Communications

Student and Parent communication are extremely important every school year, but this year, due to the challenges of distance learning, it will be even more critical.

There are four ways a parent or student can communicate with me.

E-mail

Both parents and students can communicate with me by e-mail. I will always answer e-mail, but it may take me as long 24 hours if sent Monday through Thursday, and potentially not until the following Monday if sent on a Friday or the weekend. While you can be assured a response, the next option is the best choice for a quick response.

Remind

Remind is a free app and can be used on a phone or computer. Remind is an excellent communication tool for both students AND parents, where each person can create an account. Everyone gets the same messages that I post (parents and students). Everyone can also ask me questions individually (parents and students.) I frequently post reminders about meetings, assignments, and changes in planning. I also check Remind several times a day. I will even respond to messages outside of my contract time/days, including on the weekends. Students find this immediate response very helpful when working on homework or if they have a pressing question. I do ask that you not message after 11:00pm.

To join my Remind class, you just need the class code to sign-up. Codes are different for each class and will be provided by e-mail. When you sign up, students need to be SURE to use your first and last name and choose the role of “student.” If you are a parent, please use your first and last name and select the role of “parent.” As it is not always easy for me to tell which parents belong to which students, immediately after signing up, please send a message indicating to which student you belong. If I do not recognize the name of a student or parent as either being on my roll, or being directly related to a student, I will delete the account.

Canvas comments on assignments

Canvas offers both the teacher and the student the opportunity to comment on assignments in a specified field. I frequently provide feedback in this format. I also read the comments that students leave here. I only see these comments when I am actually grading ungraded assignments, so this is not a good way to ask a general question. It is, however, a great way to communicate about a specific assignment.

Phone

You can leave a message on my school extension (by calling the school), but I only check my inbox a few times a month. While we are learning remotely, this method of communication is not recommended.