Parent Communication Resources

Resource 3: Example Scripts
Beginning of Year:
TEACHER: Hi, Ms. Ramirez, my name is Ms. Smith and I’m Jenny’s social studies teacher at school. I am excited to be Jenny’s teacher and to work with you this year to support her. I’d like to talk about what you can expect from me as a teacher this year and also how Jenny is doing in my class so far. Do you have 5-10 minutes right now for a brief conversation?
PARENT: Yes.
TEACHER: Great. I appreciate the time. The main thing I’d like to talk about is how my class is structured, major dates and projects that you should be aware of, and then I’ll let you know how Jenny is doing so far. As Jenny is now a junior, my course will be rigorous in order to ensure she is college ready so I want to let you know up front my expectation so we can work together to make sure she has a successful year. I also want to save some time at the end of the call for you to be ask any questions you have.
PARENT: Okay.
TEACHER: Well, my class is 45 minutes long and covers all of US history so the days are pretty jam packed. Because of this you can expect Jenny to have anywhere from 20-45 minutes of homework each night for my class. More often than not, this will consist of readings and short reflections for her to be prepared for class. Sometimes the homework will be more complex as we will have 1-2 longer papers each marking period that she will have to work on at home as well as in school. In addition to these papers which will be about 3-4 pages each, we will have two longer projects throughout the year. The first semester project is a research project that will have a paper and presentation aspect and will be assigned in early October and due in early December. The second semester project is a group debate that will be assigned in early February and participated in after spring break in April. Information on all of these projects will come as they are assigned. Do you have any questions about these assignments?
PARENT: No, that’s all pretty clear.
TEACHER: Great. I also wanted to let you know how Jenny was doing so far. It’s only been a couple of days but she has been a pleasure to work with as a student. She follows all directions in my classroom and is very respectful to both me and her peers. She also participates when she is called on. Given how much she adds to my class, I’d love for her to participate even more often.
PARENT: Oh, okay, well I’ll encourage her to do that. I’m happy to hear she’s respectful, it’s something we value in our family.
TEACHER: It definitely shows. Do you have any questions for me?
PARENT: Yes. Jenny has struggled with social studies in the past and with some of her other teachers, I have been told she’s doing fine but then she gets grades we’re not happy with. I want to know the truth on how she’s doing so that I can help her if I can.
TEACHER: That’s really helpful to know and I can imagine that can be frustrating as a parent who has high expectation for their student. My goal is to print out grade reports once a month for my students to take home for their parents. As Jenny is a junior and I want to install a sense of responsibility and ownership over grades, I will not require these to be signed unless she is failing. This is important since in 2 short years she will be in college. However, please let Jenny know to show those to you and please call me if you see anything on there that you aren’t satisfied with or want to talk about. Also if you aren’t seeing grade reports just give me a call and I can go over her scores with you directly. There are several options for Jenny to pursue if her grades aren’t where she wants them to be such as tutorials or study hours during lunch. I will encourage her to attend those and will be very flexible if you need to talk to me. Please know that my first goal is for all of my students to succeed in my class.
PARENT: Thank you.
TEACHER: Let me give you my contact number and email for when you want to contact me and I look forward to a great year ensuring that Jenny meets the goals that she has for herself and that you have for her.
PARENT: Thank you.
Misbehavior:
Teacher: Hi Ms. Smith, my name is Mr. Jones and I’m calling to speak to you about Tom’s behavior in class. Recently, I’ve seen a lack in participation and he is not completing his classwork. I want to reach out to you before the end of the marking period so that we can work together to ensure that he is not failing when report cards come out.
Parent: Thank you so much for calling and notifying us early.
Teacher: Absolutely.
Teacher: As I stated, Tom has not been completing his work in class as he used to. I’ve spoken to him a few times to identify the issue, but he says nothing is wrong. His grades are dropping and I’m very concerned that he is not understanding the material.
Parent: What can we do?
Teacher: I am going to require him to stay after school for tutorials every Tuesday. I can either teach him the content that he is not understanding or he can use the time to complete the classwork that he is missing. I’d love your support in making sure that he attends these tutorials.
Parent: Is there anything else that I can do?
Teacher: If you can make sure that he does not come home after school on Tuesday without attending tutorials, that would great.
