Our School
Meet Our Principal
Mrs. Tami Francis
Dear All-Star! Students, Parents, Staff, and Community Members,
As we embark on another exciting school year, I am filled with enthusiasm and gratitude for the journey that lies ahead. Reflecting on our achievements, I am proud to announce that Lewis has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School and awarded the National PTA of Excellence. These honors are a testament to the dedication and hard work of our entire school community.
To Our Students:
You are the heart of everything we do. This year, we remain committed to providing you with opportunities to collaborate, communicate, think critically, and be creative. Our focus on integrating the six pillars of character—trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship—will guide us as we work together to build a community where every student can thrive and shine. Remember, our motto, “Rise Up and Shine On!” is more than just words; it’s a call to action for you to approach each day with determination and a positive spirit.
To Our Parents and Guardians:
Your support and involvement are vital to our students’ success. We deeply value our partnership with you and appreciate your ongoing commitment to our school. By working together, we can ensure that our students have the best possible environment to grow and succeed. We look forward to another year of collaboration and celebration of our students’ achievements.
To Our Dedicated Staff:
Your passion and dedication are the foundation of our school’s success. As we continue to strive for excellence, your efforts in fostering a nurturing and dynamic learning environment are invaluable. Together, let’s remain focused on providing our students with the skills they need to excel and become individuals of strong character.
To Our Community Members:
We are grateful for the support and engagement from our community. Your involvement enriches our educational programs and enhances the overall experience for our students. We look forward to continuing to build strong partnerships and working together to support our children’s educational journey.
As we move forward, let us embrace the opportunities this year brings with enthusiasm and commitment. Our shared goal is to create a school environment where every student can rise up, shine on, and reach their full potential.
Thank you for being an essential part of our school community. Here’s to a remarkable year ahead!
Warm regards,
Tami Francis
Principal
Lewis Elementary School
Fun Facts:
- Originally from Indiana — Indiana University and Notre Dame Football are my favorite college teams.
- I love boat riding on the Colorado River with family and friends.
- I love watching movies, plays, and live music.
Our Mission
In order to meet the 21st Century learning needs of our students, our staff will engage students in Critical Thinking, Creativity, Communication, and Collaboration, while promoting strong Citizenship.
Our highly qualified staff fosters meaningful relationships with students, parents, and the community while providing a relevant and rigorous curriculum in classrooms that advance teaching and learning.
Our Vision
All Lewis students graduate with a 21st Century education that ensures they are citizens of strong character, college, and career ready, and globally competitive.
PBIS: Let’s Learn More…
“Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based three-tiered framework for improving and integrating all of the data, systems, and practices affecting student outcomes every day. PBIS is a proactive approach that schools use to improve school safety and promote positive behavior.”
PBIS HAS A FEW IMPORTANT GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
- Our students learn behavioral expectations for different situations
- Our students learn expected behaviors for various school settings through explicit instruction and opportunities to practice and receive feedback
- Supporting students early can prevent more serious behavior problems
- We believe each student has strengths, so our school gives many kinds of behavior supports
- Teaching behavior should be based on research and science
- Our school gathers and uses data to make decisions about behavior interventions
- Our school staff members are consistent in how they encourage expected behavior and discourage infractions
School & Home Compact for Achievement
What is a School-Home Compact?
A School-Home Compact for Achievement is an agreement that parents, students, and teachers develop together. It explains how parents and teachers will work together to make sure all our students reach grade level standards.
Effective compacts:
- Link to goals of the school improvement plan.
- Focus on student learning skills.
- Describe how teachers will help students develop those skills using high quality instruction.
- Share strategies parents can use at home.
- Explain how teachers and parents will communicate with regard to student progress.
- Describe opportunities for parents to volunteer, observe, and participate in the classroom.
Jointly Developed
The parents and staff of Lewis Elementary School developed this School-Parent Compact for Achievement. Meetings are held on a yearly basis to review the Compact and make changes based on student needs. Parents are welcome to contribute at any time. If you would like to volunteer, participate, or observe in the classroom, please contact the school.
