Monday Morning Message ~ 2-7-2011

You read the word, “Email” last week, and now you will begin to see how a daily email note to your parents will solve a lot of “communication” problems.
Let’s start with the necessary steps to begin the implementation of your new system.

The first day of student attendance is quickly approaching.
Your weekends and days are filled with organizing your room, finalizing first lesson plans, and memorizing your student names on your new class list.
As you fill your students’ “First Day Folders”, make sure you include the “Parent Email Note”.

Your “Parent Email Note” is the first step.

Send home this note on the first day, and then present it to your parents at the first Parent Orientation Night or Open House.
This note must be your first priority at starting your new year.
Getting every parent “onboard” is essential.
Remind them they can use any email address.
They may also use as many as they want.

Notice in your note that you make three promises.

Promise #1: Keep their email address confidential.

Promise #2: Write daily.

Promise #3: Don’t, and again, NEVER spam your parents’ in-boxes.

Remember many of your parents are professionals, as we are.
They use their emails to conduct business.
Also, an increasing number of parents receive their email on their cell phones.
Keep it short, and keep it simple.

Below we have provided a link to a template of the “Parent Email Note”.
Please feel free to adapt and use this to get started on the road to the best school year yet.

Finally, join us next week to learn how to keep the three promises.

ParentEmailNoteTemplate

Monday Morning Message ~ 1-31-2011

You work hard writing, editing, and finally publishing your class newsletter. It’s filled with important topics like field trips, your week in review, and students’ upcoming tests.

Picture AND fundraiser money are due, and the permission slips for next week’s field trip.

Top that off with finding just the right piece of clip art and seasonal font, to make YOUR newsletter something you are sure will be kept in a memory box forever.

The reality is that today’s parents are different than yours were.
And all of your hard work is failing.

Parents are busy just like you.

Do you want to get through to parents?
Do you want to save trees?
Do you want to regain some of your busy life?

Everyone is busy every day all of the time.
That includes your students and their families.
Most of the time, student book bags are cleaned out, and after your notes and newsletters are skimmed through quickly, they go straight into the trash after mom or dad asks, “Hey, do we need this paper anymore, or can I throw it away?”

You have to get with the times if you want to get through to your students’ parents.

Face it.
The days of the mimeograph and ditto machines are over.
Telephone calls take up too much time, and callbacks waste even more of your precious time.

The solution to all of this is email.

We can’t wait until next Monday when we will continue with our four-part series to help you set up a quick system to get you on the road to productive, easy communication with your students and their parents.

In the meantime, enjoy your Monday, your week, and your students!