Opportunities for Parent Participation

September 18, 2009

Dear Families,

We have now completed our second full week of school, and everyone is now starting to settle in and get accustomed to the routines and the expectations at each grade level. During our first week of school you received information in your take-home packets asking for your assistance in supporting these routines by leaving the children at the front lobby after the first two weeks, rather than accompanying them to their classrooms. The children need the time to “get in the groove” each morning and to socialize and develop good relationships with peers. It helps us maximize the instructional time we have with them and cultivate the independence they need as part of their social and emotional development.

That doesn’t mean, however, that you’re not an important welcome part of West Side. We have set a goal this year to do everything we can to make the school welcoming and inviting to parents and visitors. To do that we’ll need your help. We’ll be looking at all areas of our school and asking for your opinions for how we can make the school more friendly and inviting. Teachers will be looking at specific ways we can work together on academics and projects of interest to children. Your comments and opinions are always welcome. If there’s something you would already like to suggest, please feel free to share it at any time.

This week we’ll be sending home two pieces of information to get started. The first is a parent resource book. It profiles our school and gives information about our parent group, the OPT, the volunteer process in our schools and ways that specific teachers at West Side would like to have parents and volunteers work with them. The resource manual also includes a Parent ABCs. This is a list of the common terms for programs and procedures that teachers use. We hope it will make it easier to understand letters, Friday folders and other communication home.

The other piece of information that you will receive is a specific way to participate in our reading and character education programs. We will kick off our character education program this month with friendship as our focus theme. A list of favorite student books in our library collection will come home with your child. You may wish to share one of these books with your son or daughter when you read with them at home.

We hope the materials will be helpful. Again, please contact me anytime with questions or comments.