The Star Room Newsletter

Monthly Feature: Welcome to School!

By Miss Dara

Welcome to the start of a new school

working with you in the coming

year! I want to take this time to

months!

welcome all of the new and returning

families to class. I look forward to

Communication

Parent Involvement: When parents and guardians are involved in their childrens
education children academic performance, behavior,
and self-esteem are all greatly improved.
Unfortunately it can be hard to find time in a busy
schedule to touch base with teachers frequently.
Please let me know what method of communication
works best for you, and I will work to accommodate
your needs.
Methods of Communication: There are two kinds on communication: One way
communication, that does not require any kind of response; and two way
communication, where we exchange information and address any concerns that
may arise. One way communication from me will consist of newsletters like this
and notes about upcoming events. I want to focus on open two way communication
in the form of conferences, phone conversations, and email exchanges. Again,
please let me know what method works best for your lifestyle, and I will do my
best to work around your schedule and needs.
Contacting Me

I want to end this newsletter by providing my contact information for your records.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I know this is going
to be a great year!
Classroom Phone: (123) 123-4567
Message Phone: (123) 234-5678
Email: teacher@example.com
1. Target Audience: The target audience of this, or any, classroom newsletter would be the
parents, guardians, or pertinent family members of a child in my class.
Frequency of Use: I would write a newsletter like this once a month to keep families informed on
what their children are learning and any classroom or community events that might be of interest
to the families in my class.

Adaptations/Accommodations: In addition to English, I would provide the newsletter in other

languages to accommodate non-English or limited-English speaking families, enlisting the help
of others as needed to provide translations. For non-readers or visually impaired guardians,
[a]udio messages may be appropriate to communicate with parents who have reduced literacy
levels (Graham-Clay. p. 10).
2.
I concentrated on two way communication because it is important to get to know the
parents of the children in your program individually. The best way to avoid misunderstandings
with parents is to have ongoing, clear lines of communication from the beginning (Mariconda).
Knowing as much about a childs family as they will let you know better allows you to meet the
needs of the child and the family. Effective dialogue develops out of a growing trust, a
mutuality of concern, and an appreciation of contrasting perspectives (Graham-Clay. p. 4).
Teachers often wait to contact parents when a problem arises. If no relationship has been built
between parent and teacher, the parent is likely to feel uncomfortable with the teacher saying
there is a problem. Teachers should initiate contact as soon as they know which students will be
in their classroom for the school year ("Building parent-teacher relationships," ).
I think two way communication in a format that is convenient for both the parent and
teacher, whether through email, phone conversations, or private conferences, is the most
appropriate way to communicate through-out the year. While a class newsletter is a great way to
communicate general goings on in the classroom, unless arrangements have been made with the
family, letters home about problems (academic or behavioral) seem inappropriate, as they make
the teacher seem unapproachable. The manner in which schools communicate and interact with
parents affects the extent and quality of parents' home involvement with their children's learning
(reading). It is also important to remember the need to talk to parents about the wonderful things
their children are doing in the classroom. Love (1996) advocates the use of good news calls to

recognize the child for progress or a job well done as a way of promoting positive relations with
parents (Graham-Clay. p. 4).

References:
Graham-Clay, S. (n.d.). Communicating with parents: Strategies for teachers. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ794819.pdf
Mariconda, B. (n.d.). Five keys to successful parent-teacher communication. Retrieved from
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/five-keys-successful-parent-teachercommunication
Building parent-teacher relationships. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/19308/