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Calendar Rationale for October-December


Tuesday Folders:
Tuesday Folders are a useful tool for keeping parents informed while also holding the
students responsible. Each week, on Tuesday, the students will take home a folder that has all
their completed work and grades from the previous week. Tuesday Folders will be discussed
prior to school starting at Back to School Night as well as on my website. This is a school-wide
initiative so if the student attended this school last year, they will be familiar with Tuesday
Folders. In addition to assignments and grades, there will also be items such as newsletters,
announcements, picture forms, volunteer forms, and any other type of form that a student will
need to take home during the year. One side of the folder is labeled Keep at Home and the
other side is labeled Return to School. At the beginning or end of the day I would call students
one by one to come get their folder and put it in their backpacks. This ensures that they are at
least taking them home. The students would be provided by the schools so students do not need
to worry about purchasing one. Throughout the week I would add items to the folder as they are
graded or completed. I would ask the students to return these folders as soon as possible and
return any forms that need to be returned. These folders are a type of portfolio that can be used
for conferencing (Yang, 2005). Parents can bring in past assignments and grades and discuss
them with me if they wish. By having this documentation, there will be more dialogue during the
conferences (Allen, 2007). This is true especially for bilingual families. I can use the students
work to help guide conferences with ESL parents (Robertson, 2007). Participation will require
parents to return the folders and necessary forms each week. If parents fail to return the folder
there will be reminders via phone calls and/or emails to remind the parent that the folder needs to
be returned and of they have lost it, I can provide a new one. I will also explain to them the
importance of these folders in my reminder. These folders allow for constant communication
with families which is vital (Yang, 2005). They provide everything from examples of growth to
feedback and a place for important information/documents.
Weekend Family Message Journals:
Weekend Family Message Journals are letters that are sent home at the end of every week
for parents to read. The child can write a short letter to their parents about something they did in
school and the parent will write them a letter back (Yang, 2005). To introduce the idea I would
talk about what a letter is and look at examples with the class. We would practice writing a letter
as a class as well as possible ideas for what to write about. I will also be sure to send home a
letter in the students Tuesday Folders that will tell the parents about these message journals. The
letter will also have examples of how the parents could respond (Yang, 2005). The students will
already have a notebook for this writing since it is on the back to school checklist but for those
that do not, I can get them one. I will make clear to parents and students that these will shared
with the class so responses need to be appropriate. A checklist will be provided as well for the
students and the parents so they have everything they need for a proper letter. This will hopefully

promote more meaningful parent involvement (Education, 2012). I will try to have the writing
started on Thursday so everyone has a chance to finish by Friday. When students bring back their
journals on Monday we can read a few from the class. This on-going assignment is good for
building a positive school-home connection (Epstein). Children and their families have the
opportunity to feel important by sharing their letters each week. The parents can stay informed
on what is going in school and the children can keep their parents accountable for asking them
what they learned in school each week. These entries can be shared during our Morning
Meetings so parents that attend have an idea of what other students and parents are writing. This
idea is an easy way to not only find out more about the families but to incorporate writing skills
each week. By the end of the year, students should show growth in their writing skills and these
journals become documentation for future conferences (Allen, 2007).
Family STEM Night:
Family STEM Night is a great way to get parents involved in their childs learning. The
event gives parents the opportunity to see what their child is learning in science, technology,
engineering and math and how this content is being taught. The event will take place after school
and food will be provided so families will not have to worry about dinner. Throughout the year
there will be different nights devoted to a certain subject for parents to come and see how it is
being taught as well as ways they can help their child at home (Yang, 2005). STEM Night would
take place in the cafeteria where families would get to do different games and activities. For
families that show up early there will be different STEM related projects the school has done on
display. There will also be a brochure about what STEM is that will be given to each parent so
that they know what it is and why it is important. Once every family is there, the night would
begin with a problem that requires a solution. Each family would be given the design brief and
would go through it with their child to find the best solution. Materials would be pre-packaged
and handed out. One example I have seen is figuring out how to transport an object from one end
of a table to the other without using your hands and only the materials provided. The problem
was based on a book that was read by the whole school so the kids already had an idea about
what to do. This was really neat to see the parents struggling with an idea and having their child
help them to come up with an answer. By the end of the night, the parents better understood what
STEM was all about. This idea would require some extra time by the staff to set everything up as
well as to be at the event but would be worth it and I think there would be no problems finding
enough help. Interpreters would be there if needed and the documents handed out could be
printed in any language that is needed. Since I have been asking in the Newsletters for parents to
send in any recyclable materials, getting enough supplies for this event would be easier. Also, by
making the event free and offering food, I feel there would be a better turn-out. In addition, there
would be a drawing at the end of the night for a take-home science kit. I would make
announcements about this event on my website as well as in the Newsletter and the schools
website. Pictures would be posted on the school website after the event and a letter home would
have ways for parents to do STEM related activities at home for those families that could not

attend. I would also make sure that the activities could be done at home to promote learning
outside of school as Yang (2005) suggests (p. 137).
Parent Publishing Group:
Parent Publishing Group is a way of getting parents involved that may not be able to
make it into the classroom but want to help (Epstein). Children in my class are writing every
week and I want them to have a way to share their writing to the class so what better way than a
book full of their writing? I would send home a letter in Tuesday Folders about starting a Parent
Publishing Group asking for a handful of volunteers. I would explain what they would have to do
and the reason for this activity. As Winter Break approaches, students will have written about
many topics so I would ask them to pick their favorite piece of writing they have done and that
would be what gets published. Parents that agreed to volunteer would then be asked to type up
these writing samples and have the books returned to the school before break so that students
could add a picture to their writing page and the book could go in the class library. I would
provide the materials for the book and be explicit in how the books are to be made so that they
are all the same quality (Yang, 2005). If this idea catches on and more parents volunteer, we
could expand the publishing to two pieces of writing for the end of the year books. Starting small
will ensure that the books can get done in a timely manner as Yang (2005) recommends on
page 115. These books are good for all types of learners and could even be translated into
another language by a parent that knows another language. I could ask a student whose parent
predominantly speaks Spanish but knows the English language for example, to type up their
assigned writings in Spanish so we have at least one set of books with another language for that
student as well as others to read in the future. This would welcome those parents into the
classroom so they can get involved and feel they have something valuable to offer (What Parents
Want Teachers to Know). This on-going activity would not only help to build a relationship
between me and the parents but also between the parents involved in the publishing group. These
parents may then be willing to participate more in the future having formed a relationship with
other parents.

References
Allen, J. (2007). Inviting dialogue at the conference table. In creating welcoming schools: A
practical guide to home-school partnerships with diverse families. New York: Teachers
College Press.
Davis, C. & Yang, A. (2005). Parents and teachers working together. Turner, MA: Responsive
Classroom.
Education, V.D. (2012). Tips and strategies for increasing parent and family involvement in
Virginia schools. Retrieved from doe.virginia.gov.
Epstein, J.L. (n.d.). Epstein's framework of six types of involvement. Baltimore, Maryland,
United States.
Robertson, K. (2007). Tips for successful parent-teacher conferences with bilingual families.
Retrieved October 16, 2015.
What parents want teachers to know. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2015, from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev103a.sht

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