Communication: Keeping Parents in the Loop

One important stakeholder group includes our parents. They are vital to the success of our schools. We send out multiple types and kinds of communication each school day / school week. However, they may be missing out on important information because they are unaware of the different communication channels in our schools. How can this be? Three pieces of the puzzle include: 1) keeping information in front of our parents, 2) Using multiple channels of communication, and 3) Educating parents on the different ways we communicate.

During our recent 5^th Grade Parent Preview Night (where we welcome 5^th grade parents and their 5^th grade children) I began the process of informing parents using these three key tools. I received an email from one parent who offered additional ways to keep parents “in the loop”. This parent helped me realize that we can get caught up on communicating to a degree that we forget the number of ways to reach out to our parents.

Here are a few helpful hints when communication with parents:

Use your electronic news media: We call it eNews. Here daily emails are sent out to parents (who’ve signed up for this service). So now it’s important to let all parents know how to sign up for our school’s eNews service.

Blog Posts: This is a relatively new format that parents may want to learn about. I will now begin to let parents know each time I post to my blog (www.TheodoreHuff@blogspot.com ). They want to know what’s going on in the blog world.

Traditional Newsletter: We all have a newsletter and our parents enjoy reading it to learn what it taking place in the school. Now the question is, “Do they know how to access your newsletter? Especially if you only send it out electronically? We post our monthly newsletter via our school website.

Twitter: This, as you know, is a relatively new communication tool to use in conjunction with sharing information with our parents. Make sure you share out your school’s Twitter Account (regularly) with your parents. If they don’t know that it exists, then cannot access this information. School Twitter Account: @News4FHMS and Dr. Huff's Twitter Account: @TedHiff

Twitter Chats:  Moving your Round Table Discussions, Book Talks, and other venues for sharing information to a Twitter Chat is just one more way to reach out to parents via Social Media. We host a Parent (and teacher) Chat twice a month. You can find us @ #FHMchat at 7pm CDT on the first and third Monday of each month.

School Marquee: This is another important communication tool. My advice is to make sure it is regularly updated.

I look forward to learning about the different ways you communicate with your parent community!