Brian Lyda EDUC 429 TWS 7 Communication and Collaboration Parent/Caregivers:

Introductory Letter: I will first make contact with the parents/caregivers of my students at the beginning of the school year. I will form an introductory letter which I will mail to each students home. This letter will be sent on the second or third day of school to ensure I can personally address the content of the letter with students in the classroom prior to them reading it in the letter. The letter itself will contain a brief introduction including teaching experience, family information, and personal interests. It will also include expectations for the classroom in terms of students, my interest in having a positive line of communication throughout the year, and an invitation to the back to school night. (See Attachment 7.1) Bi-weekly Newsletter: Throughout the year, I will send a newsletter home with my students. I will do this every two weeks. This newsletter is to inform parents and students about upcoming events, needs for the classroom, areas of study, and any other pertinent information. I may also include a portion of the newsletter to highlight either a student or student accomplishment within our class. These newsletters will keep parents up-to-date and informed on all that is happening within the classroom. (See Attachment 7.2) Classroom Website/Emails: I will maintain an updated classroom website throughout the school year. As often as people access the web in todays world, what better way is there to reach the parents. The website will contain a pdf of the newsletter as well as my contact information. It will also contain links to assignments as well as resources. The website will be interactive as well. Parents can leave comments and/or suggestions on the page. These comments will be filtered before posting to the site. Along with this technological form of communication, I will include periodic emails to parents. I will maintain a checklist for all of my students. I will email each students parents at least once per month. This email will contain a positive comment about the student. The email will also be used to remind parents of upcoming events/deadlines as well as to express any concerns about the student. Emails will be sent at least once per month but will likely be sent more often than that.

Brian Lyda EDUC 429 Colleagues:

Email: Teaching is best done within a school through collaboration among all faculty and staff. Communicating with fellow teachers, especially your grade-level teachers, is of the utmost importance. One easy way to stay connected is through email. Email your grade-level teachers about specific lesson plans or activities. Email them when you need a creative idea to hook, or engage, the students. Email teachers that may have had your students the previous year to get some insight on his/her view of the students. Be sure to also use email effectively with the guidance counselor and other administration. Express any needs or concerns you may have. Of course, much of this can and should be also done face-to-face, but sometimes email is more effective when time or access to others is limited. (See Attachment 7.3) Grade-level meetings: Many, if not all, school districts will require some type of gradelevel teacher meetings. These meetings are very important and valuable. I would use this meeting time to discuss long-range plans/pacing guides, upcoming events, concerns/difficulties, and anything else deemed important. This time could also be used to plan grade-wide events or field trips. This face-to-face collaboration is extremely important. Some of these meeting times could also be designated for an enjoyable, social activity such as celebrating a fellow teachers birthday. It will be valuable to form positive relationships with fellow teachers, especially your grade-level teachers.