Kent County Middle will collaborate with parents and the community as participants in school governance and as active partners in carrying out Kent County Public School’s goals and philosophy. It is our goal to provide assistance on how to work as equal partners in your child’s education. We will coordinate and integrate these efforts with other programs to increase parent involvement.

Look for information in these resources: KCMS website, teacher notes/contact, and even the hallways of KCMS! These resources include important news such as MCAP results and understanding them, school readiness, student progress and upcoming school programs. If you need to contact staff at school, please call the front office at (410) 778-1771 or email your child’s teacher.

All students at KCMS will be scheduled for two parent-teacher conferences per year. In addition, families of students selected to receive Title I services will be notified by mail. An orientation meeting about Title I services, our parent policy and the school-parent compact will be held during the fall. Please keep your eye out for this date in the future. We will contact all families when this meeting is scheduled!

Parent Surveys are completed at the beginning of each school year. From improving communication to a variety of family and academic events, results are tallied to help make the school year even more successful!

KCMS is excited to offer the following programs for the 2023-2024 school year:

• Parent-Teacher Conferences

• American Education Week

• PTA Family Events

• Schoolwide PBIS

• Mentoring program.

Look for dates for these events in the future.

You may wish to assist in a classroom, help out during a family fun night event, chaperone during a field trip, tutor students or share an expertise with a class or group of students. Please visit the main office to complete an application. Your application will then be submitted to Human Resources, who will then contact you to complete a basic background check and necessary paperwork.

Who can you turn to with questions?

• Mark Buckel, principal

• Tyray Johnson, family/community liaison

• Michelle Cerino, KCPS Title I coordinator

Diverse family, school staff and community member representation is involved in Title I decisions. In addition to the Parent Advisory Council (PAC), the Leadership Team, the PTA and the School Improvement Team (SIT) meet throughout the year to make decisions regarding academic policies, school-wide plans, family involvement and school programs. 

The parents of Title I schools are involved in the decisions of how to spend their school’s parent involvement funds through surveys, PAC meetings, phone calls, emails, etc. Title I Parent Involvement Plans are distributed at parent meetings and developed jointly and reviewed by and with parents. Feedback is included in the plan.

Academics are a top of the list priority in the Title I program. KCMS will collaborate with families on homework and academic strategies to include workshops for parents, at-home learning strategies, and will conduct home visits when necessary. KCMS will provide teachers training, with parental assistance, on involving families as equal partners in reading, math and homework activities. A compact is developed jointly with Title I parents.

If your family is in need of a translator, transportation or some other form of support for any school event, we will be happy to arrange these services! Please contact the school if you have other extenuating services and need support to help meet your child’s needs.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law on Dec. 10, 2015. The U.S. Department of Education approved Maryland's ESSA plan on Jan. 16, 2018. The plan sets into place improvement targets for schools. Maryland developed its ESSA plan after unprecedented outreach to citizens across the State.

Kent County Middle School

420 E. Campus Ave.

Chestertown, MD 21620

Phone: (410) 778-1771 

Website: https://www.kent.k12.md.us/KCMS.aspx

Maryland State Department of Education Title I Program

Additional Resources:

www.marylandpublicschools.org

Check under the menu bar for “Programs” and access Title I National Coalition of ESEA Title I Parents

For additional information about the Kent County Title I program, questions and/or concerns, please visit https://www.kent.k12.md.us/ESSAandTitleI.aspx or contact Michelle Cerino at 410-778-6594 or [email protected].

School Improvement Plans (SIP) are developed at each of Kent County Public Schools' Schoolwide Title I schools. Input at each of these schools is gathered from stakeholders including educators, parents and community members, all of whom are members of each school’s Improvement Team. New members are welcome to attend monthly meetings and become a part of their school’s team.

 

Improvement Plans are reviewed and updated annually and are amended as needs arise and new data on student achievement becomes available during the year. Each plan includes four components including one that calls for improving academic achievement for all students through maintaining a strong commitment to involving and engaging parents and the greater school community. Families can request a copy of the KCMS SIP from the school office.

School-Family Compact 

A School-Family Compact is an agreement that parents, students and teachers agree on together. It explains how parents and teachers work jointly to make sure all students get the individual support they need in order to meet and exceed grade level standards. Review the responsibilities, sign and then return to school with your child to be kept on file for future use.

• Kent County Middle School School Family Compact

• Kent County Middle School School Family Compact – Spanish