Jacob’s Journal: October 9

It was great to see all of you connect with parents during our first day of parent/teacher conferences.  I received extremely positive feedback from our community.  They appreciated your dedication to student growth, academic focus and support of co-curricular programs.  Moreover, they appreciated getting to know you better personally.

Positive and constructive relationships with our parents are critical for our student’s growth and success.  While Thursday was a positive start to our two day marathon, I wonder who did not attend.  It shouldn’t surprise you that the parents of our most academically successful students were the ones to attend, as they have already established this partnership with the school.  It is the parents that we all wished had attended that did not show up.  We need to establish relationships with these parents in the effort to support the growth of their children.

I ask you to take stock of the parents that you wish had attended this week and send them an email.  Invite them to a dialogue about their children.  Let them know specifically, where their children struggle, let them know how you support their child’s growth (in and out of the class time), and what they might do at home to support their kids.  This is a challenging time for parents, as students exert their independence.  We will find the most success with our struggling students when we partner with our parents community.

Have an amazing weekend,

Jacob