A Message from the Department of Teaching and Learning

Dear Alderwood, Birchwood, Carl Cozier, Cordata, Roosevelt and Shuksan families,
In our district we have schools that qualify for Title I funding which helps to provide additional services and staffing for those schools. The purpose of this email is to let you know that your child’s school is receiving Title I funds this school year, to help inform you of the Title I program information and the school goals around improvement activities as identified within the Title school plan, and to ask you to fill out our Title I family survey.

Parent and Family Engagement Policy 
Bellingham Public Schools and each Title I school have created a parent and family engagement policy to enhance student academic outcomes. These policies describe goals for meaningful family engagement and provide strategies and resources to strengthen partnerships between schools and parents in Title I schools. These policies demonstrate our dedication to involving families in their children's education and empowering all schools to implement effective family engagement strategies that align with the school’s academic goals.
Please visit our Title I webpage to see the goal(s) for your school. 

Report Card Summary 
You can find your school’s report card on the OSPI Report Card website. Are you interested in knowing how your child’s school did on state assessments, or how groups of students performed compared to other groups? The online report card contains information about test results, as well as other statistics about the district and schools. To find results for your child's school, choose it from the pull-down menu and and press “go.” 

NAEP State Results 
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Beginning in 2003, states are required to participate in the grades 4 and 8 mathematics and reading NAEP assessments. These results are reported every other year. 

Title I, Part A | Program:
Rights | Benefits | Funding
Each school holds an informational session and/or meeting, sometimes combined with a school event, each year to inform parents about their rights and benefits under the Title I, Part A program. The school explains its program and emphasizes parent and family engagement in their child's education. If needed, we ask for input on parent and family engagement budget expenses. 

Annual Evaluation
Bellingham Public Schools conducts an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of our Parent and Family Engagement program at the end of the year. The goal of this yearly evaluation is to improve the quality of Title I, Part A programs and services. We use the findings from these annual evaluations to develop new strategies to increase the effectiveness of our program. Help us improve our program by filling out the survey. 

One-on-One
If you prefer a more personal conversation, we also invite you to schedule a one-on-one meeting with your principal. They are eager to listen to your experiences and gather your feedback. 

Multilingual Families 
Your input is extremely valuable to us! We are dedicated to improving our support for multilingual students in our schools, and we need your help. Please take a moment to provide us with your feedback and suggestions through our brief survey. The survey is available in multiple languages. Your feedback will remain anonymous and confidential, and it will influence our efforts to enhance language support, cultural considerations, and community engagement. Your partnership is vital in creating an inclusive and supportive educational environment for all our students. 

Parent’s Right to Request Teacher and Paraeducator Qualifications
All parents and guardians have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of your child’s classroom teacher(s). If you request this information, the district or school will provide you with the following as soon as possible:

• If the teacher has met state licensing requirements for the grade level and subject in which the teacher is providing instruction.
• If the teacher is teaching under an emergency status for which state licensing requirements have been waived.
• The type of college degree major of the teacher and the field of discipline for any graduate degree or certificate.
• If your child is receiving Title I services from paraeducators, and if so, whether those paraeducators meet state/federal requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
• If you would like to request this information or the paraeducator qualifications, please contact your principal.

 
Bellingham Public Schools does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employee(s) has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Janis Velasquez Farmer, Civil Rights Coordinator, Gender Inclusive Schools Coordinator, janis.velasquezfarmer@bellinghamschools.org, 360-676-6532; Katie Jones, Section 504 Coordinator, katie.jones@bellinghamschools.org, 360-676-6532; Marty Atkins, Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) Compliance Officer, marty.atkins@bellinghamschools.org, 360-676-6532; Laura Cardinal, Title IX Coordinator, laura.cardinal@bellinghamschools.org, 360-676-6455.