New Hampstead K-8 School
Title 1 Family Engagement
Family Engagement Policy and Plan for Shared Student Success
School Year 2026-2027
Revision Date: 05/22/2026
New Hampstead K-8 School
1700 Highgate Boulevard Savannah, GA 31302 Phone: (912) 395-6200
Principal: Kimberly Dozier
What is Title I?
New Hampstead K-8 is identified as a Title I school as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Title I is designed to support State and local school reform efforts tied to challenging state academic standards and reinforce and enhance efforts to improve teaching and learning for students. Title I programs must be based on effective means of improving student achievement and include strategies to support family involvement. All Title I schools must jointly develop a written family engagement policy with all families .
What is the purpose of Title I?
All students participating in the Title I, Part A program and their families are encouraged and invited to fully participate in the opportunities described in this policy. The school will provide opportunities for the participation of families with limited English, disabilities, and families of migratory children.
Implementation
The staff at New Hampstead K-8 recognizes that the education of students is a responsibility shared with, administrators, teachers, parents, and the community. Maximum learning occurs when parents are actively involved and supportive of the education of their children. In an effort to enhance and expand parental involvement at the school level, parents will be invited to attend several meetings throughout the year in order to provide input in the planning, the review and the improvement of school-wide Title I programs.
In order to provide parents/guardians with continuous communication, opportunities for input, and to increase family engagement, the following mandatory Title I family meetings will be held each academic school year:
- Title I Annual Meeting (Fall) – Introduces the School/Family Compacts, the Family Engagement Policy, the Title I budget, and the School Improvement Plan. Information about the school’s curriculum, assessments, and other important information is also shared at this meeting.
- Family Forum (Spring) – Provides parents/guardians with the opportunity to provide input on School Improvement Planning, the Family Engagement Budget, the Family Engagement Policy, the School-Parent/Family Compact, and staff training .
School-Family Compacts
As part of our family engagement plan, New Hampstead K-8 and our families develop a school-parent/family compact, which is an agreement that explains how parents/families and teachers will work together to make sure students reach grade-level standards. The compacts are reviewed and updated annually based on feedback from parents, students, and teachers during Title I Annual Meeting and from the Annual Family Engagement Survey. The school-parent/family compacts also are reviewed with families during parent-teacher conferences.
GOALS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
SCCPSS District Goals:
Goal 1: Early Literacy Readiness
Outcome: By 2031, 90% of students in grades K–2 will demonstrate strong foundational literacy skills
(phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency), as measured by Amira.
Goal 2: 3rd Grade Reading on Grade Level
Outcome: By 2031, 95% of 3rd grade students will meet the Georgia Milestones Reading on Grade Level
Benchmark.
Goal 3: ELA & Math Achievement
Outcome: By 2031, districtwide English Language Arts (ELA) and Math achievement will reach a 70.0
weighted Content Mastery score on Georgia Milestones.
Goal 4: Student Attendance
Outcome: By 2031, 90% of students in grades K–12 will be absent less than 10% of enrolled school days.
Goal 5: Student Belonging & Engagement
Outcome: By 2031, 90% of students will demonstrate positive belonging and engagement, measured by a combined index of: (1) student survey responses and (2) the inverse of the weighted suspension rate.
Goal 6: Future-Ready Milestone Experiences
Outcome: By 2031, 90% of graduates will complete at least one future-ready milestone experience (e.g., work-based learning, dual enrollment, apprenticeships, or signature experiences).
To access the district’s 2026 – 2031 Strategic Plan, please click the link provided below.
2026 - 2031 Strategic Plan: Unlimited Possibilities
New Hampstead K-8 Goals:
Goal 1: The percentage of 3rd-5th grade students performing on or above grade level in ELA will increase from 53.3% to 58% as measured by the Spring 2025 Georgia Milestones Assessment results.
Goal 2: The percentage of 6th - 8th grade students performing on or above grade level will increase from 46.2% to 51% or greater as measured by the Spring 2025 Georgia Milestones Assessment results.
Goal 3: The percentage of 3rd-5th grade students performing on or above grade level in Math will increase from 64.9% to 69% as measured by the Spring 2025 Georgia Milestones Assessment results.
Goal 4: The percentage of 6th - 8th grade students performing on or above grade level will increase from 46.7% to 51% or greater as measured by the Spring 2025 Georgia Milestones Assessment results.
Goal 5a: The percentage of 3rd-8th grade students with disabilities performing on or above grade will increase from 37.2% to 38.16% or greater in Math as measured by the Spring 2025 Georgia Milestones Assessment results.
Goal 5b: The percentage of 6th-8th grade students with disabilities performing on or above grade will increase from 28.6% to 29.45% or greater in Math as measured by the Spring 2025 Georgia Milestones Assessment results.
