Paige Lane

4/15/2015
TWS 10
Family Communication
Introduction Letter- During the first week of student teaching, I
sent home a letter to my students parents or guardians. This
letter contained a brief description of my personal interests
outside of school as well as my qualifications for classroom
instruction. I also stated in the letter my outlook on education
and assured parents that I was excited to foster learning in their
students.
(To view parent introduction letter click the link below. A video
permission form with an explanation was attached and sent home
with the letter for parents to sign and return.)
http://mslanesclassroompage.weebly.com/parentintroduction-letter.html
Weekly News Letters- Each week, a classroom newsletter goes
home with the students homework folders. The newsletter
includes important dates, the objectives that are being covered
for the week, multiplication facts to be studied, spelling words,
thank you shout outs, and any other information pertaining to
the classroom for that week.
(To view an example of the weekly newsletter click the link below.)
http://mslanesclassroompage.weebly.com/newsletter.html

 Parent Conferences- During my student teaching, I was able to

participate in a few parent conferences that included the
cooperating teacher, parent, and me. I was able to communicate
concerns that I had for the students learning as well as provide
updates on all students progress throughout the remainder of
my full time teaching days. This was done through collecting
assessment data that I provided to the parent via email.

The above parent contact form is sent home with the student to notify
parents of a conference request.
Communication/Collaboration with Colleagues
Grade Level Meeting- Each week a grade level meeting with the
principal took place with my fellow grade level teachers and me.
During this meeting, we discussed lesson plans for the week to
come, preparation for standardize testing, student concerns, and
any important school events or field trips.

(Example of a grade level meeting agenda.)

Vertical Teaming- I had the opportunity to participate in vertical
teaming that took place during a teacher workday. This involved
having a meeting with each of the grade level subject area
teachers and planning across all three grade levels. I was
assigned to the social studies team. During the meeting, we
talked about whether goals were met from the previous year,
what types of instructional strategies were being used, and
materials that might need to be ordered for the coming year.
Below is an outline of notes taken from the meeting.

 Email with
Teachers-

Grade Level
Communication

with ones grade level colleagues is imperative for a cohesive

teaching and working environment. Through email, I
communicated with the other fourth grade teachers on a number
of topics including lesson planning, meetings, special
programing, and field trips.
Community Communication
Community Letter- During specific units or school events that
require participation in the community, such as Career day, I
wrote letters to several community members including the police
department, fire department, and local healthcare offices. This
letter provided an invitation to the recipient to join our class on a
determined date and asked that they give a presentation about
their careers. During student teaching, I was able to participate
in our schools career day, which was planned by the school
guidance counselor.

 Fundraising- The fourth grade classes are going on a field trip to

Charleston this April. In order to do this, many fundraising events
had to be organized within the community. A letter to several
local businesses was sent to notify them about our trip and ask if
they would be willing to help. The letter is highlighted in gray
below.
January 12, 2015
Dear Valued Community Member,
Ninety-Six Elementary fourth graders are planning to go on a
field trip to Charleston, South Carolina April 24th, 2015. This trip will
provide several learning opportunities and experiences for our
students, but we need your help to make it possible. For this trip our
goal is to raise at least $2,000 by April for our student scholarship
fund and any supplies that will be needed. As a local business in our
community we are reaching out to you asking if you would like to
participate in a planned opportunity for fundraising through your
business. Any and every opportunity will help our school meet its
goal, and provide our students with a positive outlook on their local
community. We hope that you will join us in promoting the learning
opportunities of our students through your support. Please contact
Ninety-Six Elementary for more information on how you can help us
meet our fundraising goal.

Sincerely,
Fourth Grade Teachers
Ninety- Six Elementary
864-543-4995

Local Newspaper- Over the course of my student teaching, I

utilized the local newspaper to report to the community what
was being learned in the classroom. I would submit a picture
along with a small article that gave an explanation of the picture.
Using a form of media such as a newspaper for a resource is a
great way to show the community what exciting things students
are doing at school. Below is a picture of an article that was
submitted with the help of my cooperating teacher that was
featured in the Greenwood Index Journal.

Extra-curricular Involvement

Zaxbys Night- Several fundraisers were held throughout this

semester for the fourth grade to raise money for their field trip to
Charleston. Zaxbys restaurant was used on three occasions, and
all fourth grade teachers were required to greet guests as they
entered the establishment. This was a great way to meet people
who are out in the community, as well as see students and
parents outside of a school environment.

Honors

Chorus-

Ninety-

Six

Elementary has a wonderful honors chorus program for students

who are in 4th and 5th grade. During this semester I was able to
attend their practices, which are held every Tuesday after school.
Several concerts were held throughout the year, each having a
theme that corresponds with the music. For the lead singing
parts, students had to audition, and I feel that this was a great

experience for students to learn responsibility and accountability

even at a classroom level. Below is a picture of one of their
concerts.

School Carnival- This spring the school held a carnival after

school that included games, music, raffles, and food. This was a
great opportunity to interact with the community, and it provided
for many students a means to spend time with their friends and
family.