CSHS Weekly Bulletin
October 30-November 4, 2017
Connecting with Our Partners
Dear Cougar Family,
The expectation at CSHS is that at least once every two weeks, parents/guardians receive an email update regarding what is happening in each class from the student's teachers. This is a powerful way to maintain proactive, positive communication with our partners: parents & guardians.
When looking for resources to help with communicating with parents/guardians, I came across this great blog post regarding parent communication written by a parent who is also a teacher. The author makes an important point:
"As teachers, we think a lot about HOW and HOW OFTEN to communicate with parents, but I wonder if we think as much about WHAT message our parents are really receiving from us about their child. Communication is more than the words we say to parents, but also what they hear and understand as a result."
Communication is only effective if the receiver understands what we are sharing and knows what action needs to be taken related to the information. Instead of just sending a calendar for the week, we can deepen the relevance and meaning by adding prompts for parents to know how to help their students, including examples of expected products or links to resources such as Success 24/7 or Kahn Academy. This extra investment of time will help build the partnership between parents/guardians and teachers and establish foundational trust.
This level of trust becomes especially important when things are not going well in the classroom for the student due to either behavioral or academic needs. This is another blog post which centers on hurdling difficult situations with parents.
Regardless of the type of communication, whether a group email or an individual email, the following guidelines can help:
1) Always greet your audience, even if the email strand has been ongoing and the parent/guardian is no longer greeting you. This keeps the tone positive from the get-go. (Note, all students do not live with their parents, so using inclusive language such as in the examples below can help non-traditional families feel welcome.)
- Examples: Dear Families of English IV Students; Greetings Families of Chemistry I Students; Dear Mrs. Smith; Good morning, Mr. Jones; etc.
2) Be positive and proactive. The more information we share up front, the stronger the partnership is that we build with our stakeholders.
3) Have a teacher friend proofread all emails sent home to parents, especially group emails. We lose credibility as an educational institution when we send home error-ridden emails. Your teammates can also help to evaluate how tone may be interpreted and aid with massaging diction.
4) If a parent/guardian seems to be upset based on their tone of the email, pick up the phone and call. Engaging in lengthy email exchanges is rarely as productive as a phone conversation or conference in person. The admin and leadership team are happy to sit in on phone calls and conferences with you if you feel like extra support may be warranted.
Please take a few minutes this week to compose your next parent email and share it with a peer for ideas on how to maximize the potential message. Thank you for all you do to ensure parents/guardians at CSHS are our partners!
Have an amazing week! And, as always, COUGAR PRIDE!
Tiffany
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