Today's Parent Communication

There are a multitude of communication channels that we can access each and every day. For our parents, we need to make sure to keep them in the loop.  Day to day activities and events are an integral part of the learning experience for our students and staff. From traditional forms of communication to contemporary Social Media venues, parents appreciate being “kept in the loop”.  Today it is important to let parents know what it happening at school. Selecting the appropriate communication is very important. Depending on what you need to share with parents, will determine which tool to use. Here are several different tools that I use to increase communication with parents.

One Way Communication Tools

·         Electronic News: This daily communication tool is a positive way to send out daily announcements updates.

·         Remind: This one-way texting took has become very popular with parents. They like receiving quick information via a text from teachers, counselors, and the administrators.  It’s a great way to set up different groups (or classes).  For our parents I have a class that allows me to send information for this stakeholder group.  This tool has increased parent awareness of different activities and functions taking place at school. Updated Remind features allow you to send pictures and add links to the Remind text messages.

·         School Management Systems: SISK12 or Infinite Campus are two communication tools that helps keep parent up to date regarding academics. Other venues like Edmodo, Class Dojpo, Schoology, and Google classroom allow parents to received more information regarding academics  and the individual classes.

·         Web-based Newsletters: This is a tool that I find to be extremely helpful. We started using www.smore.com for our monthly newsletters. It is a user friendly website that allows you to create family friendly newsletters.  You can send the smore newsletter to your parents via electronic news, Remind, or an email blast.

·         Website: Parents rely on our website. It is very important to make sure that the information is correct and current.

Two-Way Communication Tools

·         Instagram: This Social Media tool empowers the parents to get a glimpse into the school day.  Posting pictures that capture day to day activities lets parents see what’s going on without being at school.

·         Blog Posts: This provides periodic information for parents that relate to education and the learning process. Parents enjoy reading posts from teachers and administrators. It can serve as a professional development avenue for parents.

·         Email: This is an essential tool today to provide quick access information for your parents.

·         Email Blasts: A quick and easy way to send information to parents is to use the “group email” feature of your School Management System.

·         Facebook: A very popular Social Media tool, facebook empowers the school to connect and share a variety of things with your community. Upcoming events, celebrations, updates, or special notices.

·         Phone calls: Nothing can replace the old-fashioned, traditional telephone call to parents. They often appreciate calls just to let them know about something positive about their child’s day.

·         Twitter: Another Social Media tool that gives parents another venue to participate in two-way communication.  Parents can reply to tweets, ask questions, and access school resources that have been tweeted out from the school, a teacher, or administrator.

·         Twitter Chats: These chats provide parents with a chance to use their Social Media skills in a collaborative way to share ideas and thoughts. Chats can be a way to continue integrating Social Media into the school setting.

Although it is very easy to slide into the habit of using Social Media, parents also like the tradition forms of communication. By finding a balance between the two formats, you are able to reach all of your parents. I find that by using both one-way and two-way communication tools, parents appreciate knowing that there are times when they simply need information and there are times when they appreciate the opportunity to reply or communicate back to the school.

Connect… My #OneWord for 2016

Interestingly enough I have been absent from the world of blogging since this past June (2015) and so today I am writing to introduce my #OneWord for 2016 which is CONNECT. Today I am re-connecting with the blogging world. I have taken some time in focusing on other facets of my career and family. So as 2016 begins I am once again establishing communication via my blog.

In lieu of establishing a New Year’s Resolution (or resolutions) I am continuing with the practice of selecting One Word that will define my focus for the year.  Like I mentioned, CONNECT is my word for 2016. As a school administrator it is so very important to connect (personally and professionally) with my staff, students, parents, and greater community.

In our fast paced society, we often fail to see the many things that truly require our attention. At work we can get caught up on the “job” and fail to see the many important things that are around us and need our attention. By continuing my focus to CONNECT it is my desire to make sure I do not lose that focus by staying CONNECTed with each stakeholder community.

 

So I challenge you to move away from the resolutions and select that One Word that will define your focus, purpose, and destination for 2016. For more information, check out Jon Gordon’s website www.oneword.com

I look forward to hearing about your One Word for 2016 and how is shapes your work, life, and leisure time this year. Best wishes. Make it the #BestYearEver !

The Significance of the Family Reunion

Our families come to us in different shapes, sizes, color, and quantity, and temperament. We have our immediate, extended, adopted, school, and professional families. Each member and group helps us to “share”, “celebrate”, “give thanks”, and “grow” This week I was fortunate enough to be part of a unique and very special family reunion. I attended the 50^th Family and Community Engagement Conference (sponsored by the Institute for Educational Leadership) to present, learn, and to meet my #PTCamp PLN family.

In June of 2014 I joined a Voxer Book Study with Joe Mazza (@Joe_Mazza) and 100 professional colleagues. We read, discussed and dissected Mapp and Henderson’s Beyond the Bake Sale.  During the past 12 months I have remained “connected” with 21 of my book study PLN Pals. This journey started out as a typical 6 week book study. However, very unexpectedly it transformed into a family of educators that spanned 10 time zones and multiple countries.

