Building Bridges Between Home and School Library : What's New - Newest Additions To Our Handpicked Articles and Teacher Resources

11 New Links:

Communication Between Teachers And Parents 9 Reasons to Communicate Frequently with Parents - by Steve Reifman
Nine reasons to work on improving communication between schools and parents. One of the most interesting is that students behave DIFFERENTLY when they know there is good communication between school staff and their parents! new (Views So Far 69 )

What Message Are We Sending With Our First Contact With Parents? | Connected Principals - by Chris Wejr
When you meet a parent for the first time, what tone are you creating? First contact is one of the most important times in establishing a relationship between home and school, and sometimes it's easy to forget that you need to take special care to create rapport and draw parents in. new (Views So Far 57 )

The Wejr Board - Parent Communication: TO vs WITH - by Chris Wejr
We need to be clear of the difference between communicating TO families and communicating WITH families. There is a purpose for both but we need to be very clear that TO and WITH serve different needs for our families. Communicating TO families is a way of broadcasting information while communicating WITH families is a way of exchanging in dialogue. new (Views So Far 115 )

Share Who You Are, Let People In And Trust Grows - by Chris Wejr
How do you build trust? In this post, you'll find a simple, yet powerful idea -- that sharing WHO you are, and not just relating via your role as teacher or principal, is a powerful way to build rapport and trust. new (Views So Far 70 )

Parent Engagement - Multiple Methods To Meet Parents Where They Are - by Chris Wejr
Account of how one school reaches out using various methods, both social media based and not, to improve parent engagement. new (Views So Far 71 )

Principals Connecting With Parents Principal's Map For Parent Involvement - by Sheila Stewart
Must read for school principals on their roles for improving parental involvement in their schools. Key point: Principals need to find ways to communicate with parents that fits the specific community. new (Views So Far 69 )

3 Poor Principal Assumptions On "Being Connected" - by Joe Mazza
A little over 5 years ago, I arrived at Knapp Elementary School as a brand new 29 year-old principal. The leader I replaced was very active in the community and had spent much of his career at the school. There was a certain culture that I was entering, and understanding and adapting to this was my first task as principal. Reflecting back, I can now see some glaring blindspots I missed during those first couple of years. The biggest "swing and misses" I took during those early days were following through on assumptions "I thought" were good for my learning community new (Views So Far 56 )

What Parents Want From Principals (and Teachers) - by Jane Lindle
PDF short article based on some research about what parents want: Is this a surprise? They want the personal touch, the human contact. new (Views So Far 50 )

More Principals E-Mailing Parents - by EdWorld
Chronicles principals using email more and more to contact parents. Unfortunately, while it's great for some things, it's not good for emotionally charged communication so be careful on this one. new (Views So Far 59 )

The Principal File: Dealing With Angry Parents - by na
Over the years, Education World's "Principal Files" team of principals has tackled a wide variety of issues. They always provide practical tips for sticky situations. This month is no exception, as they tackle what to do when confronted by angry parents. Included: Tips for calming upset parents and solving problems new (Views So Far 82 )

Teacher Safety Principals want CCTV cameras for all schools to deter abusive parents - by Benjamin Preiss
An Education Department spokesman said the government was developing more training and support for principals when they faced aggressive behaviour. ''While schools, in consultation with their school communities, make their own decisions regarding the installation of security measures, they must adhere to strict privacy regulations when using additional security measures such as CCTV,'' he said. "A handful of schools have chosen to install cameras in foyers to deter aggressive behaviour from parents and visitors. Schools are responsible for this funding." One western suburbs school principal, who declined to be named, said he had faced regular threats and abusive behaviour during his career. ''At the end of the day there isn't a lot of protection for you,'' he said. Cameras might provide some protection to principals and staff from parents who lost their tempers, he said. ''When they're abusing you there's not much you can do. You're in a no-win situation.'' new (Views So Far 65 )