Introduction
A plan is an essential tool for any institution because it guides how the institution should run (Kakhramonovich, 2021). This is a comprehensive school year plan for the involvement of community organizations, school-wide curricular and non-curricular activities for families and caregivers; and in the context of Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) standard 7 [4.3], the focus is on understanding and responding to community interests and needs by fostering positive relationships with families and caregivers (Young, 2020).
Needs
Understanding and addressing the different needs of students, parents, and caregivers is foundational to building a thriving school community (Lawrence, 2002). Different students have specific needs, and educators should collaborate with caregivers in coming up with personalized plans for each student. According to the system theory, learners, educators, and caregivers should work together because they are dependent on one another, and the holistic approach will be more effective in finding and solving learners’ individual needs (Becvar et al., 2023). In this regard, learners, caregivers, and educators shall meet at the start and towards the end of every semester at dates that will be decided by the school management board, and the same should be communicated to every stakeholder, including caregivers, learners, and educators one month before the meeting. The first board meeting will take place on 14 December 2023 to plan for the meeting.
Further, a secure environment enhances learning because caregivers, learners, and educators will feel safe and concentrate on achieving academic and co-curricular goals (Lawrence, 2002). Therefore, a security guard should man the entrance to the institution at any particular time, and those entering the compound should produce their identification cards. Further, students should be encouraged to report any abnormality and discomfort like body aches and fatigue that can be signs of disease to keep them at optimum health and avoid spreading possible infection. Additionally, learners and educators should undergo screening and general health examination at our school clinic at the end of every month between the 25th and the last day of the month.
Another essential element in solving needs is focusing on and being driven toward results (Lawrence, 2002). Learners and educators should do benchmarking on previous results and find ways of improving performance in curricular and co-curricular activities. Here, they should create good relationships with neighboring institutions so as to discuss different ways that can be used to achieve success. This benchmarking should be a continuous process, and ways should be refined and changed as necessary to leverage the available resources to attain the best results possible. Tools are also very important determinants of attaining success (Lawrence, 2002). The school board should hold a meeting and find ways of acquiring important resources, including books for students to read and educators to use for teaching, communications gadgets like phones, internet resources including data and learning materials, whiteboards, and other visualization materials that enhance learning. For this purpose, board members are required to present results from their different fields of research so as to come up with the best ways to use the available resources.
Cultural competence is another crucial need for educators. Educators should recognize and respect the cultural diversity within the school community (Savicki, 2023). To achieve this, community members should give training to educators on cultural competence to better understand and meet the unique needs of students and their families. Further, there shall be mentorship programs and cultural learning sessions for both students and educators so as to acknowledge diversity.
Communication
Effective communication with families and caregivers is paramount to building positive school relationships. To achieve this, the school will establish a culture of openness and transparency where we will regularly communicate school policies, procedures, and important updates to families and caregivers through newsletters, emails, and the school website. This approach is based on the fact that transparent communication builds trust and enhances the sense of community, creating a positive school environment (Winkelmes et al., 2023). Further, we will encourage feedback through surveys, parent-teacher conferences, and community forums where members should be advised to actively listen to concerns, suggestions, and insights from families. According to Ball Skrzypek (2019), technology facilitates real-time communication, increasing parental engagement and involvement in the school community. In this regard, we will leverage technology to enhance communication by implementing a user-friendly online platform for parents to access information about their child’s academic progress, upcoming events, and important announcements. According to Guo-Brennan & Guo-Brennan (2019), recognition and celebration motivate students to do even better, and it is in this regard that we will recognize and celebrate student achievements, both academically and non-academically through sharing of success stories through newsletters, social media, and school events, hence reinforcing a positive and collaborative school culture.
Collaboration
Collaboration is the cornerstone of building effective relationships and involvement in the decision-making process with families and caregivers (Lawrence, 2002). To achieve this, we will encourage open dialogue and partnership between educators, administrators, and families to create a shared vision for student success. Additionally, we will actively involve parents in the educational journey of their children by establishing regular parent-teacher conferences, workshops, and involvement in school committees to create meaningful partnerships. Additionally, we will involve families in decision-making processes related to school policies, programs, and initiatives by utilizing input through surveys, forums, and advisory committees to ensure a diverse range of perspectives.
