Emailing or sending a paper newsletter about classroom events, student learning, parent requests, etc., is a weekly duty for most teachers- especially elementary teachers. Weekly newsletters and consistently updated class Web sites offer parents a portal to see into their child’s classroom. As with any visual communication, structure and design can make a difference in getting one’s message across.
As a PYP school at WIS, we use the Unit of Inquiry planner structure to communicate with our parents. I am enjoying the various constructs that PYP provides our students, teachers, and parents to help build a deeper understanding of the program of studies. The image above is a screenshot of one newsletter sent out by the Grade 1 teachers of a PYP school in Montgomery County, Maryland. They do an excellent job of using PYP language to help parents see what is being covered in the homeroom classroom and those of the special teachers. Notice some key PYP terms: Learning Profile, Unit of Inquiry, Central Idea, and Transdisciplinary skills. Using these terms also helps the students and parents have a common language to describe the learning that is taking place.
Here is a link to the full newsletter. Kudos to the College Gardens Elementary School teachers, as all the grade-level newsletters follow the same structure and form. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether one’s curriculum is PYP or not how and what we communicate to parents to support the home-school partnership.
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