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At Tangier Smith Elementary, the staff, parents and community work together with one common goal: student achievement. We believe that the home is every child's first learning experience and parents are the child's first and permanent  teachers.  Tangier  Smith recognizes the importance of parents and  family  members  in  the  decision-making processes and the value of parent/family engagement. Parents have been a part  of  the school's Shared Decision Making Team, which is responsible for writing and evaluating the Action Plan for the school each year.

Children do best when parents and family members are  enabled  to  play four key roles: as teachers, as advisors, as  advocates  and  as  decision-makers. At Tangier Smith, families are encouraged to participate in all these roles in school and  at  home  to  promote each child's personal and  academic  growth.  Our  school  welcomes  parents/families,  and together with our P.T.O. actively recruits parent volunteers.

Families and teachers work together to prepare students for the New York State Assessments. During open house and parent/teacher conferences, parents are given resources and strategies for reinforcement of classroom concepts. Parents are kept apprised of student progress. State testing dates are provided on the district calendar and notices are sent home through the school. Parents are also educated on New York State academic standards and its impact on students' academic achievement.

William Floyd School District works in conjunction with UPK to prepare incoming kindergarten students for a smooth transition into Tangier Smith. Our UPK has moved their program into our elementary schools. This supports students in becoming familiar with the elementary school prior to their kindergarten experience. Students have opportunities to join our school wide activities. In addition, parents/guardians and incoming kindergarteners are also invited to an evening orientation in May. Information is provided to parents to prepare their child for the expectations of Kindergarten .

Listed below are several ways that we will continue to  foster the home school connection and maximize student achievement:

• Attempts will be made  to  offer  parents/families  a  flexible  and  accommodating schedule to meet with school personnel, to be informed of Title I services that  are available for their child, to explain the requirements, and to explain  the  right of  the parent and families to be  involved.  These  meetings  will  be  offered  at  convenient times, to which all  parents  of  participating  children  shall  be  invited  and  encouraged to attend.
• Families will be involved in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, reviewing, and improving of programs. They will also be involved in reviewing and the improvement of the school Parent/Family Engagement Policy and programs.
• The school will provide families with timely information about programs, a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, proficiency levels students are expected to meet, and if requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children.
• Families will be informed  that Title  I funds may provide transportation, child  care, or home visits, as  such  services  related  to  parental/family  engagement involvement.
• An invitation will be forwarded to respective Title I families inviting them to participate in a variety of Title I programs. These programs will be chaired by building level instructional staff and focus on enhancing student achievement.
• Open communication between home and school is essential in meeting students' needs. Pertinent information is shared in a variety of ways: District website, parent portal, teacher websites, parent handbook, action plan, P.T.O. meetings, parent workshops, and parent-teacher conferences.
• Alignment and communication with our Universal Pre-K program will ensure a smooth transition for incoming kindergarten students.
• Families will be offered the opportunity to voice complaints directly to the building Principal followed by a meeting  with  a designee of  the  Superintendent of Schools or the Title I Coordinator.

At Tangier Smith Elementary, greater family involvement in children's learning is a critical link to achieving a high-quality education and a safe, disciplined learning environment for every student.