Parent: Can you send a note letting me know what he did in tutorials?
Teacher: Sure! You can expect that each Tuesday. Thank you so much for your help and support. Have a great day!
Parent: Thank you. You too!
Behavior – English:
Date ______
Dear parent of ______,
This letter is designed to inform you of your student’s behavior at school. Please read over the marked boxes below and discuss this behavior with your student. Once you’ve talked with your child, please sign the bottom of this sheet and return it to school by the date listed. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at 000-000-0000.
Is not paying attention in class
Is talking during class
Is disruptive
Is not completing classwork
Is not completing homework
Does not get along with others
Does not have needed supplies. Please provide ______.
Is not following directions
Is failing tests/quizzes
Other: ______.
Sincerely,
Teacher Name
------
Please sign and return by: ______
Comments: ______
______
______
Parent Signature Date
Behavior – Spanish:
Fecha: ______
Estimados padres de ______:
La presentees para informarles que suhijo/a, ______necesitamejoraren las siguientes areas inmediatamente. Las areas son las presentes:
No prestaatencion.
No complete sutarea.
Hablademasiadoenclase.
No completasutrabajoenclase.
No se sienta y no eschucha.
No se llevabien con suscompaneros.
No trae lapis o lapicera a clase.
No traesuslibros a clase.
Necesitaayudaen las siguentesreglasescolares.
Other: ______.
Por favor ayude a suhijo/a mejoraren las areas que estanmarcadas. Por favor firme y devuelva la nota lo mas pronto posible.
Sinceramente,
Maestro/a
000-000-0000
------
Firmar y enviarpor: ______
Comentarios: ______
______
______
Firma Fecha
Academic – English:
Date: ______
To the parent/guardian of ______,
The following is designed to inform you of your child’s progress in 7th grade math. Currently your child has a ______% in my math class. Please look over the areas checked off that are affecting your child’s performance and discuss them with your child. Then, sign at the bottom of the line provided and return the note to me by ______.
______Incomplete homework
______Low quiz scores
______Low unit test scores
______Missing assignments
______Does not participate in class
______Does not attend tutorials
______Behavior in class effects understanding
______Other: ______
If you have any questions or would like more information please call 000-000-0000 to set up a conference with me.
Sincerely,
Teacher name
------
Please sign and return by: ______
Comments: ______
______
______
Parent Signature Date
Academic – Spanish:
Fecha: ______
Estimados padre o encargado de ______,
La presente es para informarle del progreso de su hijo(a) en la materia de matemáticas de 7mo grado. Actualmente su hijo(a) tiene ______% en la clase de matemáticas. Por favor revise las áreas seleccionadas en la siguiente lista de cotejo las cuales están afectando el desempaño de su hijo(a) y discuta éstas con él/ella. Luego firme en la línea de abajo y regrese la nota para el ______.
______Tarea incompleta
______Puntuación baja en las pruebas cortas
______Baja calificación en los exámenes de las unidades
______Tareas perdidas
______No participa en clase
______No asiste a tutorías
______La conducta está afectando la comprensión
______Otros: ______
Si tiene alguna pregunta o quiere más información por favor me llama al 000-000-0000 para planificar una conferencia.
Sinceramente,
Maestro/a
------
Firmar y enviarpor: ______
Comentarios: ______
______
______
Firma Fecha
Joining Google Voice (adapted from the Google Voice help site)
Adding a Google number to your Google Voice account is free!*
  1. Go to the Google Voice website and sign in using your Google Account Information – If you don’t have a Google account, you can create one now.
  2. You will be prompted to choose whether you want a new number or you want to use your existing number. Choose“I want a new number.”
  3. Search for your new Google number. Once you've chosen one, clickcontinue.
  4. Choose a PIN that you will use to retrieve your messages and access your Google Voice settings from any phone.
  5. Enter a forwarding phone number (this is the phone that will ring when someone calls your Google Voice number) and select a type from the 'phone type' drop-down menu.
  6. Verify your phone. You'll see a numerical code along with aCall Me Nowbutton. When you click the button, Google will call your forwarding phone and ask you to enter the code on the screen so we know the phone number you gave us is the right one.
* Google Voice is free, unless you decide to change your number at a later date. There is a one-time $10 fee for this service.
Notes:

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