All teachers at Rozelle Public School value the opportunity to communicate with you about your child's learning and wellbeing.
You can book a time at any time of the year to speak with your child's teacher either face-to-face or over the phone. It is best to make an appointment so that they can give you the necessary time. Please do not speak to them for any great length of time when they are in charge of their class or at lines.
You can phone the office and leave a message asking the teacher to contact you. You may email your child’s teacher directly, if they provide you with their email address. Please be considerate of the number of emails you send and the fact that teachers are teaching during school hours and will not be able to respond immediately.
Parent-teacher meetings can sometimes be a little daunting but these opportunities to touch base with your child’s teachers are important and you shouldn’t miss them.
Here are some tips about how to get the best out of your time with the teacher.
Arrange for an interpreter if needed
If you need an interpreter, let us know before the meeting. Call 131 450 and ask for an interpreter in your language. The operator will get an interpreter on the line to help you. This service is free.
Do your homework
Take a few minutes before the meeting to jot down any questions or comments you have. It's good to have a reminder of the points you wanted to raise. Common questions may include:
- How is my child fitting in with other children?
- What are the children working on now?
- Is there anything about my child’s needs that I should know?
- Does my child ask questions, participate in class discussions and other activities?
- Is my child’s progress satisfactory?
- What activities does my child seem to enjoy the most at school?
- Who are my child’s friends?
- Does my child join in with other children in the playground?
- What kinds of things will the class be doing over the next few weeks?
- How is my child progressing in comparison to others in the year?
- Is there anything I can be doing to help my child at home?
- Do you have any concerns about my child?
- Can you tell me the best time and way to contact you if I have a query or concern?
Also, list anything that might be happening at home that may be helpful for your child’s teacher to know. If your child has seen a specialist for example, there may be some information that is important for the teacher or the school counsellor to know.
Go with the right attitude
Try to approach the meeting with a positive and relaxed attitude, remembering you and the teacher are partners in your child’s learning. Don’t be afraid to raise your concerns. At the same time, if you’re upset about something, let the teacher give you their explanation of the situation.
Don’t let issues brew
Don’t leave it until you’re upset or very worried before you contact the school. Stay in touch with the teacher as best you can, and when a concern arises, make contact to discuss the issue. Give the teacher some clue about your concerns, so they can prepare for your conversation. If, for example, you’re worried your child isn’t making friends, the teacher may want to observe them in the playground before you talk. Or, if you’re concerned your child isn’t performing as well as expected, the teacher may want to check last year’s notes, talk to colleagues or review assessment results.
If there’s something happening at home with your child or another family member, it can affect what’s happening at school, so you may want to let the school know.
Walk away with an agreed plan
Admittedly, there are times when the news isn’t all good. If the teacher raises issues about your child’s learning, development or behaviour, your goal will be to understand the plan to manage that during the school day and how you can help at home.
For example, if your child needs to pay more attention in class and stop distracting others, a behaviour diary which travels between class and home every day may be a good suggestion. The idea is the teacher updates you with a short, written account of your child’s day, so you can discuss it with your child each evening.
Ask the teacher what sort of strategies they have in mind and how you can help.
Plan to communicate
Ask the teacher how you can best communicate with each other in the future. Respect the teacher’s professional skills and expertise and remember you both want what is best for your child.
After a parent-teacher meeting
It’s important to discuss the meeting with your child and really congratulate them on their strengths. If the teacher made suggestions of things you could do at home, discuss these with your child and commit to following through with them.
Be as involved with the school as you can
It’s definitely easier to approach the teacher or the principal when you feel part of the school community.
You may need to get others involved
If you’ve talked to the teacher and still aren’t satisfied with the outcome, you can always make an appointment to discuss your concerns with the assistant principal, deputy or principal. You can bring a support person with you to any meeting at the school. If you need the help of an interpreter, let them know when you make the appointment, so they can arrange to have someone on the phone or at the meeting to help you.