Communication Home

Contacting Parents.

A very important aspect of quality education is the involvement of parents/whanau.  There are the formalised lines of communication like the parent teacher interviews (these will be on Wednesday 17th Jun - week nine term two) and our school reports.

I believe that the more that our students families are involved in their education the better.  That all parents have a strong desire for their children to do their best and that many of them can assist them in this pursuit.  As a parent of a student at school I recognise that I greatly appreciate when the teacher makes contact.

Here are two recent instances where Waihi College communication practice has been highlighted...

1. A parent spoke with me at the school pool after hours.  That parent had very positive tones and wanted to express their thanks for the efforts of one of teachers.  That teacher had sent a letter (could have been an email) home... it introduced themselves, talked about the purpose of the subject the students was enrolled, gave dates and details (like credits) of the assessments this year and then invited any replies/queries via phone or email.  
2. Another parent sent me an email which highlighted... "I went to parent teacher interviews in April last year & a couple of teachers said that she had to put in a bit more effort but no one said that she wasn't coping.  I had no further direct contact with any of her teachers.  At           's previous school teachers would send a quick text or email with congrats (or not) for achievements throughout the year, & if there were any problems (from incorrect uniform or homework not done) then I was made aware.  I wasn't aware that           had received her end of year report until November & by that time it was to late to do anything about her work.  I do find it hard to believe that she crashed so far from her Level 1 results without her teachers being aware, especially in           ,           &             but didn't think to contact me directly."  

Queries - What standards of practice do we want here at Waihi College?  Where is the balance between duty of care (contacting home more regularly) and reasonable levels of effort (not exhausting our staff)?

This post relates to RTC# "1. Establish and maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of ākonga - i. engage in ethical, respectful, positive and collaborative professional relationships with: whānau and other carers of ākonga."