TWS 10 Communication

A. Family Communication I believe that it is very important for there to be good communication between teachers and parents. Parents and teachers must have respect for one another and collaborate in order for the children to grow and learn as much as possible. Before the school year begins I would like to do home visits to my students homes and also make phone calls home to parents within the first few weeks of school to let parents know how their children are doing. I will make sure to give very positive comments because I want to develop a good relationship with my students parents and help them to see their childs strengths. At the beginning of the school year I will send home a letter to parents introducing myself. I will also have the opportunity to meet my students parents at open house. In order to maintain communication every week, I will send home a weekly newsletter to inform parents of what we will be covering each week at school and to inform them of any important events going on in class or at the school. I will also daily communicate with parents through a behavior log in the students agendas. Letters will be sent home at various times throughout the year as well to inform parents in detail of events such as field trips. Examples: Weekly Parent Newsletter (See Attachments 1 and 2) Parent Letter (pg. 3)

B. Colleague Communication Collaboration with colleagues will be crucial. Most grade levels in schools meet together once a week to plan together, and I plan to meet with colleagues for planning purposes once a week. I will have to communicate regularly with special educators to ensure that my ESOL students, speech therapy students, and students with other special needs are accommodated. I will work to maintain good relationships with my colleagues as it will be important to establish a sense of a community in the school among fellow teachers. One of Mrs. Davis kindergarten students is reading on a second grade level, so Mrs. Davis made plans with a second grade teacher in order for the student to participate in reading activities with other students that are on her level. This collaboration is possible through the relationships Mrs. Davis has built with colleagues and through communication. It will also be important for me to communicate well with administration through meetings and email. Weekly faculty meetings will be a time where the whole staff will come together to collaborate. It is also great to

have good connections in the community so that more doors for field trips and classroom visitors will be opened. Example: Email to Principal (pg. 4)

C. Communication Experience in ECED 429 To start off my ECED 429 experience this semester I sent home a parent letter in order to inform the parents of my student of what I would be doing in their childs classroom and who I am. I also was able to attend Merrywood Elementarys Open House Night. At Open House I was able to introduce myself to the families of 9 out of the 26 students in Mrs. Davis class. It was a great experience meeting parents and getting a feel for what it will be like to meet parents in my own classroom. Example: Beginning of Year Parent Letter (pg. 5)

Dear Parent(s), This week we will be starting a unit on folktales and will be reading various folktales throughout the next two weeks. On Friday, March 22, we will be reading a version of Beauty and the Beast, and on the following Monday, March 25, we will be taking a field trip to the Columbia Marionette Theater to see a marionette version of Beauty and the Beast. I believe that this experience will be a great opportunity for your child to see literature performed through a Marionette show. It will also be exciting for the children to experience what we have been learning on a field trip. We will need two chaperones to attend this exciting event with us, and the trip will cost five dollars per child. Attached is an envelope for you to return your childs money for the trip. Thank you, Miss Areheart

Mr. Principal, Last week I had proposed to you the idea of my class taking a field trip to the Columbia Marionette Theater. I have done some research on the cost and have also composed a schedule for the field trip, which is shown below. Costs Marionette Show: $5 per person 24 students 3 adults (27*5= $135) Total Ticket Costs: $135 (*covered by students and adults) Bus Ride: Total Mileage: 27.6 Miles (there and back) (27.6*$1.75= $48.30) Number of Buses: 1 Total Costs Transportation: $48.30 (*covered by district) Total Costs: $183.30 Schedule 9:00- Load bus and leave for the Columbia Marionette Theater 9:35- Arrive at Theater 10:00-11:30 Beauty and the Beast Marionette Show Question and Answer Session Backstage Tour Experience with Marionettes 11:30- Leave the Marionette Theater and head back to school I wanted to run the total cost and schedule by you before I went any further in the process of planning this field trip. I was considering Monday March 25th for the field trip because my class will have just finished a unit on fairy tales. Sincerely, Mackenzie Areheart

September 17, 2013 Dear Parent/Guardian, My name is Mackenzie Areheart, and I am a student at Lander University. This semester I have the privilege of being Mrs. Davis intern. I am looking forward to getting to know your child and watching them grow in kindergarten this fall! Since I will be spending time getting to know your child this semester I wanted to share a little bit about myself. Im from Columbia, S.C., and I have greatly enjoyed getting to know the city of Greenwood during my years at Lander. I am the oldest of four children, and my little sister is in first grade this year. Some of the things I enjoy doing are reading, exercising, scrapbooking, and spending time with friends and family. This is my fourth year at Lander, and I will graduate in the spring with a degree in Early Childhood Education and a minor in Spanish. This fall I am also looking forward to the opportunity to teach a few lessons to your child with the guidance of my professors at Lander as well as Mrs. Davis. I feel completely honored to have the privilege of taking part in your childs education! Feel free to contact me at allyson.areheart@lander.edu.

Mackenzie Areheart