Effective communication is necessary and crucial in order to build strong relationships and work towards shared goals in any environment but it is especially important in a school community. Clear and open communication between building leaders and faculty help with planning and preparation. Distributing a “Plan Ahead” memo on Fridays with the upcoming week’s events, can allow teachers to better prepare, even when some days are just “normal days”. This communication memo can be distributed via email or a Shared document so that the faculty can access it whenever they need it or there can also be a hard copy distributed weekly. Another tool that can be used between administrators and faculty is texting. I have a school group text chat,named Entire School, where we ask each other questions, collaborate, and share important information. Using technology helps us to stay in contact with each other.
Other tech tools such as ClassDojo and the Remind apps are often helpful with communications between parents and teachers. Services like Constant Contact or Iris alerts can also facilitate communications between the school and parents. These platforms can be used to keep parents informed. I have also found success using Google Classroom as a communication tool. Classroom allows the teachers to communicate with both students and their parents. I strongly encourage parents at the start of the school year to check their child’s Classroom account often. This can help them to stay informed of their child’s assignments and their grades. Having a well setup Classroom stream also helps the students to develop responsibility for their school work and allows students to communicate with teachers if they have questions regarding their work. From a teacher viewpoint, I have referred to Classroom assignments in parent meetings. It has provided a written record of class expectations, assignments, and grades. From a building leader's viewpoint, I also have found Classroom to be helpful because students can “forget” to show their parents important notices that go home. These notices, such as school handbooks, calendars, lunch menus, and other school forms are posted on Classroom, and this provides a consistent location where parents can locate information. Additionally, having a dedicated Classroom stream for office announcements can also create a running record of school notices. Parents can’t say they didn’t know or are unaware because all the important information is posted. Often as the 8th grade teacher, I have parents call the office asking questions regarding high schools, testing or other 8th grade activities. Since I post all this information on Classroom, the office staff automatically directs them to the Classroom stream. This allows for a clear understanding and more productive communication between the school and parents.
Having clear and concise communications can allow others, including faculty, students and parents, to fully understand and believe in your mission and can help to create a more productive school environment.
Other tech tools such as ClassDojo and the Remind apps are often helpful with communications between parents and teachers. Services like Constant Contact or Iris alerts can also facilitate communications between the school and parents. These platforms can be used to keep parents informed. I have also found success using Google Classroom as a communication tool. Classroom allows the teachers to communicate with both students and their parents. I strongly encourage parents at the start of the school year to check their child’s Classroom account often. This can help them to stay informed of their child’s assignments and their grades. Having a well setup Classroom stream also helps the students to develop responsibility for their school work and allows students to communicate with teachers if they have questions regarding their work. From a teacher viewpoint, I have referred to Classroom assignments in parent meetings. It has provided a written record of class expectations, assignments, and grades. From a building leader's viewpoint, I also have found Classroom to be helpful because students can “forget” to show their parents important notices that go home. These notices, such as school handbooks, calendars, lunch menus, and other school forms are posted on Classroom, and this provides a consistent location where parents can locate information. Additionally, having a dedicated Classroom stream for office announcements can also create a running record of school notices. Parents can’t say they didn’t know or are unaware because all the important information is posted. Often as the 8th grade teacher, I have parents call the office asking questions regarding high schools, testing or other 8th grade activities. Since I post all this information on Classroom, the office staff automatically directs them to the Classroom stream. This allows for a clear understanding and more productive communication between the school and parents.
Having clear and concise communications can allow others, including faculty, students and parents, to fully understand and believe in your mission and can help to create a more productive school environment.