Welcoming Environment

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

• Family Liaison: Christine Vang, Principal

Our school communicates with families in many ways.

• Monthly newsletter from classroom teacher

• Bi-Monthly school letter

• Emails

• Phone calls

• Automated calls

• School website

• Twitter

* (Communication will be translated when possible)

Communication

• Farnsworth Aerospace will respond to families when they call, email or send a note within 24 hours.

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.

• For more about our work on racial equity, contact:     

       Christine Vang  (Principal)

• We recognize that there is an achievement gap and have begun the process of identifying specific barriers that may be contributing to this gap. We have been looking at data from a variety of assessments and asking specific questions as to why our students of color are not making the same kind of academic progress as our non-students of color. At the PreK-4 campus, we are looking through an equity lens in regards to what we can offer as a school in providing new and innovative ways on how we can best meet the needs of all our students. We will be working to infuse culturally responsive teaching practices while examining the realness, relevance and rigor of our teaching along with the relationships that we instill with our students and families. We will also be using the personalized framework to engage students in learning.

• We are addressing the “opportunity gap” through our work partnering with outside resources.  We will work with our parent groups to determine ways to support our students. i.e. “Every Meal” and other outside partners.

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:

• PreK before school conferences

• Kindergarten before school conferences and New Student Orientation

• Fall Open House

• Provide information and notification of district workshops

• Provide digital resources for families to support with the transition

• Knowledge of our school on our website

Elementary Schools:

• Parent education from the Office of Early Learning will build relationships with Head Start

For students and families moving to the next school in their pathway, we support the transition by:

• PreK families “Take Your Parent to School Day” visit kindergarten classrooms

• Kindergarten “Take Your Parent to School Day” - visit 1^st grade

• Step-Up-Day: 4^th graders go to the 5-8 campus and get to experience being a 5^th grader

• Parents are able to set up school tours and learn about all the exciting programs and activities that Farnsworth Aerospace has to offer.

Family Partnerships

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

Copies of the compact are available:

• Farnsworth School Website

• Open House Night

• Title 1 Annual Meeting / Aerospace/ Engineering Family Night

• Fall and Spring Conferences

• Main Office of Farnsworth Aerospace PreK-4 Campus

• The compact will be updated: May 2024

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

Title I Annual Meeting where we will share information about school programs, will be on October 5th, 2023.

• Farnsworth School Organization (FSO) meetings

• STEAM Family Events

• Student/Guardian Field Trips

• National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) will be on Monday, February  2024

• Hmong American Day - May 2024

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

• When sending out information, we create flyers in different languages if possible and use automated calls

• During conferences, we offer night and day meetings in-person and virtual

• During family events, we have staff available to translate in multiple languages

• Meeting notes are posted on the website

• Automated calls

• FSO meetings will be offered both virtual and in person

Our school supports families as advocates and provides opportunities for parent leadership

• The process for parents to voice their concerns about their child’s learning is to first get in contact with their child’s teacher. If there are further concerns, then parents should contact the principal.

• Staff will receive professional development around the interpretation of ACCESS scores for ELL students and use this information to best meet the needs of individual students. This information will be shared with parents at conferences as teachers share specific strategies they will use to help each ELL student develop their English language acquisition.

• Families can get involved in planning for school improvement and family engagement by attending FSO meetings and completing surveys and participating on school committees.

• Parents and guardians can sign up to help volunteer within the school through the Parent/Guardian Program.

• Parents can locate and join school committees through the main office.

• Parents are involved in creating and updating the Family Compact and Family Engagement Plan each year.

• Interpreters and translations will be provided as needed.

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 at fall and spring parent-teacher conferences

• Parent-Teacher conferences are held in November 2023 and March 2024.

• All students will receive at least one of the following supports: reading interventions using LLI, small group-focused instruction, skills block with explicit phonics instruction.

• Families can support reading at home through the use of take-home books (book bags), reading apps, and oral language development (talking and telling stories to their children), reading with their child, and talking about books they have read.

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

• Parent Portal login information can be accessed at spps.org/onestop or by contacting: Sue Kruse, school clerk

• iPads are available for families to check-out on a weekly basis

• Classroom teachers share Personalized Learning strategies through classroom newsletters and the use of apps that engage families in student work and practice (i.e., SeeSaw and Schoology)

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

Many before and after school enrichment and support opportunities are available for students.

• Morning Program(before school program) five days a week

• EDL (after school program) two days a week

Community Partnerships

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

• First Covenant Church (East Side Thrive, etc.), Every Meal, Farnsworth Aerospace Upper Campus, Johnson High School, TKDA, 3M, The Works Museum, MN Science Museum, Annual donations from “Friends of Farnsworth”, Dodge Nature Center, Belwin, Como Planetarium, Metropolitan State University, Watershed Program, U of M Raptor Center,Nystrom.