The School Communication Policy
Communication is a key component to having a fantastic year and excellent staff. It is essential that administrators, teachers, parents, staff, and students have a clear line of communication. This is a sample of a school communication policy that will assist in keeping clear communication lines with the entire school community.
Communication Tips
No matter who you are talking with-students, parents, teachers, or the principal-it helps to be courteous, professional, and well prepared. Written communications should always be proofread and written or typed neatly.
How Teachers will Communicate with Parents and Guardians
Written Form
” All teachers (except in the case of Circulars ) who wish to send any student home with a form of letter must introduce himself in such letter, highlighting the class, contact information.
” All letters or notes to parents should be proofread by at least two other teaching staff and countersigned by the Vice Principal Academics before the note is sent.
” After the letters have been proofread by two teachers, they need to be turned into the principal for final approval before being countersigned.
” A copy needs to be made and put in that student’s file of each letter or note sent home to that student’s parents.
” All written communication should be professional, courteous, and have contact information to get back in touch with the teacher.
” Avoid the use of jargon.
” If the letter/note is handwritten, make sure that it is legible. If it is typed, make sure that it is at least standard 12-point font.
Electronic Form (SMS)
” Copies should be printed and filed of any correspondence via electronic form.
” Make sure that all text/graphics are large enough to be seen or read.
” Avoid the use of jargon.
” Be sure to run spell/grammar check on any electronic communications.
” Only use electronic communications with parents who have expressed that it is the way they prefer to be contacted.
Calls to Parents
” Be polite and courteous.
” Before you make the call, write down everything you need to communicate with that parent. Be organized with your thoughts.
” Keep a phone log. Record the date, time, and reason for calling that parent.
” Be direct and mindful of the parent’s time.
” If the parent is unable to talk to you at that time, politely ask when would be a good time to call them again.
” If you receive a voice mail; identify who you are, what you are calling about, and leave information for them to return your phone call.
Parent-Teacher Meetings
” Dress professionally.
” Create a comfortable atmosphere. Don’t place a formal teacher’s desk between yourself and the parents. Use the same type of chair.
” Be prepared! Have your agenda ready. Have materials available that show the good and/or bad of the student.
” Always start the conference out with something positive.
” Be attentive and listen.
” Never talk about other students or teachers.
” Avoid the use of jargon.
” End the conference with something positive.
” Let them know that you care about their child.
” If the situation becomes difficult, call senior officers for assistance immediately.
” Keep a conference journal. Record the date, time, reason, and key points discussed in the conference.
Miscellaneous
” Progress reports from each teacher need to go out once monthly.
” Each teacher should send four positive personal notes, make four positive phone calls, or a combination of both per week rotating through their roster for students that are performing below average. All parents need to receive positive information regarding their child at least two times per nine weeks.
” All correspondence with parents should be documented. Keep a file on hand for each student in your roster.
” Do not discuss other students or teachers with parents. Be professionally mindful.
” Develop a positive relationship with parents. Try to gain their trust and let them know that you have their child’s best interest in mind at all times.
” Always avoid the use of jargon. Use language that will make the parents feel comfortable and at ease. Keep it simple!
Communications within the School Community
Principal to Teacher
” We will have weekly staff meetings to go over relevant information and discuss events happening within our school. The meetings will be every Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. We will have them in the cafeteria. These meetings are mandatory!
” The Vice Principal academics will be placing grant information, classroom activities and ideas, and other information in your boxes as it becomes available.
” The Principal is a hands-on principal. I think it is necessary for me to know what my teachers are doing in their classrooms. I will be visiting your classrooms several times per week.
” I would like to have one-on-one meetings with every teacher at least two times per te weeks. I will use these meetings as an opportunity to see how you are doing, see if you have any needs, and to listen to ideas that you might have.
Teacher to Principal
” I have an open-door policy. Feel free to come to my office and discuss issues with me whenever you need it. I am always happy to answer questions, make suggestions, and listen to my teachers.
” If an issue or problem comes up after school. Please feel free to call me at home. I will do my best to address your needs as quickly and conveniently as possible.
Communications With Substitute Teachers
” If you know that you are going to be absent, please let the secretary know as soon as possible.
” If an emergency happens after school hours, please call the secretary or principal at home as soon as possible.
” You must fill out an absentee request form if you know you are going to be absent. If it is an emergency situation, then you must feel one out as soon as you return to school.
