From Your Principal

Dear Parents,
Next week we begin parent/teacher conferences and we’re aiming for 100% participation. Teachers spend a great amount of time reassessing students and gathering work samples in preparation for your conference. This is all done to provide you, the parent, with an accurate picture of your child’s current performance level and appropriate next steps. Teachers will also be sharing “Student Learning Plans” with you if your child did not show proficiency on a section of the WASL, or is not at standard for reading in 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade. These plans will help specify additional interventions that the school and the parent will implement to move the student toward proficiency.
It is important that prior to the conference you also think about special questions or concerns you may have. The following 6 tips may help you to prepare for this conference:

1. Write down questions to ask your child’s teacher
(Class expectations? Behavior? etc.)

2. Address concerns and comments with an open mind.
Voice your opinion, but also listen to suggestions!

3. Be on time! Conferences are scheduled tightly together.
You don’t want to miss this valuable opportunity to support your child.

4. Ask for help! Your child’s teacher may have some great resources or ideas of how you can support what is happening in the classroom.

5. Relax! When everyone works together, the parent/teacher conference is a positive experience focused on improving student achievement.

We hope that you find this experience beneficial and supportive of your child’s needs. So if you haven’t yet signed up for a conference time with your child’s teacher, please do so as soon as possible.

By Newsletter in From the Principal on November 13, 2008