Effective Parent-Teacher Communication Title I Parent Meeting Tuesday, December 13th, 2016 8:30 am, Media Center

Agenda Tips for establishing a connection with teachers Overview of our meeting Tips for establishing a connection with teachers Tips for specific situations How is my child doing? Parent Portal (Infinite Campus) Communicating with my child’s teacher A peek at our school’s and teacher’s websites Special Guest: Nurse Ochoa Agenda

Tips for building a foundation Tip # 1: Get comfortable within the school and with the teacher Chat with the teacher - whenever you can stop by Set up a meeting - whether it’s 20 minutes or two hours, setting aside time to meet your child’s teachers will be the best investment you make for your child this school year. Join an activity or program for parents at the school - PTA, family nights, parent meetings, volunteer opportunities, etc. allow you to know what is going on in your child’s school. It also gives you the opportunity to talk with other parents who are involved in the school.

Tip # 2: Be a partner with the teacher Don’t let bad experiences affect new relationships. Believe that the teacher and school care about your child! Begin communication with a positive attitude and a willingness to partner with your child’s teacher. Tip # 3: Communicate with the teacher early One of the biggest mistakes parents make is waiting until a problem arises to initiate contact. It’s harder to start a good parent-teacher relationship when the waters are already troubled. Feel free to make the first contact!

Tip # 4: Communicate often Regular and ongoing feedback from the teacher will allow you to better provide the specific help your child needs. How - face-to-face, email, phone, Dojo, written notes, etc. Whatever suits your needs is best! What - Discuss and agree on concerns or problems to be monitored A child’s strengths and weaknesses How you can help at home Find out how your child is doing socially. While grades are important, they are not the only indicator of whether matters are okay at school. Any other questions or concerns a parent has should be expressed How often? As often as you need! For more serious issues, you may need to communicate daily with the teacher

Tip # 5: Follow through with what you said you would do Not following through can cause a major communication problem. Remember that this partnership is two-way and both parties must do their part! Be sure to let the teacher know if you are unable to do what was agreed upon View the handout from the National PTA and the Teacher Tips for communication from Parenting Magazine for additional tips for building strong parent-teacher relationships.

Troubleshooting Scenario: Schoolwork struggles The teacher says: “Your child is having trouble with his schoolwork.” There are variety of causes for this, and solutions, so don’t get defensive! The right response: Ask for specifics Knowing where the problem is will help you judge what kind of help your child needs. Is he having trouble in one subject or many? Did he score poorly on a test? Is he not doing the work? Is he just frustrated?

Create a plan: Involve your child to get their take on the problem Approach your child calmly, “Your teacher says ___. What do you think?” Brainstorm solutions with the teacher and your child. Find out what you can do at home. Following up: Check progress after a couple of weeks If there has been little or no improvement, consider an outside tutor, consulting a counselor, or meeting with the school’s psychologist to determine if there may be a behavioral or learning disability.

Troubleshooting Scenario: Misbehaving The teacher says: “Your child is acting out in class.” The right response: Find out exactly what your child is doing Determine if there is a pattern - same time of day, after a weekend or break, or some other cause that is triggering bad behaviors Another possibility - attention seeking. Children who feel they aren’t getting enough attention may act out in class. You may also have a high energy kid. High energy does not mean ADHD. According to Dr. Michael Reiff, developmental behavioral pediatrician at the University of Minnesota, if your child hasn’t had behavior issues in the past, chances are ADHD isn’t the problem.

Creating a plan: talk to your child Once you have determined what may be causing the behaviors, discuss it with your child Create a system with the teacher to address the problem behaviors. If your child is high-energy, discuss with the teacher whether there may be areas of the class where your child can calm down during the day. If your child is an attention seeker, discuss with your child ways for them to get positive attention. Get a list of rules from your child’s teacher to go over at home. Following up: if problems persist, see your pediatrician

School and Teacher Websites Visit http://www.paulding.k12.ga.us/ Click on “Select a School” Under “For Parents”, choose “Parent Engagement (Title I) Resources Under “Our Staff”, select “Staff Websites” Communication School and Teacher Websites

Infinite Campus Parent Portal To obtain a login, complete the Parent Portal Account Activation Request. Please allow 24-48 hours to process. Visit http://www.paulding.k12.ga.us/ The link to Parent Portal is on the right side of the homepage Monitoring Infinite Campus Parent Portal