Act I: Talking To The Teacher and The Teacher Talking To Me Hammett Bowen Elementary

Reflection Please think of a conference or meeting that you have participated in that was a positive experience. Think of one thing that made the conference effective.

Introducing…. The Hammett Bowen Players

First Steps If have a concern, contact the teacher(s) via or phone call. School policy is that all phone calls or s should be replied to within 24 hours. If received on a Friday then response needs to be on Monday.

First Steps Get as many details as possible from your child prior to the conference. –Do you have anything you want me to bring up to your teacher? –What do you like best/least about school. –Who are your friends? –What subject do you feel is your best? –What difficulty(ies) are you having?

Things parents should consider prior to conference. 1.What is the purpose of this meeting? 2.What do I want the outcome of this meeting to be? 3.What are my child’s strengths? 4.What is my child’s area of need?

Things parents should consider prior to conference. 1.Things I feel the teacher needs to know about my child: –Personality traits –How he/she gets along with friends –How he/she gets along with our family –Effective discipline strategies I use at home –Extracurricular activities my child is involved in outside of school –Health of my child –How my child likes to be rewarded

Things parents should consider prior to conference. 1.My perception of how my child is doing academically. 2.How can I be involved in assisting in my child’s academic progress? 3.How do you measure my child’s progress? 4.How can we work together to maintain success and work on problem areas? 5.How can I keep the teacher aware of what is going on at home that may influence my child’s learning? (i.e. phone calls, , notes to the teacher)

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES 1.Schedule an appointment with the teacher. 2.Sign in at reception desk. 3.Be on time and end on time. This is a shared responsibility of the team.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES Have a stated and agreed upon purpose. Don’t focus on things that can’t be changed. Take notes during the conference. This will clarify what was discussed, agreements made and tasks assigned.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES 1.Be aware of your child’s grade level standards. 2.Listen, Listen, Listen 3.Both parent and teacher should begin the conference with genuine positive comments about the child or teen and each other. 4.Avoid distractions such as bringing a baby or young children to the conference or engaging in lengthy discussions of issues that do not relate to the agreed upon purpose of the conference.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES 1.Go into the conference with an open mind and a belief that the other person has positive intent. 2.Provide each other with contact numbers, or e- mail addresses as well as the best time to contact each other. 3.If something is not clear, ask for clarification.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES 1.Develop an action plan based on the strengths of the child and the resources available at home and at school. 2.Agree on the next steps that will be taken by all involved including the student

What do they mean by….. FCAT- Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test DIBELS- Oral Reading Fluency test SAT- Student Assistance Team ESE- Exceptional Student Education IEP- Individual Education Plan

What do they mean by….. Interventions in reading are: ERI (Early Reading Intervention) Sidewalks Voyager Passport REWARDS Successmaker Triumphs In math: Fast Math Successmaker

Parent/Teacher Role-Play Before the parent night training, select groups of teachers and parents to role-play an effective parent/teacher conference. It is helpful to have the parents and teachers write their own script. They tend to be harder on each other than you would. Have them accentuate the negative but have some positive, too. Make sure that your players have a microphone so that everyone can hear them. Identify props that will be necessary and have them available the night of the training.

“Tooty Ta” Lyrics From Dr. Jean & Friends © Dr. Jean Feldman A toot y ta a toot y ta a toot y ta ta (with both thumbs out and in front of you with elbows slightly bent by sides and waving side to side) A toot y ta a toot y ta a toot y ta ta Thumbs up (put thumbs up) A toot y ta a toot y ta a toot y ta ta Elbows back (thumbs up with elbows next to sides) Continue in like manner with feet apart…knees together…bottoms up…tongue out…eyes shut…turn around (can be turning around once or continuously)…sit down. This song is available on Dr. Jean Feldman's