5 Star Award Training

1. The Race for a 5 Star Award Winning School 5 StarAward Training Gayle Mohr SERVE Volunteers in Education

2. Purpose of the Award • Designates & recognizes schools that have total Family/Community involvement. • Requirements are reasonable yet tough. • An assessment tool for schools to use to measure the success of their programs. Supports information for school accreditation. To be used as a marketing/history tool for your school. This Award has been in place since 1994-1995.

3. Qualification Process Must have a grade of “C” or above. Meet requirements of Golden School Award to apply. designation includes: Volunteer hours equal twice the student enrollment. Train at least 80% of faculty to work with volunteers. Designate a volunteer coordinator. Provide volunteer recognition. Meet 100%of the criteria required by the 5 Star Application. Submit 5 Star application with 2 copies along with the portfolio format of your choosing. This Award has been in place since 1994-95!

4. Planning Makes it Easier Go to the Training and decide if applying. decide, talk to all parties involved - get a commitment to collect the necessary data. Review criteria with involved parties, give necessary information for there section. Make sure they have necessary forms to complete the process. Make a list of planned activities that will meet each criteria. Meet periodically to check progress to find out what has been completed. Give responsible deadline for materials from section collected . Assign a deadline for putting the portfolio together. Review checklist with person/s helping put portfolio together. Turn in portfolio by County deadline.

5. Who will oversee the process? The Department of Education is the major overseer by providing the application and the deadlines to submit the application for review and wait on the school grade. SERVE -Volunteers in Education is responsible for; 5 Star training. Golden School qualification verification-then sending 5 Star application to the qualified schools. SERVE is responsible for making arrangements for reviewing of portfolios. Following up if material is missing and/or needs to be replaced. Getting signatures of the Superintendent and District Volunteer Coordinator Collect application and one copy to mail to DOE. Arrange celebration of the 5 Star Award winners.

6. Deadline for the Award….. Since this year SERVE is introducing 3 new methods to process the portfolio. The deadline will be varied. The deadline to qualify as a Golden school and start receiving the original 5 Star application is March 28, 2014. The deadline for the portfolio’s to be available for review is Early May, 2014. Exact date to be determined by method of portfolio. Florida Department of Education deadline is June 20, 2014.

7. Contact Information Moodle Information Christopher Holt District Resource Teacher - Technology Training Area I - Professional Development 813-840-7012 Word Information Michele Coad, M. Ed. Grade 3 & 4 ESE Mintz Elementary School 813-744-8353 Power Point Information Cindy Wilkinson Assistant Principal Seminole Heights Elementary School 813-276-5559

8. Application Form Original application is sent out after qualifying as a Golden School. Application has to be completely filled out, this includes: Name of school, address, and phone. All check marks by each criteria. School Impact Data and Community Involvement Best Practice attached. All original signatures of the Person preparing the application, School Advisory Council chairperson and the Principal. The Original and 2 copies included. SERVE will get the Superintendents and the District Volunteer Coordinators signatures.

9. Portfolio Portfolio divided into 5 sections – one for each category on the application. Portfolio has sections for School Impact Data summary and proof. Portfolio has section for the Community Involvement Best Practice summary. Complete all criteria standards in each category. Place documentation is sequence according to the section and criteria. Provide minimum number of examples related to each criterion listed. All documentation must be from present school year. Do not include any confidential student information in the portfolio. Highlight applicable information that is pertinent to that section.

10. Portfolio If using repeated material in different sections, copy them and put in the proper section. Make sure that the SAC attendance sheet is on one page and each month those attending initial beside their names. Check marks are not acceptable. If photos are used, mark who the people in the photo are for clarification. You must be available to review portfolio’s of your peers. Don’t second guess yourself if not sure, Call the SERVE office and you will be helped. Contact Information SERVE Volunteers in Education 3111 Tampa Bay Boulevard Tampa, Florida 33607 813-872-5254 Gayle.Mohr@sdhc.k12.fl.us Cell phone 813-334-5120

11. I. Community/Business Partnerships Each community/business/agency signs an annual, jointly developed plan of partnership activities. (Business Partnership Agreement Form). Community/business/agency maintains an ongoing, active relationship with school. (Highlighted SAC minutes, articles in newsletter and/or Thank you notes). Community/business/agency is involved in development and implementation of School Improvement Plan. (Highlighted SAC attendance roster). Community/business/agency supports teaching and learning through the donation of human resources and goods/services or financial resources. (Highlighted copies of partnership agreement form). School designates a community/business partnership coordinator. (SERVE Coordinator Appointment Form). School provides opportunities for community/business partners to receive orientation and training. (Copies of handout, Power Point presentation and/or training agenda).

12. I. Community/Business Partnerships Community/business partnership coordinator and school staff receive training during the year on effective use of services by business partners. (Copies of handout, Power point presentation, and/or agenda). School provides recognition of community/business partners. (Thank you letters, school marquee, special recognition events and/or newsletter).

