Parent Communication Tools

Home-School Link is Key to Student Success at Ben Franklin Junior High School

May 1, 2007

A major concern of parents as their children enter the adolescent years is the maintenance of close communication between school and home. The elementary years bring very frequent contact between parents and teachers, and at the junior high school level, although a much bigger environment, we attempt to maintain that close contact with our parent community.

The following components and activities are implemented at Ben Franklin Junior High School to maintain close home-school communication.

Our school’s web page provides curriculum guides, athletic and club information, daily announcements, handbooks, department and homework information which can all be easily and quickly assessed through our website.

Family Access is another tool on the district’s web site, which allows parents and guardians access to teachers’ gradebooks and student information. Here, you will be able to see report card, attendance records and lunch account balance for your child. Also available in Family Access are schedules from which parents can link directly to the teachers e-mail and demographic information. The Gradebook Program, which allows parents access to view their child’s progress in the teachers’ gradebooks, is available through Family Access as well. Parents can sign up for Family Access from the district website, under the Family Resources section.

The School Planner is specifically designed for increased parent communication and enhanced study and organizational skills. Parents are encouraged to monitor their children’s planner either daily or weekly to keep abreast of assignments, projects and activities. In addition, mid-quarter reports are recorded in students’ planners to inform parents of mid-quarter progress. The school planner also outlines all school policies as well as school information.

Ben Franklin Junior High’s school newsletter is mailed home to parents six times during the school year. The newsletter is designed to provide useful information regarding school programs and procedures as well as to highlight special events and special activities.

Two options for communicating directly with staff and teachers are through voice mail and email. Parents may be connected with staff voice mail to leave messages for teachers. Email can be sent to teachers and staff through the school and district websites.

It is also important that parents have the opportunity to see the environment where their students are learning every day. All parents are invited to attend monthly parent advisory meetings. Parents develop agendas for these meetings, and they include topics of interest and concern to parents. Parent-teacher conferences are held twice a year at Ben Franklin Junior High School; fall and spring, and during the second week of school, parents are invited to travel through their son or daughter’s schedule during Back to School Night, in order to meet teachers and visit the classrooms.

Communication is important to us and critical for student success. The tools listed above will help maintain the strong and important link between home and school.