A Message from our Principal, Mr. Gary Smallridge         

I want to welcome everyone back to the 2020-2021 school year.  I am very excited to have students back on campus and online with our staff.  We currently have over 400 students participating online and over 600 participating on campus in a traditional format.  Our opening went very smoothly for our traditional students that are attending on campus, and our online opening went well but had some bumps in the road.  We anticipated technology issues, and I want to thank each of you for being patient as we worked through the issues and as we continue to work through technology issues in the weeks to come.

As we move into week three of school, we will continue to balance classes in both formats, online and traditional.  The balancing of classes is a normal part of opening school each year, but this year has been more difficult due to adding in the online choice.  I want to remind parents of the commitment to remain in their school-choice format for the remainder of the first quarter.  We do not want to move students back and forth between traditional and online.  If this takes place, schedule changes will occur daily, causing numerous students to be moved several times during the first quarter.  We know our students need a stable, routine environment to be successful. 

I want to thank our students for following our new safety procedures.  Our students are showing up each day with a facemask or shield on, which is our first line of defense in keeping everyone safe.  Our students are following our directional hallways, traveling on the right side in hallways and on sidewalks.  Our students are eating six feet apart for breakfast and lunch in our cafeteria or classrooms.  Our students are cooperating with our staff, which is going to be the reason why we can stay open.  Parents, you have done a great job in preparing your kids to return to school safely.  I ask you to continue to remind your students to follow the rules and not to let their guards down.  If we stop following our safety plan, COVID will spread and schools will be in jeopardy of going back online.  None of us wants that to happen, so let us stay strong and keep up our guard. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me by email or by phone. 

Title 1 Guidelines and Parent Information 2020-21

TITLE I SCHOOLWIDE PARTICIPATION

Ft. King Middle School operates a school wide Title I, Part A program, which is the largest federally funded grant program for grades K-12. It is designed to provide all children that attend low-income schools significant opportunities to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education.  

Title I funds can be used:

• to hire highly qualified teachers and/or para-professionals,
• to provide additional learning time through before/after school and/or summer programs,
• to purchase extra resources such as equipment, computers, and supplemental learning materials,
• to provide additional training for our school’s staff, and
• to implement innovative family engagement opportunities.

You will be invited to attend our Annual Parent Informational Meeting that will explain how this program is used to support the needs of your child and the school goals. You will also receive information about the rights you have as a parent of a child attending a Title I school. We look forward to sharing this information other exciting news at this meeting!

NOTIFICATION OF TEACHERS “CERTIFICATION”

Schools are required to provide timely notice to each individual parent that their child has been assigned to or taught for FOUR or more consecutive weeks by a teacher or substitute who is not state certified. You will be provided this notification if this applies to your child at any point throughout the school year. 

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (SIP)

The SIP is a tool used by stakeholders to review data, set goals, progress monitor and create action plans.  The most recent version of our School Improvement Plan is available by request through the school front office or for review at any time online at https://www.floridacims.org/districts/marion. 

“RIGHT TO KNOW NOTIFICATION”

As a parent, you have the right to know the professional qualifications for the classroom teacher and/or paraprofessional who instructs your child.  The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) allows you to ask to receive information about certification(s)/credential(s) and you can request this information at any time. Requests can be made at any time by contacting our front office and asking for a Parent’s Right-To-Know Request form.

SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT

Each Title I school must collaborate with parents to develop an agreement that clearly outlines the responsibilities and commitment that the parents, entire school staff, and student will share. This document is known as the School-Parent Compact and assists with building and developing a partnership to help students achieve the State’s high academic standards.

The School-Parent Compact is a living document, signed by the school, staff, and parent, that will be used throughout the year as parents and school staff communicate about the progress and growth of your child.

Please see your child’s teacher if you have not yet received a School-Parent Compact. If you would like to provide suggestions or input about the compact, please contact the school.

PARENT OPPORTUNITY TO REQUEST MEETINGS

Parent-Teacher Conferences may be scheduled when the need arises at the request of either the parent or the teacher.  Parents may schedule a conference by writing a note or e-mail to the teacher, or calling the front office before or after school to set up a time with your child’s teacher.  By scheduling a conference, the teacher is able to prepare individual reports, papers, etc., regarding your child to improve the sharing of information during the conference.  During planned instructional time, teachers are working hard on supporting students master state standards and are not allowed to conference with parents during planned instructional time.  We encourage all parents to set up and attend at least one conference per quarter.

TITLE I PARENT RESOURCES

The Marion County School District invites all parents and families to visit the Title I Parent Resource Center where there are many resources and materials available for checkout to assist you in teaching your child.  The Title I Parent Resource Center is located within the Howard Academy Community Center at 306 NW 7th Avenue. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM.  If you have questions about available materials, please call 352-671-4171.

The Parent Resource Center on Wheels travels to each Title I school in the district and various community events throughout the school year. Resources can be checked out from the van as well! Watch for upcoming notifications alerting you when the van will be at our school.

State Level Parent Resources

The mission of the Bureau of Family and Community Outreach (BFCO) is to empower families and communities with resources and information needed to promote a high quality education for their children. The Bureau reaches out to serve Florida's diverse families and communities in a number of ways including dropout and bullying prevention; family engagement; volunteer and community involvement; faith- and community-based initiatives; mentoring/student assistance and school and instructional enhancement state grants; and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal afterschool grant.

For general information related to Family and Community Outreach, please call: 888-665-5055 or visit the website below:

http://www.fldoe.org/schools/family-community/activities-programs/parental-involvement.stml

For questions related to Parents as Teachers (PAT) or home visiting, please contact the National PAT Center directly:

Parents as Teachers, 2228 Ball Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146

Phone (314) 432-4330; FAX: (314) 432-8963 Monday-Friday 8am-5pm

http://www.parentsasteachers.org/contact

PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

Our school is committed to ensuring that meaningful consultation is ongoing between family members and school staff.  When families engage with schools to support their students learning, several positive effects can take place:

1. Students learn to read faster.
2. Students typically score higher on tests.
3. Students attend school on a more regular basis.
4. Students experience less disciplinary occurrences.
5. Students are more likely to graduate.

The most recent version of our Parent and Family Engagement Plan is available by request through the school front office or for review at any time online at https://www.floridacims.org/districts/marion (click on your school, then click on “Other Documents”.  The District’s Parent Engagement and Family Plan is available in the front office or at www.marion.k12.fl.us under “Curriculum and Instruction”, then, “Grants and Federal Programs”.

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAC)

People from several groups are welcome to join our SAC committee, including parents, students, community members, business partners, and school staff. Certain SAC members are elected by their peers, business and community members are appointed and the Principal automatically serves. The SAC reviews issues of a school wide nature, helps to create and review the effectiveness of the School-Parent Compact, the Parent and Family Engagement Plan for both the school and district, and reviews the annual School Improvement Plan. SAC meetings fall under the Sunshine Law and are declared public meetings and open to the public at all times. Your input matters and we encourage you to join our SAC committee by notifying the front office.  SAC meeting minutes and other related information are available to review by contacting our front office.  Our first SAC meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 beginning at 4:15 P.M. in our Media Center.  Our second meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 13, 2020, in case you missed our first meeting.