Dear MS Parents,
Our Middle School Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences will be taking place during the school day, in place of classes, on Thursday and Friday, October 1st and 2nd, 2015. Following, you will find some general information.
Format of Conferences:
Scheduled Appointments Required – You will be able to schedule these appointments online via Pickatime, the online scheduler we use.
Humanities, Math, and Science Teachers: You will be able to schedule a 30-minute block of time to conference with your child’s Humanities, Math, and Science teachers during that time, approximately 15 minutes with Humanities and 7 minutes each with Math and Science.
EAL Teachers: If your child is enrolled in one of our EAL support classes, you will be able to schedule 20 minutes to speak individually with your child’s EAL teacher.
Learning Support Teachers: If your child is enrolled in one of our Intensive Studies (IS) classes, you will be able to schedule 20 minutes to speak individually with your child’s Learning Support teacher.
No Appointments Required (Drop-In Basis) – The following teachers will be available during our two conference days with no appointment needed; simply drop by and see them before/after you’ve met with your child’s teachers from number 1 above.
- PE Teachers
- Performing/Visual Arts Teachers
- World Language Teachers
Note – For elective classes taught by one of our Humanities, Math, or Science teachers, these teachers will not be available to discuss student progress in those elective classes as the teachers will be conferencing with parents about student progress in Humanities, Math, and Science.
If an elective teacher needs to speak with you regarding your child’s progress in that elective class, they will contact you. If you would like more information on your child’s progress in their elective class, please contact the teacher directly.
Expectations:
1. If you are attending the conferences, your child is expected to attend the conferences (dressed in school uniform) with you . Our goal is that your child plays an integral part of the conversation rather than sitting quietly as an observer.
2. If a family does not attend conferences or does not meet with every teacher at conferences, teachers are still expecting students to review their portfolio items and/or reflective pieces at home with parents prior to the conferences. Time in class is being used for students to reflect on their learning, add to their portfolios of work, and/or to create SMART goals. The information posted on Powerschool and HAIKU is also very helpful for understanding student learning progress.
3. If you would feel more comfortable with having a translator present during your conferences, you are encouraged to bring someone along with you.
We are looking forward to seeing you at our upcoming MS Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences where we hope many meaningful conversations take place of not only where your child is at presently in his/her learning, but of where their learning could go next!
When and how to schedule your conference appointments online:
A special MS eNews will be sent out at 7:00am on Tuesday, September 22nd with information of how to log into the scheduler and how to schedule your appointments once inside the scheduler. Parents will be able to schedule their appointments online via the online scheduler anytime between 8:00am on Tuesday, September 22nd to 2:00pm on Wednesday, September 30th.