Communication between an education institution and parents is of prime importance. That is why the administration should have a number of mandatory parent meeting letter examples that are suitable for different situations. Communicating with parents makes them feel part and parcel of the development process of their children. It keeps them abreast with activities their children are involved in as well as informing them about ways they can enhance the learning process of their kids.
In addition, having parents on board makes children feel at ease knowing their parents are concerned about their well being. It also helps parents know how they can assist their children. Teachers tend to put a lot of emphasis in molding children whose parents are concerned about the progress they are making.
Situations That Call for Parent-Teacher Gatherings
Parents receive invitations to a number of events in the school such as, but not limited to:
Orientation for new students- freshmen require orientation to get accustomed to high school life. Parents get the opportunity to learn about the transition, what they should expect from the institute and even the schedule of education.
Student progress assessment-parents get a chance to discus their children's performance with the teachers concerned. It serves as a clinic to analyze progress and find solutions to problems affecting students.
To agree on the way forward about development, changes or projects being undertaken by the school. They can also schedule a fundraising.
To inform parents about the children's co-curricular activities such as when preparing to form school sports teams.
To find solutions for problems affecting children such as drug abuse and bullying or other social problems that could affect the child's performance.
The message sent to parents informing them about forthcoming meetings must have a number of vital elements such as the date, venue and purpose of the gathering. The comprehension must be easy to read and understand given that parents have varying education backgrounds. It should also indicate the source, a person in authority such as the school principal. In some cases, it might be written by the teacher concerned with the gathering, but it should still indicate that the school's authority is aware.
Ways to Make the Communique Fulfill Its Intended Purpose
Indicate that every parent must attend to avoid misinterpretations. The word mandatory should be in the content. If permissible, indicate other ways of getting in touch such as through the phone to cater for parents who might not be available for a physical gathering. However, this depends on the purpose, and whether it's a joint gathering for all parents or it is an individual event.
Provide timing options that parents can select from. For instance, have a number of meetings being held on the same day, at different hours, or on different days to accommodate different schedules.
Outline the purpose of the gathering. Indicate what parents should expect and the duration the gathering should take. You can give a breakdown of topics for the day or give a brief description of the agenda. Have a timetable of activities and who is responsible for them. For instance, if the gathering hopes to address membership to the school's sports team, list the name of the coach or member of staff who is to make the presentation.
It should have a formal layout and be brief and straight to the point. It is wise to avoid mixing issues in the same communicate:.
Avoid negative information. This is because most parents have the notion that schools can never be bearers of good news.
It helps to have samples of professionally written letters to act as guidance in this process. Mandatory parent meeting letter examples provide a guideline about the layout needed for this task. However, the information therein differs depending with the purpose. For instance, a call for parents to discuss poor performance is not the same as one intended to help the school fund-raise for its sports team.
At times, the authority indicates repercussions of failing to attend the gathering. For example, if parents are expected to gather and during a selection for the football team, the school's authority can indicate that parents who fail to show up risk having their children omitted from the team.