Goal 6a: The percentage of 3rd-8th grade students with disabilities performing on or above grade will increase 23.3% to 23.99% or greater in ELA as measured by the Spring 2025 Georgia Milestones Assessment results.
Goal 6b: The percentage of 3rd-8th grade students with disabilities performing on or above grade will 19.96% to 20.55% or greater in ELA as measured by the Spring 2025 Georgia Milestones increase Assessment results
PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
New Hampstead K-8 believes that family engagement means the participation of parents and family members in regular two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:
- That parents/families play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning.
- That parents/families are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school.
- That parents/families are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.
FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER
HOURS: Monday – Friday, 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Come visit the Family Resource Center to check out books, study materials, and activities to use at home with your child. Computers are available for parents to log into PowerSchool/ParentAccess and explore educational resources.
If you need support, please reach out to our Family Engagement Contact:
Florence Shearer 912.395.6200 ext. 7961502, Florence.Shearer@sccpss.com
Each year, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System reserves 1% from the total amount of the Title I, Part A funds it receives to carry out family engagement requirements.
Accessibility
In carrying out the parent and family engagement requirements established by Section 1116 of the ESSA, the district family engagement coordinator will communicate and collaborate with the Office for Student Support Services to ensure full opportunities for participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children including providing information and school reports in a language parents can understand.
2026-2027 FAMILY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
New Hampstead K-8 School will host the following events to build the capacity for strong family engagement to support a partnership between the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement to include meeting challenging State academic standards, the State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments, the requirements of Title I, Part A, how to monitor their child's progress, and how to work with educators. All meetings for parents and family members will be held at a time that is most convenient for parents to attend. Virtual meetings or recordings of meetings will be optional as requested by parents.
- Welcome Back Family Night
- Math Night
- Literacy Night
- STEAM Night
- GMAS Family Night
- Kindergarten Orientation
- 8th Grade Parent Meeting
Title I Annual Meeting – September
We invite you to an evening of learning and sharing about our Title I program, including our parent
and family engagement policy, the schoolwide plan, the school-parent compacts, and parents’ requirements. Invitations will be emailed and posted in the school newsletter, social media, and local media.
Title I Annual Family Forum – Late February/Early March
Provides an opportunity for parents/family members to participate in discussions with the principal and staff regarding the school improvement plan, family engagement policy, school-parent/family compacts, and the family engagement budget.
Building the Foundation
New Hampstead K-8 will take the following measures to promote and support parents/families as an important foundation of the school in order to strengthen the school and reach our school goals. We will:
- Communicate effectively by ensuring that information related academic standards/assessments, events, etc. is published in a language and format accessible to parents and is communicated in multiple ways.
- Offer training for parents and family members to help further enhance their various educational levels.
- Partner with early childhood programs, feeder schools, college and career ready resources, or other programs to help prepare parents and their children for successful school transitions.
- Provide necessary materials and handouts for parents/guardians at conferences, meetings, and activities to help parents work with their child to improve their child’s achievement.
- Collaborate with Community Partners to provide information and introduce resources to benefit families.
- Based on parent/guardian feedback, provide staff training to improve communication with parents and ideas to increase family engagement with reading and math activities for our students outside of the classroom.
- Collect feedback from parents and family members at all events, place input cards around the building and post a suggestion form on the school website in order to respond to parents’ requests for additional support for parent and family engagement activities.
Parent and Family Engagement Standards
New Hampstead K-8 and our parents have adopted the National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships as the school’s model in engaging parents, students, and the community. These standards are:
- Welcoming All Families
- Communicating Effectively
- Supporting Student Success
- Speaking Up for Every Child
- Sharing Power
- Collaborating with Community
SCHOOL COUNCIL
The school council is an advisory body created to offer advice to the principal on matters pertaining to student achievement and school improvement. The school council initiative was created by the Georgia State Legislature as a method of involving parents, teachers, and community stakeholders in the educational process. It is governed by state law; O.C.G.A § 20-2-85 and O.C.G.A § 20-2-86. The school council is made up of elected parents, appointed community/business members, elected teacher representatives, and the school principal, with the parent group constituting the largest segment. If you would like to learn more about the school council, please contact our principal.
New Hampstead K-8 s school council members are:
Principal- Kimberly Dozier
Parent Representative - Celeste Taylor, Chairperson
Parent Representative – Laura Checketts, Vice Chairperson
Parent Representative - Stephanie Morgan, Secretary
Parent Representative – Erin Brown
Parent Representative-Jennifer Coleman
Parent Representative – Kimberly Williams
Teacher Representative – Samuel Sacks
Community Member - Major Kevin Oxendine, New Hampstead High School AFJROTC
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
We want to hear from you! If you have any suggestions or if there is any part of this policy that you feel is not satisfactory with the goals for academic achievement, please email Family Engagement Contact, Florence.Shearer@sccpss.com.