Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Friday, November 17th. There will be no school that day. Sign-up sheets for the conferences are on a table in the lobby, arranged by class, from Toddlers to Upper Elementary (please check the top of each page for the name of the class). As we do every year, we ask that you observe the following requests:
· Please sign up for one meeting time per child.
· Please be on time for your conference.
· Please help the teachers to stay on time.
· Please arrange for childcare during Parent/Teacher conferences.
We have had parents make requests for child care during the conferences. Unfortunately, as our staff is busy meeting with parents and all of our classrooms, along with some other spaces in the school, are being used we have not been able to accommodate this request. Please note that our playgrounds and our Outdoor Classroom are closed during conferences for safety and liability reasons. In order to accommodate parents who arrange to exchange child care during conferences we will make our lobby available and will provide coloring pages for the children.
We have included some additional tips that might be useful in having a successful Parent Teacher Conference:
- Write down questions or things you would like to discuss and email the teacher(s) with your questions/comments before the conference.
- Ask your child if there is anything they would like you to discuss with the teacher(s).
- Keep the conference focused on the child and the purpose of the conference-use your time carefully.
- Be open to suggestions from the teacher.
- Be prepared to share suggestions of your own. No one knows your child like you know him/her.
- If you are unclear about what the teacher is telling you about your child, ask for specific examples.
- Remember that you and the teacher(s) are a team and your main focus is meeting the needs of your child.
- Take notes so you can share information with your child after the meeting.
- Make sure the teachers have the best contact information for you and that you have a clear understanding of the communication protocol.
- Keep the teacher informed. Things happening at home often affect children’s behavior at school.
- At the end of your conference make sure that everyone understands what was talked about and what they can/have agreed to do to follow up.
- Follow up. If you have concerns that need to be followed up on, set up that time in advance.
We thank you for utilizing this opportunity to learn more about your child’s experience here at school and appreciate your time. Be sure visit your Montessori Compass account starting this Friday evening to view your child’s most recent Progress Report!
