There are so many important components of running your classroom such as organization, management and building relationships. One of the most important relationships we can build is that of our home/school connection. We need those families helping us to bridge our learning from school to home.
Most parents are so grateful for all that we do, and can be great partners in our classrooms. Often times we notify parents only when something is amiss in the classroom or to remind them to turn in their permission slips. With everything we are juggling it can be hard to find the time to communicate with parents in positive ways.
Here are 5 easy ways that you can keep parents in the loop and maintain positive relationships throughout the year.
1. Email
One of the easiest ways to let parents know what's happening is through a weekly email blast. I set up a gmail account specifically for this. You can add in all of your parent emails and make a group. You can then send out the email highlighting the details for the week. Here is a link to the google tutorial on how to set it all up and keep your parent emails private. Gmail Tutorial
2. Weekly/Monthly Newsletter
Another easy way to keep parents up to date is with a weekly or monthly newsletter. I have had years where I needed to send weekly letters and others where monthly was ideal. You can use a simple template and update it as you see fit. This particular template I created in Powerpoint and I just change the text monthly. I use bright colored paper so it is more noticeable in Homework folders.
3. Parent Communication Apps
There are a few apps out there that help teachers communicate with parents. The most popular are ClassTag, Remind and Class Dojo. I recently shared a post about ClassTag and the many features it entails. It is so simple to use, it's free and you can earn rewards for your classroom.
Check out my post HERE or head over to the site and sign up.
4. Classroom Facebook Page
Most of our parents are on Facebook and it makes sense to set up a private group where they can communicate with you, share pictures and reminders of upcoming events. It also makes it easy for them to private message you about any concerns they may have. Make sure to check with your school or district policy as to whether or not you are allowed to share on social media. Remember this is a private group and only parents you invite will have access to the group not your personal page.
5. Personal Phone Calls or Caught Being Good Notes
How often do we find ourselves contacting parents when something negative has happened in class. I think it is so important to make those positive calls or messages. Take time to pick a few students each week to send home a Caught Being Good Note, phone call or email. The smallest gestures can have a huge impact on not only your students, but parents. They will appreciate hearing anything wonderful about their child.
*The above template is in my Free Back To School Communication Pack. Click on the link or picture above to take you to my TpT shop.
These are all simple ideas, that can make a huge impact impact in your classroom. I hope you have at least gained one new idea. Do you currently use any of these things? What else have you used that makes communication easy? Leave me a comment below, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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Most parents are so grateful for all that we do, and can be great partners in our classrooms. Often times we notify parents only when something is amiss in the classroom or to remind them to turn in their permission slips. With everything we are juggling it can be hard to find the time to communicate with parents in positive ways.
1. Email
One of the easiest ways to let parents know what's happening is through a weekly email blast. I set up a gmail account specifically for this. You can add in all of your parent emails and make a group. You can then send out the email highlighting the details for the week. Here is a link to the google tutorial on how to set it all up and keep your parent emails private. Gmail Tutorial
2. Weekly/Monthly Newsletter
3. Parent Communication Apps
There are a few apps out there that help teachers communicate with parents. The most popular are ClassTag, Remind and Class Dojo. I recently shared a post about ClassTag and the many features it entails. It is so simple to use, it's free and you can earn rewards for your classroom.
Check out my post HERE or head over to the site and sign up.
4. Classroom Facebook Page
Most of our parents are on Facebook and it makes sense to set up a private group where they can communicate with you, share pictures and reminders of upcoming events. It also makes it easy for them to private message you about any concerns they may have. Make sure to check with your school or district policy as to whether or not you are allowed to share on social media. Remember this is a private group and only parents you invite will have access to the group not your personal page.
5. Personal Phone Calls or Caught Being Good Notes
How often do we find ourselves contacting parents when something negative has happened in class. I think it is so important to make those positive calls or messages. Take time to pick a few students each week to send home a Caught Being Good Note, phone call or email. The smallest gestures can have a huge impact on not only your students, but parents. They will appreciate hearing anything wonderful about their child.
*The above template is in my Free Back To School Communication Pack. Click on the link or picture above to take you to my TpT shop.
These are all simple ideas, that can make a huge impact impact in your classroom. I hope you have at least gained one new idea. Do you currently use any of these things? What else have you used that makes communication easy? Leave me a comment below, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