Building Partnerships
Your support and input are valued and instrumental in helping our students succeed! Opportunities for involvement include:
- Back-to-School/Parent Night
- PTA Meetings
- Parent Workshops
- Open House
- School Site Council Meetings
- Title I and English Learner Advisory Council
- Awards Assemblies
- District Sponsored events
District Goal
By June 2027, 90-100% of all students will perform at grade level or higher and upon graduation meet the requirements for entrance into the UC and CSU system or have developed skills to be career ready.
School Goals
By June 2027, we will continue to increase the number of students reaching proficiency in mathematics and reading.
Our focus in reading will be:
- Develop formative foundational skills in reading and comprehension, which will increase students’ proficiency in all areas of academic success.
- Encourage and foster students’ interest in reading a variety of fictional literature and nonfiction texts.
- Determine the meaning of, comprehend, and appropriately utilize academic vocabulary in effective communication with speaking and writing.
Our focus in mathematics will be to:
- Integrate technology to enrich day to day learning, intervention, and authentic assessment.
- Have students explain their mathematical reasoning that supports their problem solving strategy.
- To provide daily homework in order to review and practice the day’s lesson.
Our focus in Science and Social Studies will be to:
- The science and social studies departments will incorporate more written reports with projects and labs in support of the non-fiction targets of the common core standards and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
- Science will assign research-based projects that involve experimentation and investigation
At School
The Lewis All-Star staff will work with students and their families to support students’ success in reading and math. Some of our key connections with families will be:
- Communicate regularly with parents regarding current academic programs and be accessible to parents/guardians to discuss questions and/or concerns.
- Provide materials and information to help parents support the school’s academic program.
- Offer Parent Workshops in Literacy and Math to provide strategies and resources for home support.
At Home
Lewis Elementary School staff, in collaboration with parents, will develop ideas about how families can support students’ success:
- Discuss and review my child’s schoolwork nightly and contact the teacher with questions and/or concerns. Make appointments as needed, especially after the first progress report.
- Read and use the classroom materials and information to support learning at home.
- Read with or listen to my child read every day.
- Attend family literacy and math workshops and use the strategies learned to improve my child’s literacy skills.
- Involve your child in solving real-world math problems every day. Attend the family math workshop and use the strategies learned to improve my child’s mathematical skills. Ask about homework, reading requirements, and iReady reports.
Student Responsibilities
Lewis Elementary School students know the importance of being responsible. A responsible student will come to school every day on time, prepared, and ready to learn. To make connections between learning at home and at school, students will:
- Take home, review, and discuss schoolwork and materials nightly with parents/guardians.
- Ask for help when they have trouble with their schoolwork.
- Participate in classroom discussions and group work.
- Read to and discuss the text with an adult for 20-30 minutes every day.
- Use strategies learned in class to solve real-world math problems.
- Update iPad Regularly and come to school with it fully charged.
- Complete 2 or more i-Ready lessons in BOTH math and reading weekly.
- Exemplify and model the Six Pillars of Character, everywhere and all the time.
Engagement Policy
Part 1: General Expectations
Lewis Elementary School agrees to implement the following requirements:
- The school will jointly develop with parents, distribute to parents of Title I children, a School Parental Involvement Policy that the school and parents of participating children agree to uphold.
- The school will notify parents about the School Parent and Family Engagement Policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, will distribute this policy to parents in English and Spanish.
- The school will revisit the School Parental Involvement Policy yearly to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.
- The school will make the School Parental Involvement Policy available to the local community through a web site link.
- The school will adopt the Home-School compact as a component of its Parent and Family Engagement Policy.
- The school will provide accessibility and opportunities for parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory students.
The school agrees to be governed by the following definition of parental involvement, and will carry out programs, activities and procedures in accordance with this definition:
Parental involvement means the participation of parents, including those with disabilities and/or with limited English proficiency, in regular and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring –
- that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
- that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education; including the Home-School Compact;
- that parents 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;
- the carrying out of other activities, such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA.
Part 2: Policy Implementation
Lewis Elementary School will take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development and joint agreement of its Engagement Policy and its schoolwide plan, if applicable, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way under section 1118(b) of the ESEA:
- Title I Parent Team Meetings will be held to create, review, and improve the Engagement Policy and the Home-School Compact yearly.
- Parents will have the opportunity to discuss and share ways to improve the Title I Program.
- Parents will have the opportunity to complete a survey about our Title I Program each year.
