Wanted: More Communication With Parents

9/9/2012

Last year I started a class website with hopes that parents/guardians would get a better idea of what their children were learning & doing at school.

It included:

-a schedule of upcoming dates
-links to school district pdfs
-a form with which they could send me messages
-a class blog about upcoming units/projects
-list of daily homework and assignments
-links to educational websites
and more!

I asked parents to complete a survey monkey in which many confessed that they did not really use the website...but all said that they were happy that it existed!

Well, this year I am hoping to get more of our parents/guardians using our site! So taking advice from my PLN on twitter this is what I am going to do:

-post this poster outside of my classroom so that parents can easily scan the QR codes to our website and twitter account
-call each parent during the first week of school to personally invite them to Meet the Teacher night so that I can share our website URL and its functions with all of them
-collect parent emails and send messages when important updates are made

Any other advice? I really want to get more parents/guardians involved this year!
What are you going to do to improve your school/home communication?

5 Comments

Joy Kirr link

9/9/2012 09:44:32 am

Gallit,
Give it a go! I always think parents don't follow the class blog, but I am always surprised when one parent a year will say they appreciate it (unsolicited!)! It always starles me that someone reads it. This year, however (and here's my tip), I'm having the kids come in once a week and help write the Genius Hour blog, which you can only access through the class website (unless you know the URL, I guess). And then I share responses to the blog with students. So I hope that through the students...will come the parents. This is my hope!

Good luck, and keep plugging along! I've put up QR codes as well, and connected our class site to Edline (grade website). We'll see!

Take care,
-Joy

Gallit Zvi link

9/9/2012 02:25:32 pm

Hi Joy :)

Of course I will keep going ahead with the class site/blog...I just wish I could figure out how to get into more parents' hands...I am hoping the QR code sign will help and it is connected to the school site too!

Let me know if you get any other great ideas I can copy!
Thanks,

Gallit

Robyn Thiessen

9/9/2012 10:25:47 am

Awesome ideas Gallit! I also made a fridge magnet with all our connections to give to parents on Open House Night. I haven't done it before but I thought it couldn't hurt!
I also request parent e mails, I made a sticker to put in student planners!
Let me know how it goes!

Robyn

Gallit Zvi link

9/9/2012 02:27:00 pm

Robyn! Love the fridge magnet idea! Where did you order from? Vistaprint?

Let me know!
Thanks for commenting and for your great ideas!

Gallit

Robyn Thiessen

9/9/2012 02:36:26 pm

Actually I made them with a cute editable freebie, some colourful paper, double sided tape and strip magnet. I'm still learning how to create things and then send them to Vistaprint so this was more manageable for me!

Wanted: More Communication With Parents

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