Family Engagement Plan

Family Engagement Plan

2025-26 School year

School Introduction: 

At Hamline Elementary, our mission is to empower children to become critical thinkers, co-creators in their learning experiences, and to discover and explore their passions.

We are dedicated to being a school where learning is connected to the lives of students and their community. A place where students wonder, ask questions, investigate, and collaborate to create meaning. A place where instruction and curriculum cultivate student interest and strengths, and values students for who they are. Our commitment to creating equitable outcomes for every learner gives each student the tools they need to succeed within, and beyond, the classroom.

We believe that “College and Careers begin in Kindergarten,” and in partnership with families, Hamline University, and the larger community, students can and will reach their potential.

The Family Engagement Plan (FEP) is organized into four impact areas:

• Welcoming Environment
• Family Partnerships
• Teaching & Learning
• Community Partnerships

We will work together to build positive and goal-oriented relationships in each area. Families and staff at Hamline Elementary developed this plan together. Families are encouraged to let us know what they think of this plan throughout the year: karen.mccauley@spps.org

Welcoming Environment

Our school has staff member(s) available for families to discuss this plan and ask questions

• Principal: Kristin Reilly kristin.reilly@spps.org
• Full Service Community Schools Site Coordinator: Karen McCauley karen.mccauley@spps.org
• Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL), PreKindergarten (PreK) Program Partnership Coordinator:  Jessica Freeberg jessica.freeberg@spps.org

Our school communicates with families in many ways.

• All student work, classroom newsletters, and important papers come home in a weekly folder. Student work and teacher communication is also accessible on Seesaw & Schoology.
• Classroom teachers communicate with families through email, weekly newsletters, video, and text. Grade-level weekly newsletters are printed and available for pick-up in the front lobby of the school at all times.
• Additional school district and school information is available in our Family Newsletter, sent home twice a month through email and text using S’more, on our school’s website (hamline.spps.org), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/hamlineelementaryschool/), Twitter (X)(@hamlineelem), Instagram (hamlineelementary), and YouTube (hamlineelementary3598), plus robo calls, emails, and text messages from the Principal and other staff as necessary.
• We welcome family calls, emails, and visits, as well as family volunteers.
• We greet families at family pick-up and drop-off and as they walk their children to class in the morning and any time they visit the school.
• We ask for feedback on various  topics at conferences, open houses, monthly family nights and community meals, and other family events. These topics can include reading, resources, and the “Question of the Month.”
• The “Husky Pack” (Hamline Elementary PTA) is open to membership, no fees required.  This team meets monthly and also hosts periodic “Family Nights.”
• The Husky Pack shares information through email and on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hamlineelementaryhuskypack/
• When families call, email, or send a note, we do our best to respond within 24 hours.

The achievement gap, or the “opportunity gap,” between students of color and white students in Saint Paul Public Schools is unacceptable. Our school is working to change practices and systems by identifying the barriers that make it harder for students of color to succeed and for their families to support their learning.

• For more detailed information about our work on racial equity, contact Principal Kristin Reilly: kristin.reilly@spps.org
• Hamline Elementary works to build a culturally responsive learning community by examining school-wide systems from an equity lens.
• Student voice in school culture and climate is a priority.  Student groups are encouraged to ask questions and provide feedback on school rules and the culture of the school.
• Our partnership with Hamline University brings university students into classrooms every week to provide tutoring support, mentoring, enrichment through academic pairings with university departments, as well as frequent campus visits that expose elementary students to higher education. Students at Hamline see themselves belonging to a college campus.  
• Our Equity team is gathering information from families at family nights and other events and moments when families are in the building. We will use this information to plan curriculum, events, and other activities and practices at Hamline Elementary.
• Staff participate in professional development and workshops focusing on culturally responsive teaching & learning.
• As a school community, we focus on our five “core competencies:” Huskies are Communicators, Creators, Critical Thinkers, Collaborators, and Self & Community Aware. These competencies are introduced at the beginning of the year and reinforced through monthly assemblies.

Transitions between schools can be challenging, and we work to help families as their children start and leave our school. 

For new students and families, we support the transition by:

• Inviting prospective families to the Winter Showcase/Open House & Resource Fair
• Offering school tours at families’ convenience throughout the year
• Offering Pre-Kindergarten (PreK) and Kindergarten families a Spring Welcome to PreK & Kindergarten night
• Inviting all families to the August Open House/Meet Your Teacher afternoon, which includes neighborhood resources
• Inviting all Pre-K families to the school to experience a day in the life of their PreK student (Fall & Spring)
• Inviting all PreK families to observe a Kindergarten classroom and talk with current parents about transitioning to Kindergarten with the OTL PreK Partnership Coordinator
• Welcoming new students and families throughout the year, making sure they have the supplies they need for their school day
• Hosting Kindergarten Camp in August to give incoming kindergarten students and families  a chance to meet each other  and experience a school dday

For students and families moving to the next school in their pathway, we support the transition by:

• Organizing classroom visits to Murray Middle School where students can participate in tours, shadowing, and panel discussions
• Invite Murray Middle School to participate in our Winter Showcase/Open House Event to talk with 4th and 5th grade families about middle school

Family Partnerships

Our school-parent compact establishes the shared responsibility for student success between the school, families, and students. Families and staff work together to develop the compact. 

• Copies of the compact are available: at the August Open House, Annual Title 1 Meeting, during conferences, and in the Family Room (1103). Copies of the compact are uploaded to the school website.
• The compact will be updated: Fall 2025

There are many opportunities for families to build connections to the school and to each other.

