Make plans to attend the workshops held at Westhills
The Parental Involvement Program kicked off the new school year. There was a Parent Work session at the Bessemer Board of Education Sept. 9. The Westhills teacher representative is Mrs. Susan Robertson. The alternate is Mrs. Rhonda Wesley. The parent representatives are Erika Bounds and Kessye Gray Benson. Westhills parents that attended the workshop were M. Jallow, Jacqueline Harrell, Barbara Scott, Carla , Driskell, Ruby Greene, Carrie Thomas Evans, Kessye Gray Benson, and Theresa Smith. They are members of the Fall Advisory Team.
The Parent involvement Program Resource Center is located at the Board Annex. The address is 412 North 17th Street in Bessemer. The hours of operation are Monday- Friday from 8:00 A.M- 4:00 P.M.. You may contact them by calling 432-3049 or 432-3050. They are closed for lunch from 12:00 noon- 1:00 P.M. Lois Merriweather is the Parent Involvement Resource Specialist. Meoshia Mayes is the Parent Resource Clerk and Assistant. Mr. Michael Foster is the Director of Federal Programs.
The Resource Center has a variety of materials parents can check out.
Some of the materials include Playstations, Reading CD's, Math CD's, Language Arts CD's. Books and Tapes, Pamphlets, Hooked on Phonics Math and Reading, Educational Games and Puzzles, Flash Cards, Informational Videos, Leapster Portable Technology Center, Quantum LeapPads, Turbo Extreme 4-in-1 Learning Fun ( Spelling, Math, Science, and Social Studies) .
Parents may check out Lightspan for grades K-8. These materials are designed to help children in reading, math, and language.
Great Source Math & Parent Guide is a math series that contains everything students and parents need to reinforce e math skills. It is available for K-8. Algebra and Geometry Guides are available for grades 9-12. LeapFrog contains materials to help children with reading, phonics, spelling, math, science, and social studies. New LeapFrog materials this year include Leapsters, Turbo Extreme, Smart Guides, and iQuest: Test Prep
( SAT & PSAT /ACT- College Prep)
AHSGE ( Alabama High School Graduation Exam) practice booklets for reading, language, math, science, and social studies are available.
ARMT ( Alabama Reading and Math Test) and ADAW ( Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing) information is available for parents to help their child master these tests.
Call the Resource Center for more information.
The Parental Involvement Program is a federally funded program. It is designed to provide parents with meaningful experiences in which they can use to help their children. It gives parents opportunities to build and strengthen the partnership between the home and school. The Parent Involvement Program uses a variety of activities to get the message out. Some of the activities include annual meetings in which information is provided on the expenditures of the Federal Programs. The Parent Work sessions are held 2 times a year. The School-Home Compacts and Policy Statements are reviewed. Topics for workshops that are held in the local schools are selected by the teacher and parent representatives. Workshops for parents are held monthly at each school. A Mini Conference is held each year for the parents of students entering middle school and high school. It is designed to empower parents as their children's most influential resource for academic success during the middle and high school years. P.A.S.T. Training (Parents As Substitute Teachers) is a program that trains parents to be effective classroom paraprofessionals or substitute teachers. An Annual Spring Test Taking Rally is held right before the SAT and ARMT tests are given.
