Announcements

The Week of November 23rd: Fall Conferences and Thanksgiving Break

It's time for fall conferences!  If you've not had to the opportunity to schedule a parent/teacher conference, please be sure to call your child's school for more information.  Additionally, parents and students are reminded that we'll be using a modified schedule for the week of November 23rd.

The schedule is as follows:

• Monday, Nov. 23 ... half day at Deer Park Elementary/Arcadia; conferences in the afternoon; conferences in the afternoon and evening at Deer Park Middle School (full school day at DPMS)
• Tuesday, Nov. 24 ... no students at DPE/Arc/DPMS;conferences all day at all three schools.
• Wednesday, Nov. 25 ... no students at DPE/Arc/DPMS; conferences through noon; 1/2 day release at DPHS.

If you would like more information about parent/teacher conferences as well as some strategies to maximize the value of your conference, please click on the "Read More" link in the lower right corner of this announcement.

 

Conferences are valuable for students, parents, and teachers:

For students, the parent-teacher conference provides an opportunity to reinforce positive attitudes and behavior.  The facts are overwhelming, students whose parents are interested and involved in the student's school experience generally achieve at higher levels.  For teachers, conferences create a unique and personal opportunity to establish a positive partnership in the student's learning.  Teachers often come away from conferences saying they learned a great deal by interacting with the child's parents.

For parents, conferences offer the opportunity to sit one to one with the teacher and talk about their child. Conferences help parents build a better understanding of the daily routines and expectations in the classroom. This is an important opportunity for parents to get a snapshot of their child as a learner and ask questions about how to help at home.  If you have a serious concern about an area of academic growth, be sure to let the teacher know.  Your child's teacher(s) will be happy to share strategies and ideas to increase success and self-assurance.

Teachers put a great deal of work and time into preparation for these conferences. They are eager to help your child be the best he/she can be. Your support is vital in creating the best possible educational experience for your child.

In order to make your conference experience the best it can be, we've provided some questions you might want to ask.  Additionally, we've also suggested some things you might want to tell the teacher about your child.

Things you may want to ask the teacher:

•     Does my child participate in classroom activities?    


•     Does he/she show self-control in school? 


•     How does my child get along with classmates?    


•     How is my child handling grade level learning materials?    


•     Is my child's comprehension suitable to his/her grade level?    


•     How does my child read orally?    


•     Does my child know grade level number facts?   What about mathematical processes and procedures?
  


•     Does my child express thoughts and ideas clearly?    


•     How is my child's written communication?    


•     Does my child seem happy in school?

Things you may want to tell the teacher:

•     Which school activities your child talks most about at home.      


•     What responsibilities your child handles at home.    


•     If anything has happened lately at home that might affect your child's performance at school.   
  


•     Whether or not your child willingly communicates and completes homework assignments.
  


•     What you believe are your child's strengths and weaknesses.