Every Classroom. Every Student. Every Day. |
Recent ActivityGreetings from the Director
Hello and welcome to all members of the Webster learning community,
As you know, parents are their children’s earliest and most continuous teachers and are full partners with teachers, principals and administrators in the education of their children. Parents are critical to the success of educational reform and families benefit from learning together by engaging fully in literacy and educational activities.
Every child in Webster is eligible to reap the benefits of the Title 1 Program and we would like to extend an invitation to your family to fully participate in its activities and online opportunities. I am the Interim Director for Title 1 services for the school district and my number one goal is to make the program work for the school, community and students in Webster. So, explore the webpage, keep in touch with the updates and become an active member of our learning community.
I welcome your input about additions and changes to make Title 1 the best program for supporting the parents and students of this growing community. Please feel free to call or email me with any comments, suggestions or questions and I will get back to you as quickly as possible.
Educationally yours,
Gail M. Arsenault M.Ed., C.A.G.S.
What is Title 1 and how can it help?
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the main Federal education law. The goal of NCLB is to improve the academic achievement of all students in the nation's public school. This law has a special interest in closing the achievement gap. Some parts of NCLB apply to all public schools, but some apply only to Title I schools. The Title I program-the largest part of NCLB-gives extra money to schools with high numbers of students from low-income families. All schools must improve under NCLB. But only low-performing schools that receive Title I funding must offer Choice and Supplemental Educational Services (SES) to eligible low-income children.Title I Part A provides federal dollars for supplemental educational opportunities for disadvantaged children who are most at risk of failing to meet the State's challenging content and performance standards. Federal dollars are allocated to school districts based upon the percentage of children living in the area from low-income families. Districts may provide educational support services in either a targeted assistance program: one in which the district uses Title I funds in a school to provide supplemental educational services to students who are failing or most at risk of failing to meet the State's student academic achievement standards, or through a Schoolwide Program: one in which districts have elected to use Title I funds in combination with other Federal, State, and local funds to upgrade a school's entire educational program.
The Webster Public Schools uses their Federal Funds to improve and provide services to all students in the Park Avenue Elementary (PAE), Webster Middle School (WMS), and Bartlett Jr/Sr. High School (BHS) through schoolwide programs. The goal of the schoolwide programs is to significantly increase the learning opportunities available to raise the achievement of all students, but particularly those who have always been the intended beneficiaries of Title I: low income children, low-achieving children, homeless children, migrant children, children who are neglected or at risk of dropping out, and Limited English Proficient children.
The Webster Public Schools’ Title I allocation in conjunction with other Federal, State grants and local funds are dedicated to providing highly qualified Teaching Associates at the PAE and WMS, high quality professional development, and scientifically research based curricula.
Department Web Pages Parents/Families SES Eligibility and Participation Student NumbersThe Webster Public School District is required to provide public access to the number of students who are eligible and who have participated in supplemental educational services. By clicking on this link, http://www.doe.mass.edu/ses/SY09-10participation.xls you will be able to view the information by district and school. Please contact the Title 1 Office if you have any further questions.
For a complete list of the DESE approved providers, you can click on the following link: http://www.doe.mass.edu/ses/results.aspx?DistrictCode=03160000&Keyword=&mode=search November is Family Literacy Month Governor Deval Patrick has proclaimed November 2011 to be the Commonwealth's 15th annual Family Literacy Month in celebration of the importance of reading and the essential role that parents/guardians and families play in the educational success of their children."An early love of reading is key to a child's development," said Governor Deval Patrick. "We use this celebration each year to recognize the important contributions that families make all year round in helping children develop strong literacy skills." "Having strong literacy skills is a key to success in all academic subjects, not just English language arts," said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester. "Students who participate in rich reading and literacy activities early in their lives are better positioned for success in school and beyond." "Literacy starts at home, so we are happy to promote Family Literacy Month as one way to help reinforce lessons learned at school that will help students continue their learning," said Secretary Reville. "An excellent education requires excellent literacy skills and we are all committed to ensuring students have access to instruction that prepares them for success."  Parent and Schools as PartnersParents are a critical part of students’ success in school. For that reason, the Title I program works closely with teachers and principals and together we are all committed to work closely with parents. Parents will be informed of their child’s progress, invited to participate in the educational process, and offered training and assistance. Communication and cooperation between school and parent will be a major focus. This is made explicit by the Webster Public Schools “A Partnership for Success”. A Partnership for Success.doc The Parent, Teacher and student will sign the Partnership for Success document. By signing the form, all will indicate their joint commitment to specific responsibilities to assist the student to achieve.
Parents of all students are invited to participate in PTO and School Council Meetings, and to attend special programs and presentations. Parents are also invited to come to the school for a conference with their child’s classroom teacher to discuss their child’s participation and learning. Title I staff members, (where appropriate) will provide input to the classroom teacher about the child’s progress in any instruction provided by staff. www.title1project.com www.doe.mass.edu/titlei/parents.html http://www.ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtml  Supplemental Educational ServicesYou have the chance to help your child succeed in school by signing up for free, individual or small-group tutoring. As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, your child can get extra help in reading, math, and language arts. The tutoring is available because your child’s school has not made adequate yearly progress for 3 years and because your family meets the income limits prescribed by the law.
Your child’s school has been identified for improvement because it has not made adequate yearly progress (AYP) on the MCAS for three years. Webster’s district report card is available on the website at www. webster-schools.org. It shows how your child’s school compares to other schools in the district and state. The school has been listed because certain subgroups of students have not made adequate yearly progress.
You can choose a free tutoring program that you feel is best for your child. A list of the approved tutoring programs for Webster is available at Title 1 Supplemental Education Services.doc to help you make your decision. These programs have been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and will provide your child with tutoring that is coordinated with classroom instruction. TAKE ACTION NOW by signing up for this GREAT OPPORTUNITY. Call the Title 1 Office at
508-943-9613 to talk w/Gail or Marlene if you have questions or need help in making your selection. If you wish to sign up your child , print out, complete and mail it back to the Title 1 Office by Friday, November 18, 2011.
Soon after, you will receive a letter letting you know when the services will begin. WMS form-click on Selection form 2011 WMS.doc BHS form -click on Selection form 2011 BHS.doc Resources |
