Communicating With Your Child's School
These tips will help you get
in touch with the right contacts at your child's school.
Knowing who
does what in your child's school--and figuring out the best ways to communicate
with school staff--can help you to be effective in supporting your child's
success.
It used to be that parents
called the school secretary or PTA president for basic information about what
was going on at the school. While the school secretary still provides important
information, many schools now have additional ways of communicating with
parents.
For instance, a growing
number of schools are using technology, including Web sites, voice mail systems
and email to provide parents with information on upcoming school events,
testing dates, school policies, and academic programs and more. An increasing
number of teachers also email information to parents regarding homework assignments,
field trip notices and class projects. At the elementary and middle school
levels, many schools send home with students a weekly newsletter containing a
full list of things going on at the school. At the high school level, the PTA
often takes on the task of communicating with the parents.
Sometimes you'll want to
talk to the school to address problems or express concerns. A good rule of
thumb is to begin by communicating with the person closest to your concern. For
instance, if your child does not seem to have homework, it makes sense to ask
the teacher for an explanation. If you don't get an adequate response, try
contacting the principal.
Sometimes you may want to
call someone at the school about a highly emotional issue, such as a conflict
your child may be having with another child. As a general rule, avoid calling
when angry; always allow yourself a "cooling off" period before
addressing a potentially divisive issue unless it's an emergency. And remember
that no matter how the situation may feel, school personnel do want to work
with parents to resolve problems for students.
Key Contact Information
At the start of each school
year, gather the information in the list below; keep it on hand so that when
issues arise you can go straight to the right person. Some of the information
below can be found on a school's GreatSchools.net profile; other details you
can learn by contacting the school itself.
