Parents Rights and Responsibilities

Good education requires a partnership between schools, community and families.  The Somerville Public Schools believes you are the first and best teacher of your child, and therefore an important partner in the educational process.  You can encourage their children’s academic success, engagement in schools, and curiosity for learning in many ways including:

· Checking in daily with your child about what s/he is learning and how s/he feels about school, including making sure homework is done and reviewing information sent home like monthly school newsletters and field trip permission forms.

· Supporting learning through everyday activities including establishing a reading routine at home, playing word, math or science games during family time. For example, you can have your child add grocery bills while shopping to practice math or read street signs aloud while walking to school to practice reading and comprehension.

· Staying in touch with your child’s teacher or principal to discuss behavior changes at home that might impact learning.

· Regularly participating in school events, including attending parent/teacher conferences and special school events like Family Math Night, the Annual All-City Art Fair and student performances.

· Serving on the local School Improvement Council, Parent/Teacher Association or other local governing and advisory groups.

· Participating in workshops for parents/guardians on supporting their students’ academic success at home on topics that range from internet safety to supporting social-emotional learning goals.

· Taking an English class offered through the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative, the Somerville Center for Adult Learning Experiences or Somerville’s Adult Evening School.

 The District strives to make it easier for parents/guardians to stay on top of their child’s progress in school through monthly newsletters to the home, standards-based quarterly report cards, and the provision of transcripts, attendance and grade information for parents/guardians of students in Grades 7-12 through the online student information database.