Assignment
1. Because the first week of school is crucial for setting good habits with parents, I would email each child's parents with an update on what is happening in the classroom by the end of the first week. I have found that many parents prefer email over other forms of communication, and communicating from the beginning in neutral and positive ways will help parents avoid the negative stigma of being contacted by their child's teacher.
2. Monthly communication:
1. September: As mentioned, I will make an effort to contact all parents by the end of the first week of school.
2. October: Since October is still near the beginning of the school year, it is a good month to continue making a positive early impression with parents. In October, I will contact each parent about something specific that each child is doing particularly well. This can include anything from scoring especially high on a test to being particularly kind to another student.
3. November: In November, I will send an email asking parents for any specific questions they have about what their child is learning. This shows parents that I want to keep them engaged in the classroom.
4. December: In December, I will make an effort to speak to as many parents individually as possible while they are attending their child's Christmas concert. Again, this will be focused on positive communication.
5. January: As January is the beginning of the new semester, I will send parents a newsletter that both summarizes what students learned in the fall and describes what they will learn in the spring.
6. February: Parents are often less involved in school in the winter months than they are at the beginning of the year, so I will contact parents to ask for volunteers in the classroom and other activities in February.
7. March: Again, many parents will be at school for their child's spring concert in march, so it is an appropriate time to strategically speak to parents in person.
8. April: In April, I will ask parents about any concerns they may have as their child prepares to move to the next grade.
9. May: Because students are often less engaged during the last month of school, I will implement a similar strategy to October and contact each child's parents with something positive. In the spring, this can also include something I have seen the student improve in significantly over the year.
10. June: In June, I will send parents a final newsletter wrapping up what students have learned over this school year.
3. By increasing communication with parents, I expect to see parents more engaged in what is happening in the classroom and more interested in what their children are learning.