Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

During this season of good will, I think it appropriate to share some thoughts and suggestions on how to build positive relationships with your students' families.  Parents and guardians are a source of support and reinforcement for everything we do at school.  They are interested in knowing what is going on at school, how their child is doing, and what they can do to help.  

Here are few tips that might help you:

*Use notes, phone calls, postcards, in-school conferences, meetings, or home visits to establish communication between your classroom and home.  This is something you should do as the school year begins.  Your first communications should always be positive.  It is a great way to begin the school year on a positive note.  If you have not been using such strategies, there is no time like the present to begin!   

Note of caution:  Texting, while very popular, is a murky area in the arena of educational communication and should be avoided unless clear parameters are established for the purpose of the communication with parents or students.

*Set up and maintain a teacher website (access provided by the district)  This is the perfect place to share information with students and their families about your classroom, curriculum, and expectations.  If you have not set up a website, you can contact Shawn Mahoney and he will be happy to assist you.

*Maintain regular positive contact.  You can even make positive "surprise" contact.  For example, an unanticipated positive phone call or note home about something special that happened or something positive you noticed about a child's work is always a welcomed event.

*Proofread all correspondences that go home or, better yet, have someone else check for spelling, punctuation, grammatical and even format errors.  Make sure your communication with parents reflects your care and professionalism.

*Begin and end all meetings on time.  It is important to be respectful of other's time.

*When talking with parents, educators need to remember we have specialize knowledge and a long list of programs such as NCLB, PBL, ISTEP that parents may be unfamiliar with so.....  It is important to remember to eliminate as much of the "jargon" as we can when sharing information with parents. 

Sometimes we must be the bearer of a difficult message.  When this happens, perhaps these suggestions will be helpful:

*If a student is experiencing difficulty with work or behavior, get in touch with parents right away.  We often put off or avoid contact because we are unsure how to handle the situation.  Don't put yourself in the embarrassing position of having to explain why you didn't contact the parents until the problem became an issue that affected the student's grades, progress, or placement.  If you need help or guidance to address a situation, your building principals or other teachers are ready to provide support. 

*When communicating with parents about an incident, be careful to avoid suggesting that the situation is the "parent's problem" or indicating you "don't have time to...".  It is our job to work with and address issues concerning our students.  If you've been maintaining positive contact with parents all along, you'll most likely find parents to be supportive.

*If you are confronted with an angry parent, above all maintain your composure.  Use de escalation techniques, talk soflty, and encourage the parent to talk about concerns and listen to them.  It is very difficult, at times, to remain calm and avoid becoming defensive.  In these situations you need to acknowledge the parent's anger and hear what they have to say.  If you feel threatened, call for another teacher, administrator, or support staff.  Move into a common area or make your way to the office.  We always have the option to call such a meeting at an end and reschedule for another time when clearer heads may prevail.  

Documentation: 

In our day and age, documentation is so important.  For the various contacts you make with parents/guardians, you should make note of the date, purpose/topic of the interaction, parent response and result.  Sometimes you will want to follow-up and your notes on previous interactions will be very helpful.

To summarize, the best way you can build positive relationships with families is to keep lines of communication open.  The clarity and frequency of our contact with families is so important and will make a difference in the quality of the Seymour educational experience.  

Comment for this month's blog were adapted from:  
The Win-Win Classroom by Jane Bluestein, Ph.D.

Field Trips

This month I'd like to say a few words about field trips and transportation requests.

Seymour Community School Corporation has a form that must be filled out and turned in two weeks prior to a field trip.  The form will require you to provide information on the location, time of departure, supervisors, applicable standards, purpose of the trip, number going, time of return, and distance.  The form also requires your building principal's signature.

It is very important for staff to plan ahead.  The requirement to have the form turned in two weeks prior is necessary to make all of the arrangements for the trip.  (There are no restrictions on how early you can turn in a form.)  Once your principal signs the form it is sent to me.  I verify and forward it on to Mr. Fosbrink, Director of Transportation for Seymour Community Schools.  I scan the forms and provide a copy to all those listed on the form once I have approved it.

If you have a trip that is out of state, this trip must be submitted to the school board for approval.  This means in addition to the two week window, you would need to plan to meet the requirements for board submission.  Our school board of trustees meet the second Tuesday of each month.  If you are thinking about a trip out of state, please speak with your building principal for guidance.

Our transportation department requires teachers to present the driver with a list of students and contact numbers before the bus will leave the parking lot.  This is for safety so plan to have this ready for your trip.

Field trips usually involve volunteers to help supervise.  Keep in mind that volunteers need to have a clear background check before they are permitted to participate.  Some of our schools have developed guidelines for field trip volunteers.  These guidelines would cover souvenir protocols, supervision expectations, lunch meeting places, dress, and other such information.  These are wonderful communication tools that help you clarify expectations and share specific information to make each field trip a successful and safe event.  If your school does not have such a document, I suggest you develop one for use on your trips.  If you are creating one, share it with your building principal for tips and ideas to enhance communication.

