One thing we know for sure is that without parents we’d have no students in our schools. In all seriousness though, when considering what’s best for our students, it is necessary to factor in the important role parents play in school life and what it is they need from us.
An online teaching and learning platform like Schoolbox can play an important role in enhancing a school’s connection with their parent community.
Make it relevant
One memory that we all have from being in a classroom is the trail of school newsletters and handouts that get crammed into a child’s bag at the end of each day. After which, parents are then required to navigate and often interpret a mass of information (even if it has been soaked by the water bottle that’s exploded in their child’s bag) so that they can respond.
Using the News component housed within an LMS like Schoolbox can help to overcome this challenge.
Relevant messages, newsletters and other communication can be targeted to groups of parents. In the Schoolbox News component, you can take this right down to class or individual level.
This means, when a parent receives communication, it is:
- Timely
- Relevant
- Accessible
As a result, parents don’t feel as overwhelmed with information and are more likely to engage and connect with their school, seeing themselves as active participants in their child’s educational journey.
Allow parents access to their child’s learning progress
Once you establish connection with your parents, it’s then important to maintain momentum. Parents love to be able to view what their child is learning!
The Schoolbox LMS has a student profile feature that helps to ensure there is a central place where all learning is stored. Through this feature, parents can access information about class topics, assignments, and develop a greater understanding of the content their child is covering in individual classes. The ongoing effect of this is that parents feel informed to have conversations about school with their child. Instead of simply asking ‘How was your day?’ parents are more confident asking deeper questions such as ‘What did you find challenging about your Science project?, or, ‘What can we do to find out more about this?’.
The advantage of using this feature in an LMS like Schoolbox, is parents can access this information in a time, place and manner that works for them.
Parents also have access to their child’s individual Grades Page to interpret assessments and progress. By providing clear and accessible data, schools are able to promote a continuous reporting model and further increase the level of engagement for both parents and students.
Let parents decide how they want to receive school communications
Schools are busy places. Any number of events can occur on a weekly basis. Although school’s make a conscious effort to keep parents informed, things can get missed. Parents need a way that works for them.
Outside of school life, people generally use a range of applications to navigate their social calendar. To replicate this familiar process, parents need systems that are easily accessible and allow them to choose how to stay informed.
The community portal within Schoolbox strives to align with life as it is for many, by including key features that set up an environment for successful communication:
- Dedicated dashboard for Parents
- Personalised mobile app for anywhere, anytime access
- Notifications system controlled by the preference of the user
In fact, the personalised notification system in Schoolbox enables parents to choose from a range of communication options including; instant notifications, an email digest or even push notifications via the app. With so many choices, parents are able to find a medium that works best for them.
Every parent wants to be an active participant in their child’s learning journey. Selecting the right software can go a huge way towards helping schools keep their parents informed, connected, and engaged.
Bel Clohesy has been a teacher for over 17 years, with expertise in teaching students from Kindergarten to Year 8. With a strong foundation in digital technology, Bel’s priority is ensuring an enhanced teaching and learning experience for K–12 schools.
Find out more about how Schoolbox enhances communication for parents:
