Family Involvement

Chichiltah-Jones Ranch Community School recognizes that parents and guardians play a vital role in a student’s academic success. Family involvement is just as important as the contributions of educators, school board members, administrators, support staff, and community members. Together, these groups form partnerships that promote two-way communication and collaboration to support students.

Parent/Guardian Involvement Policy

Chichiltah-Jones Ranch Community School is committed to educating Navajo District students with active support from parents and guardians. Research indicates that family involvement is one of the most significant factors in student achievement. We believe that all parents and guardians want the best for students and we strive to maintain communication and collaboration with families to enhance the learning process and ensure student success.

How Families Can Contribute

When families actively engage in their child’s education, students perform better. Here are some ways families can support learning:

• Be a Teacher at Home: Encourage learning by assisting with homework, promoting reading and discussing school topics.
• Volunteer: Share your skills by helping in classrooms, organizing events, or providing mentorship.
• Advocate: Ensure your child’s needs are met and they receive fair treatment at school.

How We Communicate with Families

We believe in open communication between the school and families. Here’s how we keep families informed:

• Monthly EMPOWERed Parents Meetings (a.k.a., Parent Advisory Committee or PAC) Meetings: Parents and guardians are invited to attend these meetings to discuss school plans and initiatives.
• Regular Updates: Newsletters and progress reports inform families about student progress and school events.
• Student-Led Conferences: Scheduled meetings where the student, not the teacher, leads the discussions with their parents and teachers to share their learning progress, accomplishments, and goal using work samples from a portfolio. This approach fosters student ownership, self-reflection, and responsibility for their own learning, providing a transparent and engaging experience that highlights the students voice ad insights into their academic journey.

Opportunities for Family Engagement

Chichiltah-Jones Ranch Community School offers several ways for families to engage with the school community:

• Workshops: Attend sessions that offer resources to help students succeed academically and socially.
• Feedback Opportunities: Participate in surveys and evaluations to help us improve family involvement strategies.
• Special Events: Join us for Parent Nights, Math Nights, Science Fairs and other school-wide activities throughout the school year.

Empowered Parents

Chichiltah-Jones Ranch Community School has a parent advisory committee called Empowered Parents (EP) for parents, guardians and school personnel. The EP meets to develop and implement a family involvement policy for our educational program. Parents and guardians are notified of PC policies and plans through written correspondence. We encourage all parents and guardians to attend our monthly EP meetings.

Parent/Guardian-School Compact

The Parent/Guardian-School Compact outlines the shared responsibility of parents, guardians, faculty, staff and students in building and developing partnerships for student achievement.

• School's Role: We provide a high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive learning environment, helping students meet academic standards set by the Navajo Nation, the Bureau of Indian Education and the State of New Mexico.
• Parent/Guardian Role: Parents and guardians actively support student success by monitoring school attendance, homework completion and positive participation in extracurricular activities.  They also engage in decision-making related to their child’s education.