During this conference I met in person, or the first time, twelve of those colleagues.  Although it was our first time meeting each other in person, we had grown professionally and personally during the past 12months via Voxer, Twitter, and other Social Media tools and venues.

My reflective thoughts…

Share the good the bad and the ugly with your family. It is important to be transparent and to be open and honest with your family. This is how we build relationships and continue on our learning journey.

Celebrate the great things that are happening NOW. Create memories from what happens today. It will help tell your “story” and to prepare you for your future.

Give Thanks for the family that surrounds you each day. These special individuals are here to help, support, cheer, and encourage you. Take time to give thanks to those special individuals in your life.
Grow by learning from your family. You may not always share the same opinions, beliefs, and philosophies, but you can always learn from those family members who deeply care about you.

So you my #PTCamp PLN family, thank you for this incredible Family Reunion.

My #PTCamp PLN:

                          Sharicca Boldon                                  Lea Ann Johnson

                          Chad Caddell                                       Joe Mazza

                          Peggy Cormeny                                   Ivonne Padilla

                          Vicki Day                                              Julie Pile

                          Geniene Delahunty                            Debbie Olsen

                          Jim Detwiler                                        Jay Posick                             

                          Ben Gilpin                                            Becky Raabe

                          Shari Hardinger                                  Jeff See

                          Anthony Hockey                                 Mary Ann Stewart

                          Sheilah Jefferson-Isaac                     Brenda Vatthauer

                                                                    Joy Wright

I learned so much about Family and Community engagement-involvement-leadership during this conference. It stretched and expanded my “knowledge band”. It enhanced my awareness of how we can take our family and community to greater levels of connectedness within our schools and districts.

So when you get the opportunity to attend a Family Reunion, do not pass on this incredible opportunity. No matter the obstacle or obstacles that are in your way, do what you need to do in order to be part of the Family Reunion experience – It will transform your life. 

Change is hard at first...

Change for change sake is meaningless, wasteful, frustrating, and non-productive. Now change that impacts students, staff, and your school community in a positive manner is exhilarating, celebratory, refreshing, and renewing, and healthy.

So as the school year draws to a close it it’s important to reflect on what worked, what did not work, and what could be tweaked to be even better.

Change… Sometimes we need a new perspective to reflect on our own practices. Then we can determine what facets of our practices need refining. Here are three key areas that are important to consider:

Relationships – Do your students believe that they are important, significant, and able to do the work? Do your students know that you care? They their work is viable and relevant? By first building relationships with your students, you set the foundation for a positive and richly rewarding academic journey. Your students will readily take on more challenging tasks because they know you believe in them and in return, they will believe in themselves.

Rigor- Do you believe that all students can achieve at high levels? If so, what is the barometer reading on the rigor? Are we doing what is best for students? This work receives quite a bit of grief. However, if we do not take time to really consider what is rigorous and what is not rigorous, we may miss the boat completely on helping our students move beyond where they “are” to get to where they “should be”.

Relevance – The work our students are completing in class. How relevant is it to their learning? Have we moved beyond worksheets and coloring? At different junctures in lesson work a worksheet or color element can supplement learning. However these two elements should never take center-stage in the learning process. In looking at the big picture and planning for next year. It is important to determine the true relevance of each facet of the learning process model.

Change does not come easy at first. As a culture and society we are creatures of habit and change does not always sit well with us. So I challenge you to earnestly look at the three Rs (noted above) and determine “Where you are right now”, “Where you want to be (when school starts)”, and “How you plan to get there”.

I plan on taking time this summer to reflect on my school year and to determine what facets, areas, and strategies that need “change” in my own practices.

Resources:

Character.org (formerly Character Education Partnership) is the leading national organization that supports character education in our schools and communities. Their philosophy is based on the 11 Principles of Character Education.  http://character.org/

The International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) is a great resource. The breadth and depth of information relating to Rigor and Relevance will help you in your journey. http://www.leadered.com/

McREL International, which supports their Nine Instructional Strategies research and best practices, is an excellent source for you. McREL work in educational research and practical application will greatly benefit any school or classroom.  http://www.mcrel.org/

The “New” “Old” Lesson Objective

During the traditional Pre-Observation Conference, the question about “What is the lesson objective?” often surfaced. So what is so important about the objective? In looking at backwards design, if we understand what we want the students to learn, take away from, or further develop during a specific classroom lesson, then we can fully develop a lesson that will help the students master the lesson objective. The lesson is much more that your thoughts for the day or a list of activities to accomplish during the class period.  The lesson objective should drive your instruction. It should direct, challenge, and empower your learners.

The McREL instructional strategies are research-based best practices for classroom instruction. This year our school began the year with an intentional focus. We determined that we would focus on the McREL strategy of the “objective”. We knew that by focusing on this key element of the lesson that we could make intentional gains in student understanding of the Learning Standards. We utilized PD time, faculty meetings, plan time meetings, and time during our August Teacher Meetings focusing on this new approach to using objectives in the classroom. Thanks to McREL and Classroom Instruction That Works by Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, and Stone, we have progressed through our journey in transforming our educational practices.

