FROM THE VOLUSIA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
Remember, parents and teachers are on the same
team so the better they understand each other the
greater the likelihood the children will benefit. Without
question, anything which is occurring at home, that
could be having an impact on a child at school, needs
to be communicated to the student’s teacher.
Even if a student’s report card is satisfactory, I
recommend parents request a teacher conference.
Parents and teachers need to know each other and
establish clear lines of communication before there
is reason for alarm. Parents/guardians, who cannot
attend a conference should schedule a time certain for
a teacher telephone conference. FaceTime and Skype
are other personal ways for teachers and parents to
communicate.
F
all is my favorite time of year. Football is here,
festivals are coming, and cooler weather is on
the way. The first quarter of the school year ends on
October 11.
Indeed, fall has many faces. While the fall season is
full of fun, as a former principal, I know this is also a
very serious time of year for students and parents. By
now parents have received their child’s progress report
and report cards are on the way. These reports are the
first indications of how well students are performing
in all subjects and whether they are behaving
appropriately and attending classes on time. If your
child’s report showed areas of concern, make an
appointment to meet with your child’s teacher or at the
very least have a telephone conversation.
The value of a teacher conference cannot be over
emphasized. Parents should make every effort to know
the human beings who are with their children seven
hours every day. Teachers benefit from learning about
parents’ schedules, the history of the student, and other
events happening which could have effects on the
child’s performance.
One last thing about communication. Emailing and
texting are fine for simple yes or no questions or just
asking or responding with a factual answer, such as;
What time is Open House? Keep email and texts short
and simple. Any topic which requires an explanation
should be addressed by two-way communication
in person, by telephone, FaceTime, or Skype.
Misinterpretation is common with email and text
messages, which often makes a small issue a bigger
one.
So... get engaged with your school and make this
fall season fantastic! Participate and volunteer in
fall festivals, Halloween carnivals, PTA activities,
sporting events, homecoming, and other activities.
Trust me, teachers and principals love parents who are
supporting their schools. Enjoy the many happy faces
of fall.
CARL PERSIS
CHAIR, VOLUSIA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
VIS IT U S ONLI NE AT WWW.PARE NTM AGAZINE FLORIDA .COM
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