Welcoming Environment

Our school has staff member(s) available for families to discuss this plan and ask questions

• Principal: Jeffrey Bush
• Family Liaison: To Be Announced
• Assistant Principals: Lois Pantoja, Ryan Fell, John Osorio

• Classroom and Intervention Specialist Teachers (Available on Website)

Our school communicates with families in many ways.

• School Newsletters: emailed to families monthly. Paper copies are available upon request
• Classroom Newsletters: weekly, biweekly, and monthly (varies by grade level/and school). Newsletters are emailed to families. Paper copies are available upon request.
• Regular updates to the school website.
• Parent/Teacher/Student conference
• Phone calls, emails, written letters, notes and flyers
• Goal of a 24-hour response time to phone calls and voicemail messages during scheduled school days.
• Seesaw: Kindergarten through third grade teachers use this app for instructional purposes and to share student work with families
• Schoology: Fourth through 12th grade teachers use this app for instructional purposes. Parents have access to see their child’s work
• Calendar of School and student events: emailed to families; distributed at in-person events throughout the year; printed in the family handbook; posted on school website; given to new students during in-person registration; available in the office throughout the year
• Family Handbook: contains important information for families and is available to families on the SPPS Online Website. Paper copies can be requested.
• Student Behavior Handbook (Rights and Responsibilities): is available at http://www.spps.org/Page/3249.
• Email Communication: Online School teachers and administrators regularly email families regarding their students, school events and general announcements. Families are required to have an email address and share it with the school since OLS communicates digitally. Families should check their email frequently and contact the school office if their email address changes
• Automated Phone Calls via Blackboard Connect: used as a way to make important school related announcements.
• Text Messages: used to invite families to participate in school events and activities, as well as for general announcements and reminders. To ensure important information is received, families should contact the school office if their phone number changes; teachers are encouraged to use apps for communicating with families via text.
• Family-School Compact for Achievement: The compact is an agreement that parents, students, and teachers develop together. It explains how parents and teachers will work together to make sure all students are successful and receive the individual support they need to reach and exceed grade-level standards.

The achievement gap, or rather the “opportunity gap,” between students of color and white students in Saint Paul Public Schools is unacceptable. Our school is working to change practices and systems by identifying the barriers that make it harder for students of color to succeed and for their families to support their learning.

• Leadership and Equity teams have been created to

ensure equity is part of all leadership team discussions

and decision-making

• Online School Teachers and Staff are beginning a foundational study of Zaretta Hammond Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain and will implement culturally responsive practices in their online classrooms.
• Student Intervention support specialists will work closely with students needing academic support.

Transitions between schools can be challenging, and we work to help families as their children start and leave our school.

For new students and families, we support the transition by:

• We conduct an online Open House in the fall for our new families as an opportunity for students to meet their teachers and become more familiar with the school.
• We call parents to make sure they learn more about the Online School and its advantages.  We also respond to their questions and concerns.
• Kindergarten families are invited to participate in individual welcome meetings with their child’s teacher.
• Student transitions are planned for 5th and 8th graders as they transition from Elementary to Middle School and Middle School to High School in the online school.
• Providing orientation this fall for returning and new families for middle school.
• Middle school parents and students will have the opportunity to have their fall orientation via the online school website.

Family Partnerships

Our school-parent compact establishes the shared responsibility for student success between the school, families, and students. Families and teachers work together to develop the compact.

• Online Staff will share the compact during Open House. Families, students and staff are asked to discuss and sign the compact at conferences.
• Compact will be emailed to families.
• Copies of the compact are available to our families at our Open House, office, and on our school website at www.spps.org/onlineschool
• The compact is updated annually before the end of the previous school year and also in October prior to Conferences.

There are many opportunities for families to build connections to the school and to each other.

• The Title I Annual Meeting will be held in conjunction with a Fall Open House in October 2022.
• National African-American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) - TBA
• Throughout the 2022-2023 School year, school administration and staff will work with families to determine how families are interested in being engaged and involved in the school community (PTO, community events, etc.).
• Families will be invited to be in partnership with staff in Culturally Relevant Instruction/ Academic Learning Events, and Family Partnership Decision-Making
• In-person and online Family Seminars will be held in Language Affinity Groups multiple times throughout the year to provide opportunities for Parent Education, stakeholder input and feedback regarding school academic and other programs (i.e. PBIS, SAT, School Culture/ Climate)
• Home Visits - Licensed and non-licensed staff will conduct Home Visits during the Fall and throughout the school year if needed.

We work to make these meetings and events available for every family in the school.

• Online School is a diverse school with many languages and cultures. All written materials can be translated into English, Spanish, and Hmong. Other translations will be done upon request.
•  Interpreters will be offered during in person and online meetings.
• We conduct personal phone calls to families of English, Spanish and Hmong learners. District and OLS bilingual staff provide interpreter services during meetings and via phone calls.
• Hmong and Spanish Speaking staff members assist

Teaching and Learning

Our school shares information about state standards, assessment and student achievement with families in multiple ways

• Report cards and progress reports will be distributed via email and regular mail.
• Parent-Teacher virtual conferences are held twice a year in November and March (dates to be determined)
• Our school shares information about student achievement with families in multiple ways.
• Parent/Teacher conferences are held: November 2022 and March 2023
• Parents will receive individualized progress reports upon request
• ACCESS scores for ELL students
• MCA Math/Reading scores for grades 3-5
• MCA Science scores grade 5
• During conferences, student results and data will be shared with families. Teachers will be able to share with families some strategies they can use at home to support student learning
• Our school will engage families in Personalized Learning as a key strategy to accelerate student achievement, as these changes come to our school

Our school will engage in personalized learning as a key strategy to accelerate student achievement. Parents can get more information using many tools.

• Parent log-in information can be accessed at spps.org/onestop or by asking the school clerk

• iPads – Using the communication platforms of Schoology, Seesaw and Google Meets, parents will be informed about expectations, methods of instruction and curriculum. These platforms are effective in also gathering feedback.

• Schoology and/or Seesaw – provide information about the use of these learning management systems at your school.

Community Partnerships

Our school develops community partnerships to provide additional support for students and their families

• During the 2022 - 2023 school year, SPPS Online will explore opportunities for community partnerships in future school years.