Parent Communication

It's said that communication is the key to any relationship. When it comes to the parent/teacher relationship, I have to agree. There are a few ways I keep my parents up-to-date on what's happening in our class.

Weekly Newsletter: 

I send out a weekly newsletter on Monday mornings. In it I outline what we'll be doing this week in each subject. I do this to help stimulate the conversation between parents and children. Instead of "How was school?" "Fine." They can instead ask "What did you learn about the moon today?" Typically teachers send home newsletters at the end of the week and by then, students have filed away what they learned. I like encouraging that conversation about what's happening each day. In the newsletter I also include important announcements and upcoming events.

The newsletter gets send out as a Google Doc. The great thing about this is that it's easy to update, it's colorful and fun (saves ink!), and the link never changes so parents can bookmark it and find it at anytime. I do send out a link each Monday letting them know it's been updated.

Remind:

I use Remind.com to send quick reminders or announcements. For example, the night before a field trip, I send out a reminder of anything special they need to bring. Sometimes, I send out reminders about a test or homework assignment due. 

Parents can install the app on their phone and get the messages through that, or they can get them through a text message. The great thing is that my phone number is not included, so parents don't get access to it. They can message me through the app, which I heard a lot of positive feedback about.



Keeping parents informed about what's happening in our classroom has been essential for me. Here are a few reasons:

1. CYA:  There have been a few cases where parents have been upset about not knowing about something. Thankfully, I can refer back to my weekly emails to show that they were informed. 
2. Digital = More Eyes on the Newsletter: Let's face it, kids backpacks are like black holes and when you put important stuff in it, it doesn't always make it into the parents hands. Digital newsletters and Remind allow the information to go straight to a parent's smartphone where they can read it anywhere. 
3. More engagement: I noticed a big increase in parent engagement with digital vs. paper newsletters. 

Keeping parents informed about their student is so important! Education is a team effort and without amazing parent support, my students would not be as successful. I work to find the best ways to send out information to them because as a parent I know how crazy life can be and how easy it is to forget permission slips or field trips.