Family Communication Plan

SCHOOL + FAMILY= SUCCESS

A supportive, encouraging home environment is just as important to school success as an effective teacher. From the beginning of the year, my goal is to include each child's family in his/her academic growth. Through the activities set up by the school such as meet the teacher night and parent/teacher conferences, the parents will be able to put a face to my name and to learn several things that can help them spur their child on to success in school.

On these occassions I will:
1)Outline the academic goals for the school year.
2) Explain the behavioral contracts that the students and I have created.
3)Talk to the parents about the steps that they can take to be a partner in their child's learning.
       ~ Check the child's assignment sheet daily.
       ~ Help with homework,
       ~ Know when they need to call on someone else to help their child with his or her assignment.
          (My phone #, Homework help #, get the number of a friend in class)
4) Show examples of correctly filled in assignment sheets that the students will bring home every
     night.
5) Let parents know what to expect. They should see an assignment sheet each night even if
     there is no homework.    (For example, math homework on most nights, spelling tests each
     Friday, and science/social studies projects at times.)
6) What to do when your child is absent. (Call buddy, arrange to have Absent work folder picked
     up. Your child will have 3 days to make the work up.)
7) Later in the year, review the child's strengths and areas to work on with the parents in terms of
     academics and behavior.
8) On Fridays, expect to receive a newsletter from me. Click to see sample:

Finally, parents have different needs. Just as I differentiate learning based on student needs, I will differentiate my approach with parents, too. For example, some parents need more contact than others. A parent may be concerned that her gifted child receives enough stimulation. Part of this child's IEP may be a weekly phone call from me regarding the child's progress in learning. Or, the parent of a child who has difficult behaving in school may need a weekly phone conference with me regarding the student's progress in terms of behavior.

In the case of a student who does not have a supportive home life, I would seek to arrange a tutor and or mentor for the child if the parents will give permission for these things. Otherwise, while the student is in school I will look for ways to support him or her. For example, peer tutoring or visits from high school volunteers at the end of the day could be arranged. Any possible service that would be appropriate from the guidance office could be arranged for.