10. Communication and Collaboration (LO 4.

1) (APS 10)
A. Family Communication
1. To establish a good basis for communication I will send home an introductory letter as

soon as school starts. This letter to the parents will be to introduce myself, my experience

and my expectations. Contact information will be attached so that parents can contact me

for any reason. I will make it known to parents that I am there to gain experience in the

classroom and to learn everything I can from their child. (Attachment 1).

2. During the first week I will have students take home an interest form to fill out with their

parents or guardians. I will include what the child and parents write in the form into my

lessons. Lessons that involve student interests will keep students engaged. Parents and

guardians will also include how their child learns best.

3. To inform parents and guardians of current events, I will send home weekly newsletters.

In the newsletter I will include what the students are learning in each subject, upcoming

dates, important information, and a wish list. The newsletters will be sent home in the

childs agenda every Friday (Attachment 2).

B. Communication/Collaboration with Colleagues

When creating an effective environment for you and your students, it is very important to

communicate and collaborate with colleagues. The first form of communication with colleagues

would be to get in touch with my grades team of teachers. I would e-mail them to set up an

appropriate time to meet. At the meeting I would want to discuss long range plans, lesson plans,

and upcoming events with them. Being in touch with those who are going through the same thing

as you is very important. Having a close team of teachers creates accountability and organization

that will later make your school year run smoothly.

 I would also e-mail the school guidance counselor and the technology specialists that are

available to me. Teachers should know their resources and use them effectively. I would be best

to reach out to the guidance counselor to see what they will be doing with your class. The

counselor may have something planned that will affect your day, so you would want to know and

plan accordingly. You would want to be very familiar with the technology specialist so that if

any problem came up, you would know what to do. Technology is becoming more prevalent in

classrooms and it is essential to stay up to date with the changes.

Thirdly, I would love to stay in constant contact with those who also assist my students.

This could be, but not limited to, the reading recover teacher, the ESOL teacher, or the Gifted

and Talented teacher. Keeping in contact with these teachers would not only benefit you as the

classroom teacher, but also benefit the student. These teachers are a great resource to you. They

may know things that could be brought into the classroom, or you may know of ways to help

them. It would be best to meet with these teachers once a week, but it also could depend on how

often they see a student (Attachment 3).

January, 2016

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Hello! My name is Lindsey Holland. I am your childs student teacher in Mrs.

Otts class. I will be working with your child through the end of April. I am
currently a senior at Lander University studying Early Childhood Education. I am
from a small town called Starr, SC. I graduated from Crescent High School in 2012
and will be graduating from Lander in December.

As a student teacher, I will be working closely with Mrs. Ott to plan and
prepare lessons to teach the class. I will also be assisting her in the classroom. I
have had experience in two other classes before working in Mrs. Otts class. I have
worked in a kindergarten class at Starr Elementary in Starr, SC and a first grade
class at Springfield Elementary here in Greenwood. I helped in the classrooms and
taught small group and whole group lessons. I believe that my past experiences
will help me know how to assist your childs learning. The reason I am working in
this classroom is to gain skills that will help me as a future educator.

Teaching and working with children is something I enjoy. I am very happy to

work in this classroom and gain some hands-on skills. I am looking forward to
getting to know your child and to be working with him or her through the rest of
the semester.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, you can contact me

through Mrs. Ott.

Sincerely,
Lindsey Holland
Lindsey Holland
 What are we learning?
Math: We will be reviewing
what a half, a fourth, and a
third are and adding a sixth, an
eighth, and a tenth to our
fractions list.
Reading/Science: Students
have been researching animals
and learning so much about
them. This week we will be
comparing and contrasting two
animals.
Writing: Students are learning
the cursive letter d.
Social Studies: Students are
continuing to look into South
Carolina history and learning
about Native Americans in the
area
Important information/Comments:
Important Dates:
Feb. 8 - Bring in shoe boxes
for students to decorate
Wednesday in class.
Feb. 12 - Students will have
a small party starting at 1:00.
Parents are welcome to come!
Feb. 24 - Bring your favorite
book and a snack for the
school-wide reading day.
Feb. 26 - Parents Night at
5:30-7:30.
Wish List:
Disinfectant wipes
Tissue boxes
EXPO markers
To: ____________
Cc :____________

Subject: John Doe____________

Mrs./Mr.,________________

This week we will be covering comparing and contrasting during reading time.
During writing, students will be asked to write how their two animals are alike
and different. They will use the Venn diagram they created in reading to create
this writing. Since John is with you during writing, is there any way you could help
him start on his writing?
Also, I noticed that John has not been having more difficulty spelling than he
normally does. Do you have any ideas of why or how to assist him?

Thanks,

Ms. Holland