GSS Parent’s Back to School Night

September 14th, 2011

Welcome!

Tonight we hope to:

• Make you feel welcome in our school

• Share ideas on how to maintain effective 2-way communication with teachers/administration

• demonstrate how technology is playing an increased role in the teaching/learning of our school

• Provide insights into how technology (Facebook, Twitter) etc impacts our students and how as parents you can help monitor your child’s online presence

Who is this guy?

Taught at Sands (Delta), THSS, SRT

VP at GSS for 5 years

1st year as Principal

Education interests include technology integration, assessment, leadership

Heavily involved in school leadership

Married 10 years to Lia, daughter Jaelyn in grade 1 at AR, son Brady, with CP, in 2nd year of preschool

Communicating With Teachers

The average high school teacher has 200 students across 7 courses

It is difficult for teachers to initiate conversation about the progess of each child

Initiating communication with your child’s teacher will assist you in keeping track of how your child is doing in class

Suggestions for Effective

Communication Set up an email group containing each of

your child’s teachers

Email this group once every 3 weeks

Ask for the specific information you want (ie) “hello, could you please provide me with an up-to-date mark and work habit for my son/daughter. Also, could you please let me know of any missing assignments so we can work to complete them. Thank you.”

Effective Communication

cont… If you don’t hear back from a teacher

within 2-3 working days, call and leave a message at the office

If you haven’t heard back 1-2 days after that, please call the office so we can relay your message to the teacher

Our technology isn’t perfect, so please be patient

Resolving a Concern

Parents should feel confident their concerns can be voiced at the school

If you have a concern with an adult at the school, district policy requires you to address that person first

If you are still unsatisfied, you may contact administration

In cases where you believe a student’s physical/emotional safety are a concern, please contact administration directly

Resolving a Conflict cont…

When speaking directly with people at the school:

a) make sure you are ready to problem solve

b) recognize there are 2 sides to every story

c) speak in a courteous manner: language/behavior that is interpreted as intimidating or abusive can not be tolerated in any workplace

How is Education Shifting?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjJg9NfTXos&list=FLLzyCGltTidcg7u0hsavNew&index=11

Technology in the Classroom

Grade 8 E Pod- 2 classes of students bringing laptops from home

2 IPAD research projects- Ms. Messner and Mr. Ludeman

Live@EDU- district webmail and Microsoft Office available free for all students

FLIP Cams and GPS units being made available for teachers to use with students

Set of 10 netbooks available for classroom teachers to use for 3-1 projects

Technology-Enhanced

Communication Check out the new http://schools.sd42.ca/gss/

Follow us on Twitter: @GaribaldiRebels http://twitter.com/

Like us on Facebook: Garibaldi Secondary School Info Page https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Garibaldi-Secondary-School-Info-Page/145381672221372

Our newsletter is available online on our webpage

My blog: http://gssprincipalsoffice.com/

Suggestions For Managing Your Child’s Online

Footprint Facebook and other social media tools are here to stay

• I choose to look at this as an opportunity to connect our children to the world, but this should be guided and monitored

• I believe as adults, our jobs are to role model appropriate online interactions and to monitor the activity of our kids

Footprint cont..

I would suggest if your child is on Facebook you have their username/password and on random nights sit down and review with them

You should be very clear about how to manage security settings if your child is on Facebook. Comments made and pictures shared are in the public domain

If you and your child are both on Facebook you should not be on a limited profile view of your child’s Facebook page

Footprint….

Twitter is often used by students for short messages

Adults often use Twitter to connect to others with similar interests

Again, you should be aware of your child’s passwords and activities

Engaging in the ‘Big’ Conversations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY&list=FLLzyCGltTidcg7u0hsavNew&index=1

Nutrition for Learning

What our kids put into their bodies goes far in determining success

Breakfast is essential for morning learning

Energy drinks have no nutritional value

Our cafeteria has many healthy choices

You can load a debit card specifically for our cafeteria so you know money is being spent on healthy food

A Call to Arms from Mr. Wiebe

We are always looking for parents to help with coaching/clubs/etc (even if your child says they don’t want you in the school!!)

Please contact swiebe@sd42.ca if you would like to help

Supporting Students- Mrs.

Brown Students who are struggling with

academics should attend the Homework Club (every day at lunch, Tuesday/Thursday after school)

Counselors are available for advice/direction

Some students may qualify for a support block

Upcoming Dates

September 21st PAC Meeting

September 23rd is still an NID

September 28th SSS Back to School Night

September 30th is our first collaboration day

October 20th- Student Led Conferences (awaiting clarification on this)

October 21st Provincial NID