The Family Welcome Handbook is for all DMA families. Information useful to your children’s success at DMA can he found here. After your review, please let us know if you have any questions.

Family Welcome Handbook

Family Welcome Handbook – Updated

Parental Involvement

Part of the vision of Dixie Montessori Academy is a belief in the active involvement of parents in the ultimate success of their student at DMA. Many opportunities for parental involvement will be created by both the staff and operating board members. DMA strongly encourages volunteer parental involvement to assist in the daily operation of the academy. All volunteerism is strictly optional, but is highly encouraged for the benefit of students and the school as a whole. DMA requests or suggests that parents/guardians/families donate a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer time per year. Volunteers will be asked to sign in and record their time spent volunteering in DMA’s administrative office. Training may be provided for volunteers as needed. DMA will distribute a family handbook at the beginning of each year that will include a volunteer request form enabling parents to sign up for service in areas of expertise or interest. Some of these areas could be:

• School Council –this is a strategic planning and monitoring body comprised of parents with students at DMA.
• Management Committee – comprised of the principal, deputies and year level coordinators (teachers), it manages the operational (day-to-day) matters in the school.
• Parents and Citizens Association – comprised of the parent body of the school, it has a major focus of fundraising and general support for the school.
• Program managers – teachers identified for each key curriculum area who hold responsibility for developing an annual operational plan (including a budget). To meet curriculum needs.
• Curriculum Committees – comprised of teachers, these work with program managers.
• Class Parent Forum – comprised of parent representatives identified from each class to provide an informal exchange of ideas and information and identifying issues.
• Community Review Forum – comprised of parents usually not represented on the bodies above. This group meets once a year with the aim of providing additional opportunities for parental input, particularly to program managers.

This will allow parents to provide the most meaningful service, to be part of the decision making process and simultaneously provide DMA with the ability to coordinate parent service with DMA’s needs. Other specific volunteer opportunities and needs may also be published in DMA’s newsletter and on DMA’s website as needed.

At the end of the academic year, DMA will send out a survey to all school families asking for suggestions and input concerning items such as classroom management, extracurricular activities, elective courses, and volunteer opportunities for consideration of the Director. This allows for parents/guardians to influence school programs. DMA will advertise the monthly Board meeting place and time to parents and the public. Parents will have the opportunity to attend the meeting and make public comment if they desire by completing a request to be added to the meeting agenda in advance of the meeting.