Hey Teacher Friends!

Happy July! Here is this week's Summer Prep Tip! ⬇️⬇️

☀️ Summer Prep Tip #4: Decide and prep your parent communication method for the school year.

Select your preferred method for parent communication for the upcoming school year and prepare in advance to save time. There is nothing worse than getting ready to walk out the door on a Friday and remembering you forgot to send out your weekly newsletter! Then you think to yourself, “I will just do it first thing Monday morning when I come in…” We all know how that goes. 😂 And... you do not want to get stuck doing it over the weekend!

Here are a few things to consider when deciding on your method of parent communication:

• What do you prefer as your primary mode of communication? Email, messaging app, phone calls, student folder, etc.
• How often do you want to communicate? If you are sending an email newsletter, for example, how often and when should parents expect it? Choose a frequency and be consistent. Parents like to know what to expect and where to find information. (BUT don't bite off more than you can chew here!)
• What information do you want to include in your communication? Keep your information consistent. Some things to include are important dates/events, learning targets/focus for the week or month, supplies or donations needed for the classroom, pictures, teacher contact hours, and other important information specific to the classroom.

Now… once you have decided on the information above, do this:

• If you are using a messaging app - Set it up and get your invites ready to hand out at open house.
• If you are sending an email - MAKE A TEMPLATE, and save it somewhere you will remember.
• If you are making phone calls - Get your phone list together and mark your calendar for your frequency of phone calls.

There is NO “one size fits all” method for parent communication, but planning ahead and being consistent are key to successful parent communication.

What is my preferred method for Parent Communication?

Monthly Email/Newsletter

​I made a template in Google Docs and add info to it throughout the month as things come up. Then I export it as a PDF, and attach it to an email at the beginning of each month. I communicate to parents to expect a monthly email, but I will occasionally send more than one if there is an important date coming up or I have added a lot of info already.

What I include in my Weekly Newsletter:

• Important dates
• Reminders
• Monthly Unit and learning targets for the month
• Items we need for the classroom
• How and when I can be reached. I like to set some boundaries for my working hours and make it clear that I love all my students dearly, but when I am home, it’s family time. I do not respond to messages and emails after working hours and on the weekends.

Finally, get it ready for Open House.

Set the tone at open house for your primary method of communication. Being prepared ahead of time will eliminate all those questions from parents and set your expectations from day one! Whatever you need to do to give this information to parents at Open House, do it this week and cross it off your To-Do List!

​Missed an email? CLICK HERE to find my previous Summer Prep Tips!​

☀️ What am I working on?

• WH Question Flap Book that can be used for any book! Sneak peek coming soon!
• The Five Senses of Back-to-School Flap Book - This will be a freebie coming out with a bunch of other freebies from other sellers at the end of July!
• Wild Robot Book Study for Special Ed - I have been working on this one for while... hoping to be complete before the start of the school year!

☀️ Resource of the week... 20% off this week ONLY!

​Outdoor Adventures Short Story and Sentence Comprehension​

This Short Story and Sentence Comprehension resource is great for students struggling with “WH” questions and sentence comprehension. The activities in this resource use short stories with a fun Outdoor Adventure theme to target “WH” questions, matching pictures to corresponding sentences, and sequencing. The comprehension activities include story retell, literal questions, sequencing, and sentence comprehension. The short stories in this resource were written for students with a strength in fluency and a weakness in comprehension. This Short Story and Sentence Comprehension resource includes examples of IEP Goals/Objectives to target when using this resource.

Have a great week!

~ Ashlee

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