Home-school communication
John Heim
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
CHILDREN DO best in school when parents are involved in their education. That is why much emphasis is placed on home-school communication during the early weeks of the year. We want parents to feel comfortable talking with their children’s teachers, and teachers want to be able to contact parents with questions, concerns and positive reports of student progress.
All the schools scheduled classroom visitations and open houses before the start of school or soon after the first day. At the elementary buildings, informal open houses have become a popular way for children and parents to meet their new teachers and get prepared for the start of the year. These events are less structured and allow parents to have more one-on-one time with teachers as they start to develop important home-school relationships.
We should be proud of the initiative taken by the teachers at Emporia Middle School to make home visits before the start of school. Teachers teamed up in pairs to travel the neighborhoods, introduce themselves to parents and students, and deliver invitations to open house. Many teachers returned with positive stories of being invited into homes for longer visits.
A lot of Emporia teachers have been visiting families at home for years, but this is the first time an entire school has made it a priority to reach out to the families where they live. Our parents are busy and should not always be expected to come to us on our schedule.
Our families have busy lives and it is difficult for moms and dads to be involved in school. Schools have to find ways to establish relationships with parents without expecting parents to come to school. That is why the Emporia schools use technology to build a bridge between home and school.
Our online grade book, PowerSchool, is a popular tool for parents to keep track of grades, attendance and assignments from home. All parents can request an ID and password to access a child’s academic records. All teachers have electronic mail accounts and those email addresses are listed on the district’s web site. Email links to your child’s teachers also are found inside the PowerSchool documents that you can access. (My son doesn’t always appreciate PowerSchool as much as I do!) While email should not be a substitute for telephone and face-to-face conversations, it is a quick and easy way to share information and schedule appointments.
Of course, our schools still use traditional methods for parents to be involved. Throughout the year, the elementary and intermediate schools have family nights that bring students, parents and teachers together to have fun and learn how parents can support their children’s learning at home. The events may focus on reading, math or science, but a related benefit is that parents get to know one another. Parent-teacher organizations also are an important way to get to know school personnel and parents of other children at the school. As children get older, the relationships that parents develop with one another form an important support system for youth.
Parent-teacher conferences also are scheduled twice a year. These days are set aside so every parent has a chance to meet face-to-face with their children’s teachers. Because these are such important meetings, we have scheduled them earlier in the second and third quarters this year. Instead of waiting until the end of the grading period, teachers will be able to talk to parents in the middle of the quarter. If changes are needed to help students be more successful, those adjustments can be made with parent input and support before the grading period ends.
The combination of earlier parent-teacher conferences and access to the PowerSchool online grade book should eliminate any surprises when progress reports arrive after the quarter ends.
A good relationship between schools and parents starts with good communication. I hope all parents will take advantage of the opportunities to build strong relationships with their children’s teachers. After all, parents are the best teachers and schools cannot be successful without support from home.