In implementing the lesson objective with Quality, Fidelity, Intensity, and Consistency (QFIC), there are four McREL recommendations. These four components must be included during the instructional facets or phases of the given lesson:

1.      Set learning objectives that are specific, but not restrictive,

2.      Communicate the learning objectives to the students and parents,

3.      Connect the learning objectives to previous and future learning,

4.      Engage students in setting personal learning objectives

In working with our teachers, leadership team, and Classroom Instruction That Works trainer, we were able to see, over the course of this school year, a transformation in how our school prepares, writes, and implements the use of the “new” objective.  Students are now having discussions with partners where they are personalizing the lesson objective and making it relevant to their work during class. From the Physical Education unit on volleyball to the choir lesson where the students analyzed their choir concert performance, or from the English Language Arts lesson on Argumentative Writing, to the Science lesson where students will understand the difference between position, velocity, and acceleration, our students are personalizing their learning and are making deeper connections within each content area of study.

In monitoring our progress, we have well over 55% of our walkthrough observations noting QFIC implementation of the lesson objectives.  The “new” “old” objective has transformed how we think about, consider, write, and implement the lesson objectives in our classroom each and every day. 

So as you evaluate your work with student learning this year, I want to challenge you to revisit the “old” lesson objective and consider looking at the “new” lesson objective!

Why are there Erasers on our Pencils?

Learning and sharing with my professional colleagues is always richly rewarding. This past Saturday #Satchatwc, regularly hosted by @Burgess_Shelley (Shelley Burgess), was moderated by @dayankee (Don Eckert).  The chat focused on School Culture from the Student Perspective. In reflecting on student learning, I posted this quote (see above) during Saturday’s chat.

Today there are times when we obsess over the desire to be correct or right; thereby skipping right over the opportunity to be “wrong” or “fail”. It is this critical misstep where learners (both students and adults) will lose out on opportunities to learn at a greater depth. When growing up I gained experience from my mistakes when learning how to ride my bike, drive a car, and complete projects for school, and learning the ropes in college (undergrad and post graduate work).  Unfortunately, during those times of “failure” I did not see the future benefit from my mistakes. Only today as an adult do I see how I learned from those “teachable moments” growing up.

Things to consider…

·         Promote a Growth Mindset

·         Encourage students to take risks

·         Offer Student Voice and  Choice

·         Use Real World scenarios in student learning

·         Celebrate learning and –relearning

Students also learn when they see us as educators sitting in the proverbial “student desk”. Our students then see us as active learners. Every day each of us continues to learn and grow. Part of learning is making mistakes, experiencing failure (to some degree), and then learning from those rich educational experiences.  Here me out, I am not encouraging you to “promote failure and mistakes”, I am merely noting that we should allow students to learn and grow from mistakes and errors.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the idea of growing from re-dos. Erasing and correcting, and learning from failure. So since we have erasers on our pencils, we should use them!

Iron Sharpens Iron

As individual educators we know our personal professional development needs. Today we are blessed to have access and exposure to a multitude of professional growth opportunities. Social Media has opened doors for us to learn, share, and grow as educators. We now have immediate access to Best Practices that we can comprehend, dissect, discern, then apply. We have our Professional Learning Networks to “bounce” ideas off of, to study alongside, and to cultivate professional friendships.

As a reflective practitioner, I look back on the traditional ways of learning and I see that it was beneficial. I am also reflecting on the way I am acquiring new knowledge today, and I have to admit that I prefer the personalized and immediate format and style of today’s PD.

Just a few ways to sharpen the iron…

EdCamp: The official “Un-Conference, the EdCamp experience will bring hundreds of educators together for a single day event. Where else can you get breakfast, lunch and over a hundred breakout PD sessions in a single day? All for free!

Twitter Chats:  If you have yet to take advantage of the Twitter Chat PD, now is the time to jump in. Chats are informal ways where we can learn and share with like-minded educators. In addition, is it also vital to our learning to dialogue with those who may not hold the same opinion, belief or educational practice.  Here is an extensive chat list compliments of: @Cybraryman1

https://sites.google.com/site/twittereducationchats/education-chat-calendar

Professional Learning Network (PLN):  This network will help expand the breadth and depth of your personalized learning. Join or create a PLN today.

Traditional Conferences: Although some may refute the need for local, state, and national conferences, they (in their own design) can bring a large number of educators together who possess a single focus.   I just returned from attending the Midwest Education Technology Conference (METC). I will be able to take back so much information to my school and district.

Shout Outs are in order for:

·         My Moderating Teams- #MOedchat (ModSquad) and #PTchatModerating team.

·         My Voxer PLNs- MO ModSquad, PTcamp, Leading in the Middle, and PTChat Moderators),   

·         Chats: #MOedchat and #PTchat

·         Midwest Education Technology Conference (METC)  

As “Iron sharpens Iron one man sharpens another” so we must continue to move forward on our journey and continue with the vital responsibility to “sharpen each other”. Make it a great day or not, the choice is up to you!