Communicating with Parents
I begin the year by giving parents a monthly newsletter at the beginning of the year (see an example below.) In addition, I make an effort to reach out to to each parent with a positive phone call with in the first two weeks of school. I find this makes communication later in the year go more smoothly plus it gives them a chance to give me any necessary information I may not have about their child. For daily communication I send home a folder with each student.
Class Dojo - Another communication/classroom management tool I plan to implement in my class is Class Dojo. My mentor teacher recently showed it to me and I was impressed. It is helpful because you can reward students with Dojo Dollars for good behavior and sharing information, announcements, and personal messages with parents is easy. I like the fact that parents can send me and other parents personal messages, just like a text, without needing personal phone numbers. My favorite part, I can easily send last minute reminders to the whole class. When I was teaching I would often find myself wishing I had sent home a note. Now even if I remember last minute, I can send a message to everyone and they receive it on their phones. "Just a reminder all you Bobcats. Tomorrow is School Spirit Day. So remember to wear your blue, green, and silver."