Family+Partnership+Plan

Still a work in progress....

Family Partnership Plan 

My role as a teacher is to inspire; inspire children to create, explore, question and absorb as they were born to do. I will comfort, encourage, listen and even nudge children when the need arises. I am responsible for creating an environment that fosters these abilities within each student. While implementing my lessons, I will do my best to make sure that the many styles of learners, as Howard Gardner describes, are met. I will also do my best to identify how each student learns and direct my lessons accordingly. My classroom will be filled with encouragement, honesty, and a “can-do” attitude. While I hope to have fun and excitement, there must be a level of responsibility. There will be classroom rules set, with assistance from my students, which I will expect the children to follow. I encourage family members to be familiar with such rules and review them at home. You can expect a copy of the rules to be sent home some time during the first week of school. Please also see the attached handout (#1) highlighting the foundation for our school’s rules; BE SAFE, BE RESPONSIBLE, BE RESPECTFUL.

I look forward to keeping an open door to our classroom. Children learn best when there is collaboration between school, teacher, and home. I will be communicating in many different ways. Prior to school starting, I look forward to meeting with you and your child to discuss the coming year. Once the first week has come and gone, I would like to make contact to discuss how things went and plan for the future. I am hopeful that a convenient time can be established to do this by telephone; however I am available for many other options as well. You can also expect a class note to be sent home each month highlighting what our class has accomplished and any upcoming events. In addition, the school will have a monthly calendar and lunch menu to be sent home at the beginning of each month. If you would like to keep up with our class activities and have access to the Internet, please visit our wiki site at http://kimberlywhetzel.wikispaces.com/. In your registration packet you will find a contact form. It will ask you to list the best times to contact you and by which method. I am available via phone, e-mail, in person, note, or I can accommodate a Skype meeting if that better suits your needs. I would also encourage you to fill out the attached volunteer form (example #2). This form will give me an idea of availability as well as parent strengths that can be utilized in our classroom. If for some reason you are unable to sign up to volunteer at this time, I hope that you take advantage of our open door policy and join in class as often as possible. I am a strong believer that when you take interest in your children’s education, children take note and are more likely to succeed.

Our community is also a great resource that I hope to utilize this school year. You will be receiving a permission slip for your student to spend the day at Alder Creek Children’s Forest in Canyonville early in the year. This is a wonderful opportunity to educate our students about our renewable resources in an outdoor, hand on, environment. In anticipation of your child’s excitement, I encourage you to visit the 78 acre site as recreation to hike and explore at your convenience. If this is something that might interest you please contact them at (541)839-4379. Our community also offers various assistance programs should you need them or know someone that might. This information will be available in your registration packet, via our Wiki Site, or upon request. I look forward to the upcoming school year. If you have any questions or changes in contact, please feel free to contact me. Yours truly,

Mrs. Kimberly Whetzel (541)555-5555 whetzelk@stuedents.sou.edu EXAMPLE #1 *Be SAFE

*Be RESPECTFUL

*Be RESPONSIBLE