RECEIVING THE MIDTERM REPORTS:
COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN HOME AND SCHOOL
Communication is the foundation
for all parental involvement activities at school. Typically, most parents hear
from the school only when their child is in trouble. At Discovery School, we
try to keep the lines of communication open, and working both ways. Parents
want their students to get a good education and have fun in school. Teachers want
to get through to students and provide them with a good education.
Communication is the key to making this happen. When parents and teachers communicate well and work
together, everyone comes out ahead—the student, the parents, and the teacher.
Discovery School teachers take
their role in effective communication with parents very seriously. Our teacher
are very prompt in posting the weekly information on their grade/classroom
blogs. By blogging every week, parents are informed at all times of the content
and skills that are being addressed in the classroom, as well as of special
activities that are coming up. Furthermore, it is school policy for teachers
to report immediately to parents any situation that may directly affect a
student. This communication may come in the form of an email or a phone call, and
sometimes in a note being sent home, or a request for a conference.
Home-school communication helps
teachers and parents develop strong relationships that motivate the students to
work harder at school and improve their academic performance. Parents can learn
basic teaching tips and concepts that assist them in reinforcing what is being
taught at school. This in turn presents a unified front for each child.
When parents and teachers
communicate well with each other, children benefit and are more likely to have
success at school. The best way to really focus on a student’s progress is a face to face meeting between teachers and
parents. Parent-teacher conferences provide this opportunity, and are an
important step in creating a positive home and school communication. Parents do
not need to wait until the Mid Term or Report Cards to do this. Our teachers
have preparation times during the day when they can meet with parents and talk
about each child’s progress or areas of opportunity. Please check your child’s
schedule to see when the teacher is available to talk to you and set up an
appointment. We understand that everyone has very busy schedules, so while you
are able to set up an appointment with your child’s teacher, a phone call or an email may be your best alternative in keeping
the communication lines open between school and home.
A healthy, honest and friendly
relationship between parents and teachers contributes to the student’s
learning and success at school. However, when a difficult situation arises, the
best way to resolve a conflict is at a parent-teacher level. Problems are
more likely to be resolved when people talk directly to each other. Everyone
benefits when teachers and parents work together on behalf of the students. The
school Parent-Student Handbook provides clear guidelines on the chain of
communication, and what to do when one of the parties feels communication at a
certain level has not been effective.
When parents and teachers communicate well
and work together, everyone comes out ahead—the student, the parents, and the
teacher.
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