Preparation and Materials for Substitutes: All teachers need to put a substitute packet together. The packet needs to be on file in the office. Be sure that you keep the packet up-to-date. The packet should include the following items:
” three days of updated emergency lesson plans
” enough copies of all worksheets for all students
” class schedule
” seating charts
” class roles
” attendance slips
” class rules
” student discipline policy
” contact teacher information
” miscellaneous information
” If you know that you are going to be absent and are capable of putting current lesson plans together, please turn them into the office to give to the substitute. Make sure that they are detailed, easy to follow, and state specifically what and when you want the substitute to do. Use the substitute lesson plan forms available in the office.
” If you are including worksheets in the lesson plans, try to copy them off for the substitute if it is possible. If it is
not possible, make sure that you leave the correct number of copies that they will need for each sheet.
” If it is possible, write a personal note to the substitute making them feel welcome and giving them any information that you feel might help them.
Communication With Students
” All students are to be treated fairly and with respect. If you expect them to respect you, then you have to respect them.
” You need to have an open-door policy with all of your students. Let them know that they can trust you. Allow them the opportunity to come in, talk to you, ask you questions, and voice their concerns and opinions.
” It is our job to provide students with optimal opportunities to learn. We need to create an atmosphere that fosters learning and enhances a student’s ability to do such.
” All students regardless of race, color, or gender should be given equal opportunities and fair treatment by their teachers, administrators, and peers.
” All students should be encouraged to ask questions, and all teachers need to provide an accurate of response as possible.
” All teachers should have every student’s best interest in mind.
The Importance of Answering Questions in Complete Sentences In language arts lessons, elementary school students learn that writing allows them to communicate ideas. But to do it effectively, they must understand the essential elements of good writing. This begins with sentence structure and unambiguous language that readers can easily comprehend.
Some young students can find writing laborious. So, they often subconsciously rely on clipped answers in response to a writing prompt. For example, in a getting-to-know-you exercise at the beginning of the school year, you may ask your students to write answers to a few questions:
What is your favorite food?
What is your favorite color?
What kind of pet do you have?
Without instruction, the answers will likely come back as bread, green, or dog.
NO COMMUNICATION WITH STUDENTS WHO CANNOT GIVE COMPLETE STATEMENT AND NO LOCAL LANGUAGE
Explain the Importance
Now you can demonstrate to your students how, without context, those answers could mean something different than the writer intended. For instance, bread could be the answer to any number of questions, such as:
What did you have for lunch?
What food do you hate?
What food does your mother never let you eat?
Teach students to answer questions in complete sentences to add detail and accuracy to their writing. Show them how to use keywords in the question itself as a cue when formulating their answer.
Teachers refer to this technique as “putting the question in the answer” or “turning the question around.”
In the example, the one-word statement “bread” becomes a complete sentence, and a full thought, when the student writes,
“My favorite food is bread.”
Demonstrate the Process
Write a question on the board or an overhead projector for students to see. Begin with a simple question such as, “What is the name of our school?” Make sure the students understand the question. With first graders, you may need to clarify, whereas older students should get it right away.
Then, ask students to identify the keywords in this question. You can help the class target them by asking the students to think about what information the answer to the question should provide. In this case, it’s “the name of our school.”
Now demonstrate to students that when you answer a question in a complete sentence, you use the keywords you identified from the question in your answer.
For example,
“The name of our school is ……………………………School.” Make sure to underline “the name of our school” in the question on the overhead projector.
Next, ask students to come up with another question. Assign one student to write the question on the board or overhead and another to underline the keywords. Then, ask another student to come up and answer the question in a complete sentence.
Once students get the hang of working in a group, have them practice independently with a few of the following examples or with questions they come up with on their own.
Practice Makes Perfect
You can use the following examples to guide your students through skills practice until they get the hang of using complete sentences to answer a question.
What is your favorite thing to do?
Answer: My favorite thing to do is …
Who is your hero?
Answer: My hero is …
Why do you like to read?
Answer: I like to read because …
Who is the most important person in your life?
Answer: The most important person in my life is …
What is your favorite subject in school?
Answer: My favorite subject in school is …
What is your favorite book to read?
Answer: My favorite book to read is …
What are you going to do this weekend?
Answer: This weekend, I’m going to …
What do you want to do when you grow up?
Answer: When I grow up, I want to …