- Parents will be provided, if they request an appointment for regular meetings.
Lewis Elementary School will take the following actions to distribute to parents of children participating and the local community, the Engagement Policy:
- The hard copy of the school’s Parent and Family Engagement Policy will be available to any parent when requested.
- The Engagement Policy will be posted on our official School web site for the community to view.
Lewis Elementary School will review yearly and update periodically its Engagement Policy to meet the changing needs of parents and the school:
- A team meeting will be held yearly to review and/or update the Engagement Policy.
- The Fall Information Meeting will review the Williams Uniform Complaint Procedure.
- Fall meeting with survey regarding dates times and topics.
Lewis Elementary School will convene an annual meeting to inform parents of the following:
- That their child’s school participates in Title I,
- About the requirements of Title I
- Of their rights to be involved in:
- Parent and Family Engagement Policy
- Home-School Compact
- Williams Uniform Complaint Procedure
- About their school’s participation in Title I
- Invitations emailed home in English & Spanish and posted on social media
- Dialer callers in English and Spanish and at convenient times for parents
- Parents are encouraged to attend parent functions, through various incentives
- Parents are encouraged to take the LCAP survey yearly, to voice their opinions
Lewis Elementary School will hold a flexible number of meetings at varying times, including child care if needed:
- Invitations will be sent home in English and Spanish, with plenty of notice along with automatic dialer calls.
- Childcare will be provided by trained volunteers.
- Spanish translation will be provided at parent functions.
- Parent surveys will be given to determine parent interest needs.
- The school will provide information about Title I programs to parents of participating children in a timely manner.
- A Fall meeting will be held.
Lewis Elementary School will provide to parents of students a description and explanation of the curriculum being used, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet:
- Please contact your child’s teacher or counselor if you need assistance with curriculum, grades or any other concerns regarding your childs academics and progress.
- This will also be discussed at the Title I Informational Meeting.
Lewis Elementary School will provide parents opportunities to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children:
- Informational meetings
- SSC – School Site Council
- PTA Meetings
- Annual Title I Meeting
- District LCAP Survey
Part 3: Shared Responsibilities for High Achievement
- Needs Assessment Survey taken by parents (conducted by Title I)
- Parent input through team meetings (conducted by Title I)
- Parental requests (conducted by Title I)
- Varied / multiple meeting times (conducted by Title I)
- PTA Meetings (conducted by the PTA board members)
- Encouragement to attend “Back To School” night and Open House (conducted by the staff and principal)
- Principal’s newsletter which is distributed in Spanish and English
Lewis Elementary School will incorporate the Home-School Compact as a component of its Parent and Family Engagement Policy:
- Both policies will be reviewed at the meetings held for Title I parents
- Both policies will be displayed on our school web site
- Both policies will be available in the school office.
Lewis Elementary School will, with the assistance of its district, provide assistance to parents of children served by the school in understanding topics, such as the following:
- the State’s academic content standards,
- the State’s CAASPP proficiency levels
- the State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments,
- the requirements of Title I
- how to monitor their child’s progress, and
- how to work with educators
- Results of the annual Title I review – These various topics will be addressed at the Title 1 Informational Meetings and through Parent Education throughout the year.
Lewis Elementary School will, with the assistance of its district, provide materials to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement, through:
- parent brochures / newsletters
- parent education
- parent meetings and school functions
- Gathering parental input on desired parent education trainings
Lewis Elementary School with the assistance of its district and parents, educate its staff, in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners.
- Staff Meetings
- Professional Development
- Professional Literature
- ‘Q’ Parent Connect Online System through the DUSD App
- ParentSquare
Lewis Elementary School will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, take the following actions to ensure that information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request, and to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand:
- All parent invitations and information will be translated in Spanish.
- All parent invitations will be emailed home and posted on social media.
- Auto dialer and email.
Part 4: Adoption
This Parent and Family Engagement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, as evidenced by Julia Ortega, Categorical Resource Teacher.
This policy was approved and adopted by Lewis Elementary’s School Site Council in May, 2025 and will be in effect for the 2025-2026 school year. The school’s policy will be available school wide to all parents of students through our website. It will be made available to the local community. Notification to parents of this policy will be in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provide a copy of this policy to parents in a language the parents can understand.
