Family Engagement
HOME TO SCHOOL CONNECTION:
Since families are their children’s first teachers, it is important for me to partner with parents, family members, and guardians who know their child best and entrust me with their child each school day. Since family involvement helps them extend their child’s learning beyond the classroom and creates a more positive experience for children, parent engagement is beneficial for a successful and productive school year. I engage in regular communication so that parents learn what is happening in our classroom and provide many opportunities involved in their child’s learning and or classroom.
WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS:
Each Friday during in-person school, I emailed a newsletter detailing the activities and events so that families can witness their children’s enjoyment. To encourage conversations about school, I include specific questions that parents may wish to ask their children.
During remote schooling starting in March 2020, I sent out detailed summaries of our morning and afternoon calls. Parents appreciated this as it helped them better support their child during these challenging times. It was also helpful for parents to review when their child was unable to attend a call.
Zoom summary for June 16, 2020
Comments from a parent with regards to daily Zoom summaries:
Comment from my administrator with regards to daily Zoom summaries:
In addition to our daily Zoom summaries, we composed a Classroom Connections newsletter where families submitted photos of their children engaged in an activity, celebrating an occasion, or having fun. I compiled these photos together on a weekly basis and emailed them to families so that students remained connected.
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Classroom Connections June 1, 2020
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Comments from a family with regards to Classroom Connections:
Comments from administrators with regards to Classroom Connections:
SHARING CULTURES:
Understanding the importance of culturally inclusive classrooms and experiences, parents are invited into the classroom on the first day and encouraged to share an item from their culture. This sharing time enables all families to feel welcome, broadens children’s perspectives, and encourages appreciation of diversity. During this intercultural experience, teachers, children, and family members have the opportunity to learn from each other.
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For my fully remote class, parents were invited to share special skills and talents they have. During our ball unit, Alessia’s father, a professional soccer player, taught the students all about the sport!
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TERRIFIC TUESDAY:
Each month we celebrate Terrific Tuesday, a time in which families come into the classroom to join us for a special activity in conjunction with our current unit of study. This event provides families with an opportunity to interact with the teachers, their child’s classmates, and other families in the class.
Making family trees during our tree unit
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I made collage posters such as the one below which hung on the bulletin board outside our classroom.
MYSTERY READER:
Children look forward to Mystery Reader Fridays. Parents provide me with 1 clue to share with the students each day of the week leading up to Friday. Students act as detectives as they guess whose parent will be our mystery reader.
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We continued this during our remote class and siblings even participated as our mystery reader!
WALKING TRIPS:
Walking trips provide an opportunity for students to interact with what they are learning and add additional meaning to our units of study. I plan at least one trip to complement each unit of study. Parents are invited to chaperone and participate in hands-on learning and excitement.
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To complement our clothing unit of study, we visited a local laundromat and dry cleaner.
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During the building unit, our class visited a fire station.
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During the bread unit, we went to Whole Foods and watched bread being made before enjoying tasty samples.
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During the bread unit, we also went to a pizzeria and watched pizza being made before eating delicious slices.
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For our fully remote class, we had special Mother's Day and Father’s Day calls where we invited parents to join us for a story, singing, and dancing.
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Mother's Day (2021) Video
Father's Day (2021) Video
The aforementioned events and activities coupled with regular communication enable me to learn more about each child’s needs, interests, and skills. This helps children (and their families) feel a sense of belonging, supporting children’s success at school.
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Please see below for some letters of gratitude that I have received from families during the past 4 years. (Click on the images to see them in full size).
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