School Year Events
These 2024 school year events are guided by the ELCC standards and my own research. This is to meet ELCC standard 4.3, which requires a school to develop a comprehensive school year plan for community involvement (Young, 2020). The ELCC 5.1 requires us to organize orientation events, welcome sessions, and back-to-school nights to create a positive start to the school year. Therefore, we will start the semester on 12 January 2024 with orientation sessions for new students and their families and a welcome event in the evening to create a warm and inclusive atmosphere, fostering a sense of belonging within the school community. Further, ELCC 2.3 requires us to promote parent-teacher partnerships through regular conferences and involvement in school committees; ELCC 2.2 advocates for the development of a collaborative culture within the school community; and ELCC 2.4 requires us to actively involve families in decision-making processes related to school policies, programs, and initiatives (Young, 2020). It is in this regard that we will have parent-teacher conferences to discuss students’ academic progress, goals, and any concerns on 17 March 2024 and offer educational seminars for parents on child development, study habits, and navigating the educational system on 18 March 2024.
Additionally, ELCC 5.2 requires us to host parent-teacher conferences, curriculum nights, and workshops to involve families in the learning process, and ELCC 3.2 requires us to conduct thorough needs assessments for students, parents, and caregivers. Therefore, the school board and caregivers will converge at a community center, to be decided by the board on their first meeting on 28 April 2024, to discuss the specific needs of our students and possible ways of improvement.
The school will also conduct co-curricular activities where learners will be allowed to showcase their various talents. When drafting the timetable, 16 hours per week shall be allocated to sports and games where all learners meet and play their preferred games. Learners should be encouraged to be active in games by the games teacher since activity improves cognitive functions, including memory (Tomporowski & Pesce, 2019).
The final thing in this school year’s events plan is that learners and educators should put repetition on the first line of everything that needs to be remembered. According to Charlotte (2002) and Jamil et al. (2023), repetition enhances memory by reinforcing neural connections in the brain. When information is repeated, whether through reading, practice, or exposure, it strengthens the synaptic pathways associated with that particular knowledge. This process, known as long-term potentiation, leads to more robust and lasting memory traces. Therefore, educators and learners should do a recap of what they learned the previous day, and students should be encouraged to find time to go through what they learned throughout the week.
Conclusion
This elementary plan is aimed to promote collaboration between the different stakeholders in the institution, foster transparent communication, improve learning outcomes and co-curricular activity involvement, and hence cultural respect of the different people from diverse backgrounds. School year events prioritize community involvement, positive starts, and holistic development. Lastly, regular recaps and reviews reinforce learning, aiming to create a thriving and inclusive learning environment for all.
References
Ball, A., & Skrzypek, C. (2019). Closing the broadband gap: A technology-based student and family engagement program. Children & Schools, 41(4), 229-237.
Becvar, R. J., Becvar, D. S., & Reif, L. V. (2023). Systems theory and family therapy: A primer. Rowman & Littlefield.
Charlotte Danielson (2002). Enhancing Student Achievement: A Framework for School Improvement. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Guo-Brennan, L., & Guo-Brennan, M. (2019). Building welcoming and inclusive schools for immigrant and refugee students: Policy, framework and promising praxis. In Education, immigration and migration: Policy, leadership, and praxis for a changing world (pp. 73-93). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Jamil, N., Belkacem, A. N., & Lakas, A. (2023). On enhancing students’ cognitive abilities in online learning using brain activity and eye movements. Education and Information Technologies, 28(4), 4363-4397.
Kakhramonovich, A. A. (2021). Principles of communicative competence and its practical reflection on homework. Galaxy International Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 9(12), 480-484.
Lawrence W. Lezotte (2002). Assembly Required: A Continuous School Improvement System. Effective Schools Products. ISBN 1-883247-20-9
Savicki, V. (Ed.). (2023). Developing intercultural competence and transformation: Theory, research, and application in international Education. Taylor & Francis.
Tomporowski, P. D., & Pesce, C. (2019). Exercise, sports, and performance arts benefit cognition via a common process. Psychological bulletin, 145(9), 929.
Winkelmes, M. A., Boye, A., & Tapp, S. (Eds.). (2023). Transparent design in higher education teaching and leadership: A guide to implementing the transparency framework institution-wide to improve learning and retention. Taylor & Francis.
Young, M. D. (2020). Professional standards for educational leadership. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.
write