Being prepared helps any event run smoothly.  Most field trips involve lunch and drink organization, permission slips,  and notices to parents.   When I took students on trips I made sure to carry various items that would help me meet the needs of students.  Items such as a few first aide items, latex gloves for cleaning up scraped knees, and a clip board with information on the pairings of volunteers with students.  I also kept a copy of the contact information with me.

Usually, you take a trip with other classes.   Take advantage of the opportunity to collaborate with others.

I will leave you with just a few additional tips:

*Be mindful of your time.  The buses you are on for your trip will be required for regular routes.  It is important to leave and arrive back at school on time.
*Be sure to cover restroom protocols with volunteers.  It is important to keep track of students at all times.
*Confidentiality applies to field trips.  Be mindful of picture taking and recording of the event.  Be mindful of potential facebook or other internet posts that could occur.  It is a good idea to set expectations up front.
*Be aware and prepared for medical needs or medications that will require administration during a field trip.

If you have questions or would like additional information, you can contact any administrator for assistance.

SDA and Curriculum Mapping

SDA is a data warehouse.  Staff members can find all of the testing results for students housed in this one location.  (ISTEP+, mClass, STAR....)  It is also the the host for our curriculum mapping software.

Let's talk about the curriculum piece.

Seymour Community School Corporation believes that the number one factor impacting student achievement is the teacher in the classroom.  Running a very close second is a guaranteed and viable curriculum.

Seymour is working tirelessly to address articulation of the curriculum K-12.  You are now a part of this effort.  It will help you to be familiar with some of the vocabulary we use associated with this effort.

Types of Maps

Diary Maps:  Diary maps provide teachers with a record of what they taught during a given time period.  The mapping process enables teachers to reflect on what they taught and how it was taught.  Diary maps represent what is really happening in your classroom.

Consensus Maps:  The Latin root work for consensus is con cen tre which means acknowledgement of common truths.  A consensus map reflects the content agreed on by a professional staff and targets those specific areas in each discipline and across disciplines that are to be addressed with consistency in our district.

Seymour Community School Corporation is looking for an 80% guaranteed curriculum.  The additional 20% is left up to the individual teachers.   This permits a degree of autonomy and is that piece that makes your class, your class.

To get started on your maps, first you must log into the system.  You do this by going to our main page at www.scsc.k12.in.us.  Under faculty you will see a link to SDA.  Click there and log in using the username and password you use to log on your computer each day.   This is an important step to initiate the connection to your SDA account.

To understand how to use the mapping software, there are training videos on O.W.L. Vision.   You can locate O.W.L. Vision at http://www.youtube.com/user/Gr80wl    There are two videos there that are dedicated to explaining how to map your curriculum.

If you have questions or need assistance, you can give me a call or send an email.

I wanted to use this month's post to share some advice on using email.  Whether you are a brand new teacher or a seasoned veteran, we can all use a little email etiquette guidance from time to time.  Think of me as your own Miss Manners...

1. Be informal, not sloppy. Your colleagues may use commonly accepted abbreviations in e-mail, but when communicating with parents or community members, everyone should follow standard writing protocol. Your e-mail message reflects upon you and our school corporation, so traditional spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules apply.
2. Keep messages brief and to the point. Just because your writing is grammatically correct does not mean that it has to be long. Nothing is more frustrating than wading through an e-mail message that is twice as long as necessary. Concentrate on one subject per message whenever possible.
3. Use sentence case. USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS LOOKS AS IF YOU'RE SHOUTING. Using all lowercase letters looks lazy. For emphasis, use asterisks or bold formatting to emphasize important words. Do not, however, overuse such devices.  After a while it loses its effect.
4. Use the blind copy and courtesy copy appropriately. Don't use Blind Copying to keep others from seeing who you copied; it shows confidence when you directly CC anyone receiving a copy.  Be cautious with your use of CC; overuse simply clutters in boxes. Copy only people who are directly involved.
5. Don't use e-mail as an excuse to avoid personal contact. Don't forget the value of face-to-face or even voice-to-voice communication. E-mail communication isn't appropriate when sending confusing or emotional messages.   If you are upset about something and on the verge of sending a lengthy, emotional email, have a friend read it first.  Often such emails only add another layer to the problem.  Email statements can be taken out of context.  Emails do not permit you to read the body language of the sender so you can often misinterpret the intention of the email.  If you have a problem with someone, speak with that person directly.  Because email can seem so informal, many people fall into this trap.  Always remember that email is forever!
6. Remember that e-mail isn't private. Employees can be fired for using e-mail inappropriately. E-mail is considered Seymour Community School Corporation's property and can be retrieved, examined, and used in a court of law. You should assume that e-mail over the Internet is not secure. Never put in an e-mail message anything that you wouldn't put on a postcard. Remember that e-mail can be forwarded, so unintended audiences may see what you've written. You might also inadvertently send something to the wrong party, so always keep the content professional to avoid embarrassment.  There are times you will need to share information about a student with a colleague.  When communicating about a student, we suggest you use initials or Student One/Student Two.   Remember any comment you make about a student or parent in an email is fair game in a court of law. 
7. Be sparing with group e-mail. Send group e-mail only when it's useful to every recipient. Use the "reply all" button only when compiling results requiring collective input and only if you have something to add. Recipients get quite annoyed to open an e-mail that says only "Me too!"  
8. Use the subject field to indicate content and purpose. Don't just say, "Hi!" or "From Laura." Use this line to identify the purpose of the email.  It could be helpful in searching for the email at a later date. 
9. Don't send chain letters, virus warnings, or junk mail.  It is the advice of Seymour Community School Corporation's Technology department to avoid opening any email that you do not recognize the sender.   In addition, do not click on attachments from senders you do not know, these often carry a virus that can impact our systems.   In addition, we suggest that you direct personal e-mail to your home e-mail account.
10. Remember that your tone can't be heard in e-mail. Have you ever attempted sarcasm in an e-mail, and the recipient took it the wrong way? E-mail communication can't convey the nuances of verbal communication.  Also, don't assume that using a smiley :)  will diffuse a difficult message.
11. Use a signature that includes contact information. To ensure that people know who you are, include a signature that has your contact information, including your mailing address, position, and phone numbers.
12. Picture Attachments.  Be aware that attaching pictures to an email and then sending it out to all employees will impact the entire email system.  Pictures and videos eat up space on our server.  If you have picture/video you'd like everyone to see or a notice for everyone, such as, an item for sale, you can contact Shawn Mahoney.  We have an area on our staff website for this purpose.

