We're All in This Together Part II: Parent Edition

Today I would like to take time to reflect upon the importance of parental involvement in school.  Keeping parents updated and involved is a great way to motivate students and keep them on track.  They say it takes a village, and it is true.  When parents, staff, and teachers come together amazing things can happen for our students.  It makes me think about how lucky I was to have supportive parents who were actively involved in my education.  This is supported by:

TPE 1: Engaging and Supporting All Students in Learning

#2 Maintain ongoing communication with students and families, including the use of technology to communicate with and support students and families, and to communicate achievement expectations and student progress.

This TPE element is key, because parental support is a major factor in student success.  We must also remember that parents are busy so we need to do everything we can to make it easier for them to keep updated and involved.  A great tool we have today is technology.  Communication can occurs quickly, and parents have more resources to stay informed on what is happening in the classroom.  Websites like google classroom and ebooks can help parents keep up with lessons, while sites like Powerschool, can keep them updated on performance.  I need to keep these updated as well as take time out of my busy days to reach out to parents with e-mails, letters, and phone calls.

The following is an example of a parent letter I send out at the beginning of the school year.  It outlines who I am, my goals for their students, and resources that are available to them.  In the real letter, it would also include contact information and various ways they can reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

Parent Letter:

Dear Integrated Math II Parents,

My Name is Mr Lim.  I will be your student’s math teacher this year.  I am excited to teach your student about the fun and exciting world of Math as well as get to know you over the course of the year.  I would like to first introduce myself. I graduated from UCSD and have worked with kids for over ten years in educational setting such as after school programs, the SeaWorld Education Department, and of course, as a classroom teacher.  Your student may have already told you about the décor of the room, but if they haven’t yet, I am a huge geek. I love comic books as superheroes.

The theme of the room is Math Superheroes.  Around the room I have posters of superheroes explaining how they use math.  I also have a wall of real life superheroes, individuals such as Stephen Hawking and Marjorie Lee Brown who have made tremendous contributions to math and science.  My goal is to show our students that math is used in the real world. Math is the language of the universe and it affects our everyday lives whether we realize it or not.

This year will be an exciting one as we embark on a new curriculum, College Prep Math or CPM.  This curriculum is very different from the typical math class. It focuses on student collaboration and guided inquiry that will allow students to discover mathematical concepts themselves.  I understand that this is a new way of doing things, and a parent guide is available upon request. Feel free to contact me at any time with any questions you may have. You can also help your student by asking them to talk about the highlights of their day.  Keep in mind that one of the core beliefs of CPM is mastery over time. They may not be able to fully articulate what they have learned in the first lesson, but they can certainly talk about what they discovered or found interesting that day.

I would also like to invite you to access online resources such as Powerschool.  Your student’s grade will be updated each week, usually on Mondays. I encourage you to use this resource to monitor your student’s progress throughout the year.  If you would like to see what they have learned, they have each been given interactive notebooks. These notebooks will be updated most days with what they are working on.

Allow me to take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done so far, and what you will do in the coming year to support your student!  I am always available for questions or concerns ad would love to hear from you. I look forward to an incredible year!

Sincerely,

Mr. Lim

Integrated Math II teacher