• Families are invited to volunteer in the school and in the classroom
• Title I Annual Meeting where we share information about school programs that use federal Title I funding:  Fall 2025
• Opportunities for family involvement include:  Fall Open House, monthly Husky Pack meetings, monthly family nights & community meals, Spring Festival, monthly assemblies, grade level performances/events, fund-raising events, affinity groups, January/February Showcase/Open House, “Coffee with the Principal,” and community meetings
• National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) will be on February 9th 2026, All families are invited to spend time in their child’s classroom, eat lunch with their child, and attend special programming. Families are also invited to help in the planning
• Family Resource Room that provides resources and other ways to meet family needs and create partnerships
• PreK Family Days happen in the fall and spring

We work to make these meetings and events available for every family in the school.

• ​​By family request, translation and interpretation services are available through SPPS central administration or our Full Service grant  for conferences, meetings, events, and any written material sent home from school.
• We provide Somali, Spanish, and Karen interpreters at family events
• Family newsletters use the S’more platform, which offers translation into multiple languages
• Childcare, food, and transportation can be made available at meetings and events. Our Family Nights and events are structured so that children and families can participate together
• English Language Learning (ELL) teachers arrange interpreters and meet with families during conferences 

Our school supports families as advocates and provides opportunities for parent leadership

• Families with concerns about their child’s learning should contact their child’s teacher and work together to develop a plan and monitor progress.  The principal and other professional staff are available to assist with the process as needed.
• Staff receive professional development about working with families through Equity Training, Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s), and training at Family & Community Engagement Committee meetings..
• Using memos, staff meetings, text messages, and e-mails, the principal and other staff provide information for conducting effective parent-teacher conferences.
• All families are invited to ask questions, share their ideas, and help plan for the future by attending PTA meetings, sharing comments and concerns electronically to the PTA, participating on the Hamline Elementary Family & Community Engagement Committee,  or communicating through Facebook, text, and email.
• Families are invited to join and lead committees about various school issues and plan events which strengthen the connection between families and school. Contact: karen.mccauley@spps.org
• The Hamline Elementary Family & Community Engagement Committee provides structure promoting advocacy and support on relevant school/community topics for all families.  

Teaching and Learning

Our school shares information about state standards, assessment and student achievement with families in multiple ways

• Family-Teacher conferences are held in the fall and spring.
• Report cards and progress reports are shared at conferences.
• Families are encouraged throughout the year to work with students and teachers to develop an academic plan that meets their students’ needs.
• Students are encouraged to have a leadership role in their learning.
• Teachers will discuss the student’s reading level and share any performance concerns with families at conferences.  Teachers also share the student’s reading level with the individual student and set goals to increase student ownership.
• Teachers will contact parents via phone calls, texts, notes home, and emails with specific concerns or progress updates, and discuss plans and strategies of how families can support their child’s learning at home.
• Teachers provide specific suggestions in newsletters to help support and strengthen classroom learning.
• Teachers will provide educational links and other information that would be helpful for their child’s learning via their classroom newsletters, classroom website, Seesaw, Schoology, etc.  

Our school will engage in personalized learning as a key strategy to accelerate student achievement. Parents can get more information using many tools.

• Families can use Campus Parent Portal to stay up to date on their student’s attendance, schedules, grades, contact information, notifications, and more. www.spps.org/families/campus-parent-portal-onestop
• Family log-in information can be accessed through the Campus Parent Portal or by asking the school clerk.
• We will engage families in personalized learning focused on reading and math by offering technical support and workshops to help learners and their families.
• We will support personalized learning by giving each student an iPad to use during the school day for certain activities. iPads stay at the school unless the school district is preparing for an e-learning day.
• We utilize Schoology and Seesaw to connect with families as well as show evidence of student work.

Before- and after-school enrichment and support opportunities are available for students

• We offer Extended Day Learning (EDL), which extends learning beyond the school day. Enrichment includes music enrichment Lego Robotics, art, technology and other topics students are interested in.
• Rec Check is an after school program from St. Paul Parks & Rec that offers classes in art, archery, gardening, and more. 

Community Partnerships

Our school develops community partnerships to provide additional support for students and their families

• The Hamline to Hamline Collaboration is a unique partnership with Hamline Elementary. The Collaboration offers work study paid classroom tutors, volunteer mentors, student teacher placements, a collaborative newspaper called Snelling Connections, and academic pairings between University departments & organizations.
• The Collaboration includes guided clinicals, which are classroom experiences for future teachers. These university students work in small groups with elementary students on reading and math, providing more one-on-one instruction.
• The Full Service Community School strategy “transforms a school into a place where educators, local community members, families, and students work together to strengthen conditions for student learning and healthy development” (“Community Schools Forward”, Learning Policy Institute). Hamline Elementary staff will continue to develop this model, building out partnerships and resources that support our families in and out of school.
• Other partners include Kids in Need Foundation, the St. Paul Public Library, the St. Paul Fire Department, the Saint Paul Police Department, Phillips Eye Institute, Children’s Dental Clinics, Metro Social Services, Hancock Recreation Center, Hamline Church, Hamline Midway Coalition, Central Baptist Church, Resurrection City Church, Neighborhood Works, Care Portal, The Midway Project, and Every Meal.

This plan is available as part of our school’s School Comprehensive Improvement Plan (SCIP) at spps.org/scip, is on our school website at https://hamline.spps.org/about/title-i, and printed copies are available in the Family Room (1103).