Parent teacher communication

One of the most beneficial aspects of teaching is building positive relationships with parents. Effective parent and teacher communication essential for a teacher to be successful. A good relationship between parents and teacher is invaluable towards maximizing the time that the teacher has with your child. A student who knows that the teacher communicates on a regular basis with their parents and who knows that their parents trust the teacher will likely put more effort into school. Likewise, a student who knows that the teacher rarely or never communicates with their parents and/or their parents do not trust the teacher will often pit the two against each other. It is vital that parents/carers form a strong, open relationship with their classroom teacher, as this is the person in the school who will come to know your child best. They are the person who will initiate conversations about how best to help your child, and they will be able to problem-solve situations with you. Parents/carers and teachers need to work closely together for the benefit of each child. Please arrange clear communication procedures from the beginning of each year with your teacher/s. It is not unusual for these conversations to be about concerns you have about your child’s progress, or general school matters. Minor concerns may become bigger issues if you do not address them with school staff. We have found most issues are best resolved through prompt and courteous communication, directly with your classroom teacher in the first instance. Department of Education and Training and Alpha State School are committed to ensuring that all parents/carers have their concerns dealt with in a fair and equitable manner. Our school processes aim to support parents/carers and school staff to work through issues towards a satisfactory outcome. Our expectation is that parents/carers will contact the school first, namely the classroom teacher or specialist teacher if applicable.

How we communicate 

How the Principal will communicate with you 

If you want to talk to the principal about something call – 0427 158 456. The principal is available anytime. They will usually be able to talk the issue through with you, make a plan to address the issue or give you the information you need. The principal would rather you contact them than get the wrong information or not be able to access information. The principal will email our parent group each week. This will be about school, student learning, student management, lunchtimes, upcoming events and general information Through Alpha State School Facebook Page Alpha State School has our own Facebook page!  Please take the time to ‘like’ the page. This page will be updated throughout the year with messages about school on a regular basis. The Facebook page is for announcements and positive news stories about the school. It is not a forum to resolve issues or negativity. Any inappropriate comments or action taken on the page will result in the person being blocked by the principal. Any concerns, questions or issues can be privately messaged or you can contact the school or by mobile anytime. Drop by the office if you want to see the principal. If available they will see you straight away. to see the principal out in the grounds before and after school on a regular basis if not every day. The principal also out every lunch break helping out on duty.

How your child’s teacher will communicate with you

Phone Communication — It is appreciated if telephone calls to the school were made between 8.00am and 4.00pm. Messages to teachers may be given to the Administrative Officer who will pass them on to the person concerned.  Teachers are not interrupted during teaching periods, unless the matter is considered urgent.  The school has a telephone answering machine and messages should only be left before 8:00am and after 4:00pm as the machine is checked in the mornings only.

Concerns