Parent Involvement Statement
Prairie students, staff and parents believe in the importance of working together to support student success and academic achievement. Establishing effective communication is a priority. Parents are recognized as having a significant role in their child's education. Activities are planned and implemented to support parents in this role.
Important information about school and classroom activities are included in weekly newsletters, info-sharing meetings during Back to School Night, Parent/Teacher Conferences, phone calls and individual written communications. Parents are welcome to visit classrooms.
Surveys are used as a "needs assessment" to help determine the direction of parent/family involvement activities. Survey results are taken into consideration by both staff members and PTA members when planning family/extracurricular activities.
A number of activities are planned for students and their families throughout the school year, including:
- Back to School Night
- Invite a Friend to Lunch days
- Fall Festival
- Make-It Take-It Nights
- Family Night at the Urbana Free Library
- Family Reading Night
- National African American parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) activities
- Fine Arts Festival
- Parents' Breakfast at the end of the year.
Parents are also encouraged to volunteer/participate in the Walkathon, Fun Day, Walk/Bike to School Day, 100th Day and Jr. Scientists Day.
Parents/family activities and events are purposely scheduled at different times of the day to encourage attendance and enable parents to participate actively in their children's education. Both staff members and representatives of the Prairie School PTA plan and facilitate these events.
Discussions occur that determine if there are barriers to student and/or parent participation in activities and attempts are made to provide the necessary services or support to remove those barriers. Attendance at events is studied to determine if all Prairie neighborhoods are equally represented.
Title 1 Parent Meetings are held at Prairie to assess parents' needs and concerns. Prairie parents also serve on the district level Title 1 committee that advises the Title 1 Coordinator on issues regarding students and their families.