Last week, we discussed the importance of building relationships with our students' families and introduced a caregiver survey teachers can use to get the ball rolling. This week, I want to share another easy way I built relationships in my classroom: home-school communication sheets. A home-school communication sheet serves as a valuable tool to foster consistent and effective interactions between teachers and families. It typically encompasses essential information, such as:

• Student's Daily or Weekly Progress: Insights into academic performance, behavior, and any significant successes or difficulties.
• Assignments and Upcoming Events: Details regarding homework, projects, and school-related activities.
• Behavioral Observations: Observations on the student's behavior and social interactions.
• Parent Feedback Section: An area for parents to express their thoughts, concerns, or any pertinent information about the student.
• Teacher’s Notes and Recommendations: Suggestions or guidance for aiding the student's learning at home.

These communication sheets play a crucial role in ensuring that both the school and home environments work in harmony to support the student’s educational journey and growth.

My students filled out a home-school communication sheet daily. When my classroom started filling these out, I rushed around to complete 8 different communication sheets at the end of the day while my team assisted with the departure routine. It felt chaotic. Eventually, I started having my students fill out their own sheets. They completed them during the last center rotation before the end of the day. I dedicated a center to it-- a center activity and planning for the whole year ✓! Some years, I bound a quarter's worth of communication sheets together in a book for each student, while other years, students filled out single pages that they would store in their home-school folder. I loved the books, but many times they would get lost or forgotten at home, and they were a lot of work to to put together, so single sheets are the way to go for forgetful kiddos. If you're interested in your student completing their own communication sheets, here are some ways I differentiated how to complete them:

Highlight and Trace: The adult completes the sheet with the student and highlights the answers. For example, the adult would say, "Did you eat breakfast?" and the student would use their preferred mode of communication to answer. This could look like a verbal "yes" or "yes" on an AAC device, a "yes" symbol, a head nod, a point, a thumbs up, etc.

Highlight and Daub: This is similar to the highlight and trace, except the student uses a dauber to complete the sheet.

Provide a Model: The adult fills out the sheet with the student and gives the student the model. The student copies the model onto their sheet.

Fill out the Sheet Together: In the beginning, adults can just go through the sheet with the student and fill it out together. No need to trace, daub, or provide a model to create their own.

Check out the Hometown Helpers unit in Themes First!, which includes original songs, books, and activities that support students’ skill development and generalization with content that’s fun, accessible, and theme-based. These monthly units now include an expanded Social Studies suite, containing fun, theme-related activities that reinforce cultural engagement. Included in all Themes First! units are lessons, activities, and worksheets for group and independent work at a wide range of levels.

The next Themes First! release, Monster World, is ready to prep!

💡Tip: Print all the activities you plan to use for the upcoming month as soon as they become available. Put printed activities in a "prep" area equipped with a laminator, file folders, Velcro, labels, and baggies. If you have a large laminator, laminate all the activities at once! When you and your team have a few minutes to spare, laminate, cut, and Velcro. It helps to organize activities in trays by "Needs to be Prepped" and "Finished." Don't forget to teach your team how to prep the activities and to model this new expectation. Check out the How to Prep a Month-Long Themes First! Unit below.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns via email or phone. I'm also available to chat via Zoom Mondays from 7:30-8:00 AM and 3:00-3:30 PM. If these times do not work for your schedule, please email me and we will find a time that will work for both of us.

Use the link below to ask questions about this week's Tuesday Tips 'N' Tricks and/or give suggestions on future topics.

2023-2024 Tuesday Tips & Tricks Newsletters

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