SchoolCommunity Relations

1
School-Community Relations

• Suzan Brandt, Hoover City Schools
• Akina Luckett-Canty, Allan Cott School
• Keith Lusco, Shelby County Schools
• Becky Patton, Cherokee Bend ElementaryHolly
  Sutherland, Rocky Ridge Elementary
• Jack Tracy, Prattville High School

2
Effective Communication

• Overcoming Barriers
• Oral
• Written
• Electronic

3
ESL Communication Should

• Recognize the significance of the native language
  and learner
• Initiate contact to parents to communicate a
  desire to involve them in activities related to
  school
• Maintain and produce academic progress
• Provide for the student's integration into the
  mainstream of school and society
• Validate and preserve the student's native
  language and culture

4
Oral Communication

• Experience and knowledge of the child will be
  different than the parents
• Dont personalize an angry parents attack
• Acknowledge the parents right to be angry or
  upset
• Dont intimidate parent make them a partner in
  education

5
Written Communication

• When positive communication is established at the
  beginning of the school year, more parents are
  involved.

6
Written Communication

• Newsletters
• Parents rely on newsletters to stay informed
• Parents can plan their schedule around student
  learning
• Newsletters should be sent home on a regular
  schedule (same day of week or month)

7
Written Communication

• Take Home Folders
• Simple Communication Tool
• Ex. 3-ring pocket folder for information on
  homework, notes and announcements
• Grades K-5

8
Written Communication

• Open Letters
• Usually developed at the beginning of the school
  year
• Teacher Introductions
• Contact Information
• Classroom Expectations
• Needed Supplies
• Parent Volunteer Information

9
Written Communication

• Personal Notes
• Convey Good News
• Share Educational Breakthrough
• Relay Unusual Behavior of Student
• Inform of Acts of Citizenship

10
Using Technology to Communicate with Parents

• Using technology to communicate with parents can
  facilitate communication and consequently enhance
  student success. 

11
Using Technology to Communicate with Parents

• Web Based Platforms
• Allow parents to access school information from
  home
• Provide information about the school and the
  district
• Confirm assignments, check grades, verify
  attendance 

12
Using Technology to Communicate with Parents

• PDAs
• Can improve communication between school and home
  
• Are more reliable and effective for contacting
  parents
• Teachers use Palm Pilots to record notable
  student behavior (both good and bad)
• Pager messages are sent to parent by
  school-provided pagers 

13
Using Technology to Communicate with Parents

• E-mail
• Can help with complaints that channels of
  communication are shut down during evening and
  weekend hours when most working parents are
  available
• Email can be sent and received at all hours
• It is quick and personal 

14
Using Technology to Communicate with Parents

• Effectively using technology to improve parent
  communication is clearly the future for
  school-home communication.

15
Electronic Newsletters

• Smoke Signals
• The Learning Connection

16
Getting Connected

• Yahoo Groups
• Blackboard
• Discussion Boards (ex. Birmingham City Schools,
  Department of Science)
• Our Presentation