The last thing I would share about email, is remember to delete.  You should delete or archive emails that are not immediately relevant to your work.  This keeps our system working efficiently.  Remember to watch not only your mailbox but also your sent items.  If you find your system seems bogged down, take a look at the number of emails in these areas.  You may need to do some house cleaning!  If you need help in learning how to archive, please contact Mr. Mahoney.    

Quote:  

I'm a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they're interested in.

Bill Gates 

Some suggestions taken from the following website:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/12-tips-for-better-e-mail-etiquette-HA001205410.aspx

Congratulations! You have your first full week under your belt. 

Over the course of this first week, it was great to see many of you in your classrooms working with students. You will see me from time to time.  Visiting classrooms helps me keep my finger on the pulse of teaching and learning in our buildings.  

I wanted to provide you with some information about our next induction meeting.  This meeting is scheduled for August 29 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm at Central Office.  We will have several important presenters at our meeting.  Please review this brief summary so you will be prepared for the meeting.

1)  Mr. Rodman:  He will be taking your questions on STI, our student management system.  If you have questions about entering grades, student information, or other topics related to STI, please start posting them to this blog.  Having your questions in advance will ensure we have the answers you need.

2)  Mr. Mahoney:  He will be sharing information with you about a program we have called PD Express.  PD Express is a program that you can use to sign-up, track, and store professional development opportunities.   He can also assist you with any questions you might have about your teacher website.

3)  Mr. Klakamp:  He works with Federal Programs such as Title 1, Title II, A, Title III, and the NESP Grant.  Mr. Klakamp is also in charge of State Reporting.  He will be providing information to you about these programs and any opportunities they provide.

4)  Officer Williams:  He is our School Resource Officer (SRO).  He will conduct an Active Shooter Training for our new staff at this meeting.  In addition, you will learn about general safety measures in place at Seymour Community Schools. 

5)  I will be sharing information with you about Response to Instruction (RTI) and grant application protocols for our district.

Again, please post any questions you may have for any of the listed topics to this blog.  If we know in advance, we will make sure you have the answers you need!

Additional Guests:  In addition to our original group of induction participants, we have invited staff hired during the 2012-13 school year since we did not have an induction program beyond the first day activities in place at the time of their hire.

As you can see, each meeting we are providing essential information for new staff members so we expect your attendance at these meetings.  If you are unable to attend for some reason, please contact me.

Thanks!

Lisa Ferguson, Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Welcome 

to 

Seymour Community School Corporation!   

Your blood runs purple as of today!  "OWL" be the first to say, we were hootin' and hollerin' when we heard you were going to join our team!  We are looking forward to a great year!

We will be using this blog over the course of the school year to communicate and support each other.  It provides our new friends with a way to ask questions, give advice, or share resource information with others.  Through this two-way professional dialog, we can stay connected between our induction meetings.

I look forward to learning about you and your classroom.

Today....August 5, 2013, We would like for you to introduce yourself.
Please type your name, school, and grade/content followed by two statements.  One statement is true, one is false. We will see if we can determine which one is which!!   I'll start:

Lisa Ferguson, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Grades K-12
1)  I was a model on the QVC Shopping Channel.  Look out Project Runway!
2)  I Love to eat fresh green vegetables!  Yum!