outside of school time
• Give to our parents or the adult who is responsible for our welfare all notices and information we receive from the school every day

The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush will:

1. Involve parents in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s parental involvement policy, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way.

2. Involve parents in the joint development of any school-wide program plan, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way.

3. Hold an annual meeting to inform parents of the school’s participation in Title I, Part A programs, and to explain the Title I, Part A requirements, and the right of parents to be involved in Title I, Part A programs. The school will convene the meeting at a convenient time to parents, and will offer a flexible number of additional parental involvement meetings, such as in the morning or evening, so that as many parents as possible are able to attend.  The school will invite to this meeting all parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs (participating students), and will encourage them to attend. 

4. Provide information to parents of participating students in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon the request of parents with disabilities, and, to the extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand.

5. Provide to parents of participating children information in a timely manner about Title I, Part A programs that includes a description and explanation of the school’s curriculum, the forms of academic assessment used to measure children’s progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.

6. On the request of parents, provide opportunities for regular meetings for parents to formulate suggestions, and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children. The school will respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.

7. Provide to each parent an individual student report about the performance of their child on the State assessment in at least math, language arts and reading.

8. Provide each parent timely notice when their child has been assigned or has been taught for four (4) or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified within the meaning of the term in section 200.56 of the Title I Final Regulations (67 Fed. Reg. 71710, December 2, 2002).
    

To help build and develop a partnership with parents to help their children achieve

the State’s high academic standards, the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush will:

1. Recommend to the Regional No Child Left Behind District Liaison, the names of parents of participating children of Title I, Part A programs who are interested in serving on the State’s Committee of Practitioners and School Support Teams.

2. Notify parents of the school’s participation in Early Reading First, Reading First and Even Start Family Literacy Programs operating within the school, the district and the contact information.

3. Work with the School District of Philadelphia in addressing problems, if any, in implementing parental involvement activities in section 1118 of Title I, Part A.

4. Work with the School District of Philadelphia to ensure that a copy of the State Education Agency’s written complaint procedures for resolving any issue of violation(s) of a Federal statute or regulation of Title I, Part A programs is provided to parents of students and to appropriate private school officials or representatives.

 

(PLEASE NOTE THAT SIGNATURES ARE NOT REQUIRED)