MP Principal's Post
ONE...Team. Vision. Goal.
Manchester Park Elementary
Home of the Timberwolves
2/5/2021
Please Welcome!
- Haylee Hitchens (Long Term Sub for Hannah)
- Cindy Thompson (Kindergarten Aide)
Valentines Day Parties
PTO will supply the treats and activities. You are welcome to have these parties at whatever point you feel is best on this day.
Panorama
Snow/Inclement Weather Days
Be sure to be ready for the possibility of a remote learning day. Prepare your students and families with how this day will look.
- Make sure that you get in the habit on bringing everything that you need for these days home with you on a daily basis.
- Attendance will be taken.
- Both remote and in-person students will follow a half-day schedule.
Kindergarten Roundup
Conference Times
Parent Teacher Conference Tips
Prepare, prepare, prepare
Conferences require hours of preparation. Keeping accurate and current records makes this process much easier.
It’s best to prepare:
- Test results
- Work samples
- Anecdotal notes
Be aware of your body language
You and your classroom should be welcoming to students and parents, and your body language is one of the first impressions visitors have when meeting you. Crossed arms, tension, intense glares, rigid posture, frustrated and fidgety movements all convey negativity that will quickly sour the mood of a conference.
Share real stories and student work
Even the best teachers won’t remember all of the details they need to share with every parent. But detailed notes ensure that you’re able to share all of the pertinent information within the confines of your conference schedule.
Anecdotes are a great way to give parents insight into what’s happening in their child’s academic day. Visual examples of student work with feedback can really support your anecdotes. A flat gradebook full of scores doesn’t paint a picture of what it’s like to be a student in your class. It also doesn’t show how a particular student is engaging with the material and how you are supporting that student’s learning and growth through feedback.
You may not be able to prepare more than a couple of examples, but seeing one graded essay or project along with a homework assignment or quiz can really mean a lot to a parent. It also demonstrates how much you care about their child. It can enhance your effort to connect with each parent, getting them on board.
Include the positive
Each student has positive traits and potential. Share at least one shining trait with parents at the beginning and another at the end of the conference. That trait could be an academic trait or a character trait, such as helpfulness, persistence, or hard work.
A good way to present this information is through “Glows and Grows.” Share a student’s positive achievements or traits that make them glow as well as two or more areas in which they can grow. End on a high note with another glowing detail or anecdote.
Create clear goals
Every student, even the gifted ones, can improve in some way. Write specific goals for each student. Along with those goals, create an action plan with steps for improvement, as well as a timeline with milestones to gauge a student’s progress. Sharing this with parents can increase buy-in since they will be able to see a clear path to success that has achievable benchmarks and goals that are part of a realistic, structured plan.
Avoid education jargon
Not everyone is familiar with 504s, diagnostic and summative assessments, PBL, or STEAM. Don’t overwhelm parents with education lingo. Speak in plain terms, explain what you mean, and make sure everyone is clear about the path forward.
Give parents responsibility
According to a recent report by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, children do better in school when their parents are involved. Effective teachers involve parents by asking them to monitor homework or sign progress reports.
For students who struggle with completing homework assignments, suggest that they use a planner and that parents check it every night. Students should put their completed work right next to the items listed in their planner. This makes it easy for parents to verify and it can increase trust, accountability, and consistency.
If a student lives with one parent who has more than one job, or if both parents work late, suggest a local study center, library, or tutoring program where that student can go get help and have someone check their assignments so that a routine is created with an involved adult.
Encourage questions
Approachable teachers build a lasting connection with parents and promote a positive experience. You want to make sure that your students’ parents feel comfortable asking questions about their child’s academic success, friendships, and other traits. Be sure to ask parents if they have any questions at least twice during your meeting. You want to carve out time and space for them to talk so they don’t feel like they are being talked at and rushed out. Make sure they have your email address so they know they can ask you questions at any point during the school year.
Don’t make assumptions about parents or students
We’ve all heard the negative teacher talk about students and parents. “Oh, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with that one!” Ensure that you don’t engage in judgemental talk or make parents feel like they’re being judged while conferencing with you. View all parents as partners because, like it or not, they are. Work to make sure that even the most challenging students and parents feel like welcome teammates.
If a parent becomes hostile, don’t engage
No matter how prepared and affirming teachers are, some parents may become hostile. Some of them are used to hearing bad news, don’t trust teachers, feel a need to defend their child, or are upset about something else and take their anger out on you.
Try to remain calm and follow a few tips from the National Education Association:
- Emphasize the positive.
- Let the parents talk first.
- Use active listening. Don’t just stay quiet — really and mindfully listen.
- Discuss how both parties want what’s best for the child.
- Agree on a strategy and get on the same page before including the child in the conversation.
Remain professional at all times
Teaching is a challenging job and you may be tempted to stray into unprofessional or overly social territory during conferences. Several conversations or topics should never be discussed with parents or with other teachers in professional spaces, including:
- Speaking negatively about school administrators or other teachers.
- Comparing two or more students to each other.
- Discussing another student’s behavior, family, or performance.
- Blaming parents for a child’s performance or struggle.
- Making fun of students or their families.
- Arguing with parents.
- Complaining about the school or its policies.
Stay in contact with parents
Parents should be able to get in touch with their child’s teacher. Often, email is the most convenient way for you to receive messages and respond to parents, but phone calls or future conferences may be necessary, too. Set the guidelines and boundaries for future communications.
Parent-teacher conferences give both parties the chance to determine a child’s academic progress and create a plan for future success. Effective teachers plan ahead, listen to parents, and ensure each conference remains full of workable solutions that have the student’s best interest in mind.
Mastery Connect
Just a reminder that we need to keep this fresh on our brains since we will be hitting the ground running with this in the Fall. Please work with your grade level to ease yourself back into the routine of doing this in the 4th quarter.
Interventions on Synergy
Please make sure that you are putting this on synergy when you begin and then update this when you complete it. This should be done for any behavior or academic interventions.
Calendar for the Upcoming Week
Monday, February 8th- C Day
*Parent Teacher Conferences
*SIT Day
Tuesday, February 9th - D Day
*Parent Teacher Conferences
Wednesday, February 10th - E Day
*Parent Teacher Conferences
Thursday, February 11th- No School
*Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, February 12th - No School
Monday, February 15th - No School
*President's Day