Artifact #6: Parent Newsletter

I remember when I first started my teaching program at CAO Head Start. During

our teacher orientation, basically all the conversations revolved around parent

communication and connections. I heard phrases like “home to school connection” and

“parent involvement” without really knowing, at the time, what that truly meant. When

we talked about newsletters within my teaching team, I would always think “it sounds

like a great, but who has the time? What parents are going to take the time to read

through these?” When I began my student teaching in my undergrad, I noticed in my

cooperating classroom that the teacher I shadowed would send home weekly

newsletters that included spelling lists, events for the week, homework notifications,

and any other information that was must have for the parents. Again I thought

otherwise, as I was more focused on the extra time it took and not the outcome of

them. What can I say, I was naive and I was proved wrong (isn’t that the point of

student teaching, to learn through mistakes or misconceptions?). Parents would connect

with me and reference the newsletter directly in the conversations, proving my original

theory incorrect. Being a parent myself, I began to look at the newsletters that my own

child was bringing home and making that connection. I myself began to establish a

closer relationship with my own child’s teacher just by the newsletter. Being that I

worked, the newsletter kept me current o what was going on within the classroom.

Even though her newsletter was monthly instead of weekly it still helped. Once I

started working in my classroom, with the demand of all the daily paper work I still

found the time to send out monthly newsletters to keep all my parents up to date

especially those that I hardly encountered. This newsletter was based off my literacy
lesson. The newsletter was to encourage the parent to continue the learning at home

along with ideas they can incorporate at home.

Connections to Standards

INTASC Standards

3(a) The teacher collaborates with learners, families, and colleagues to build a safe,

positive learning climate of openness, mutual respect, support, and inquiry.

3(q) The teacher seeks to foster respectful communication among all members of the

learning community.

New York State Code of Ethics for Educators

Principle 5 Educators collaborate with parents and community, building trust and respecting

confidentiality. Educators partner with parents and other members of the community to enhance

school programs and to promote student learning. They also recognize how cultural and

linguistic heritage, gender, family and community shape experience and learning. Educators

respect the private nature of the special knowledge they have about students and their families

and use that knowledge only in the students’ best interests. They advocate for fair opportunity for

all children.

TEAC/CAEP

Claim 1: Medaille College graduates know the subject matter in their certification area(s)

Claim 2: Medaille College graduates meet the needs of diverse learners through

effective pedagogy and best teaching practices.

Claim 3: Medaille College graduates are caring educators.

 ILA Standards

Element 1.1

 Identify examples of reading instruction for developing word recognition, language

comprehension, strategic knowledge, and reading–writing connections.

 Identify conditions that support individual motivation to read and write (e.g., access to print,

choice, challenge, interests, and family and community knowledge) as factors that enhance

literacy learning for all.