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 Dear Parents:

Please allow me to introduce myself, Kim Blake, and I will be your child's teacher this school year.  I am very excited to be working with you, your child, and this class of third grade students.  I am very passionate about teaching and guiding young minds in their educational journey.

Here is a little background on me: I graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1992 and I am currently pursuing a master's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Minnesota.  I have been working in the Anoka Hennepin School District for the past 8 years as a substitute teacher in grades K-12 covering all subjects.  For the past three years I have been working primarily at Monroe Elementary as a long term substitute teacher in grades kindergarten, second, fifth and art.

I have several core values as a teacher: high expectations, making a difference in student lives, and flexibility.  As parents/guardians of these third graders there are several ways that you can help me to create a learning atmosphere for students to excel and move forward in their education.  Involved parents/guardians make sure their children have the tools they need to be successful in class while engaged parents/guardians will also check their homework, ask them what they learned everyday, play games, and read with them every night.  By doing these simple things with your child they will understand that you value what they are doing and that you are invested in their education.

Kindness and creativity are the two elements that I instill in my classroom culture. "Collaborative learning gives students the opportunity to help others and to reflect upon the experiences and needs of others" (Jennings, 2015,  p 147).  Our classroom family has many unique members with a variety of backgrounds.  Everyone is different and has something to offer our class.  This year we will be learning about our differences and many similarities.  We will also be learning on being a better bucket filler towards our friends and classmates.

To keep parents/guardians aware and involved with our class this year I will be using the classroom app- SeeSaw.  On this app you will be able to see everything including your child's work as well as receive emails and announcements from me.  I will also be sending home monthly calendars and weekly newsletters with your students.  "Culture is the invisible force that shapes behavior in a country, an organization, or a classroom" (Knight, 2013,  p 250).  "When we are mindful of the elements of the classroom that we can control, we can, like a composer, orchestrate  these elements to create the optimal conditions for learning" (Jennings, 2015, p 139).

                                                                SeeSaw App








Weekly newsletter






I would also like to provide you with some ways to engage with your child when it comes to helping them with homework.  If needed, I will provide you with some examples on how to complete the homework, suggestions on some books to read with your child, the current list of spelling words, and websites to give extra help.  If you desire any other kind of resource, please do not hesitate to contact me.  We can work together to find what is best for your family and student.  "The learning environment is a critical part of the learning experience" (Knight, 2015, p 146).  I am here to help you help your child, we are a team.  "When it comes to emotions, children have a strong innate tendency to follow an adult's emotional lead" (Jennings, 2013, p. 140).  





















Parents, again I'm so excited to start this school year and to get to know your child.  Your first parent "homework assignment" will be to bring the following questionnaire about your child and family to open house.  This questionnaire will give me a snapshot into your child.  It is very important for me to have good open communication with all parents/guardians of your students.  Please provide the best phone numbers and emails to reach you.  If you would like a translator available at open house please contact me and I will arrange it.  My email is KKKKKKKKKKKKK and my voicemail is KKKKKKKKK.



I look forward to meeting you and your student at open house on Sept, 2, 2020.

Kim Blake

Comments

  1. PennyNovember 7, 2020 at 6:46 AM

    Kim, your letter stressed the importance of communication between school and home by including multiple ideas for sharing information. While we determined in class that this assignment (long letter with quotes and slide show with information most parents don't really care about) is not exactly how you would welcome parents to your classroom, the need to keep parents informed is important.

    In your letter you referenced a weekly newsletter and included an image. I think it's a great idea and hope you seriously consider incorporating a newsletter into your weekly routine when you have your own classroom. Consider that daily you are developing relationships with your students. A newsletter is one way that you can build your relationships with families. Keeping them informed can encourage involvement and engagement. Yes, it is more work. However, the pay off can be great, and there are ways to reduce the amount of time it takes.

    Creating a template (similar to the image you included) provides predicability and allows you to add items as the week goes on. Including a couple of "set" sections (special events, new units of study, parent volunteer opportunities) requires less thought. And if you start to wonder if your newsletters are actually being read, skip a week and see what happens. There were occasions when I didn't get my newsletter sent out and more than once a parent would ask "Is everything OK?" or comment that they hoped the week hadn't been too challenging!

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