13. II. Family Involvement Active parent organization (PTA, PTO, Boosters, etc.) (PTA minutes, newsletter highlighting slate of officers). Education opportunities offered to families (e.g., Sunshine State Standards, literacy, career planning, parenting, homework assistance). (Newsletters, agenda, and/or flyers) Focus/discussion/support groups are offered to families (e.g., parenting, drug awareness, safety and violence prevention, etc.), (flyers, agendas handouts and/or newsletters). Joint parent and student training (e.g., academic skill, family reading, violence prevention, financial aid) is available. (newsletters highlighted, agendas, and/or programs handouts). Family outreach activities are offered through collaborative or facilitate activities (e.g., neighborhood meetings, tutorial services, and/or offsite programs).(Parent University program/agenda). A minimum of 60% of families are involved in a positive way in the school more than once during the year. (Charts, Parent/teach conferences (the district requires the schools to turn in a conference night form each quarter) and Open House forms).

14. II. Family Involvement Evidence of a variety of communication techniques with families by teachers and school staff. (Progress reports, newsletters, phone calls, and emails). Ensure that welcome signage is near the entrance and any other interaction with parents creates a climate in which parents feel valued and welcome. (Marquee, banners around the school, teachers and/or Principal welcoming parents. Just identify the photos). Provide parents with current information regarding school policies, practices, and both school and student performance. (Student Handbook, progress reports, and/or newsletters that highlight area of new policy).

15. III. Volunteers A minimum of 80% of the school staff have participated in school based volunteer training during the school year. (Golden School Form highlighting Section B #2). School volunteer coordinator has been designated to provide leadership for the school volunteer program through recruitment, placement, training and supervision of participants. (“SERVE Coordinator appointment Form”). Total number of hours in volunteer service equals twice the number of students enrolled in the school. (Any volunteer activity that contributes to student improvement may be counted). (Golden School Form highlighted Section B #1). School provides recognition of volunteers. (Thank you letters, certificates, school newsletter or a special recognition event agenda).

16. IV. Student Community Service School provides opportunities to students for service learning that focus on identified community needs. These are the 4 steps that have to be followed; Identification of a social problem in the community. Preparation of an action plan to address the problem/integration into the curriculum. Implementation of the plan (actual service by the students). Observation and analysis of the experience (Reflection). (Community Butterfly garden, reading to the elderly, and/or reading to bed ridden children at a hospital). A minimum of 50% of students are involved in community activities. (This can be cumulative, but use a chart; food drives, clothes drives, boxes to military men/women oversees, Pasta for Pennies, Jump rope for heart, etc.).

17. V. School Advisory Council A minimum of 8 meeting are held per year. Average 80% attendance of members 50% of the time. ( Official sign in sheet that identifies in what capacity they are on the SAC committee). Annual presentation of School Improvement plan to school community after public notice to all stakeholders. (After the SAC committee has approved the plan, it should be announced in the school newsletter where on the website that parents and community members can access the School Improvement Plan. Highlight the place in the newsletter where this is). Evidence of ongoing training and/or development of the School Advisory Council is available. (Copy of In-service registration, SAC agenda addressing the training, and/or copy of SAC training handouts). School Improvement Plan reflects one new idea that involves the community in its implementation. (Agenda from the SAC meeting addressing the new idea and how the community/business partners are part of the plan).

18. V. School Advisory Council School Advisory council participated in the development and/or interpretation of the needs assessment data. (Can be a blank copy of the climate survey sent to parents, and/or SAC agenda addressing the data collected from the survey). Training provided for staff and SAC members on collaborative partnering and shared decision-making. (Minutes from SAC meeting where discussion is conducted showing you are all working together and making decisions together about the School Improvement Plan.

19. Documentation of Accomplishment A portfolio documenting the accomplishment of each of the criterion is available at the school site. Yes or No. This is asked to find out if the portfolio/power point presentation, word document or moodle is available somewhere at the school for parents and community members to review and see what wonderful programs and progress the school is making.

20. School Impact Data What proof can you provide that the community’s involvement with your school improved the students’ academic work, attendance or behavior. (If necessary, please attach additional sheet). Some where in the book or you may add a chart or graph to your summary showing one of the three areas the community has helped improve. For instance; Our attendance has risen over the last 3 years because of the incentives we receive from many of our business partners in the community. Our partners give the children with perfect attendance per quarter free meals, movie tickets, bikes, etc. This has been an effective tool to keep our students in school and learning. Proof is attached.

21. Community Involvement Best Practice Summarize a community involvement best practice initiated by your school to increase student achievement. (If necessary, please attach additional sheet). This is where you will brag about a program that the community was involved with that increased student achievement: For Instance;

22. Signatures All signatures have to be originals. No proxies, No stamps. The application will be sent back if it is not an authentic signature. The signature of the person preparing the application; The signature of the School Advisory County Chairperson and; The Signature of the Principal is the only signatures you are responsible for. SERVE will get Ms. Mary Ellen Elia’s and the District School Volunteer Coordinators signatures.

23. Any Questions?????? Write down your questions and call Gayle Mohr at 813 872 5254 or email to gayle.mohr@sdhc.k12.fl.us Thank you for your time and Good Luck!!!