Short Days for Parent Conferences

This week is dedicated to parent/teacher conferences. This means that we have minimum days all week and dismiss ALL students, K-8, AT 12:20pm.

Please bring your patience to the parking lot during our afternoon dismissal.

If you haven't connected with your child's teacher about a conference, please reach out to them as soon as possible.

For more information on how to prepare for Parent Teacher Conferences, try these links:

From the California PTA

CNN's 5 Tips for Parent Conferences

10 Tips for a Successful Conference

For parents of English Learners

CONNECTING TO THE CLASSROOM

The week of November 1-5 is dedicated to parent/teacher conferences. This means that we have minimum days all week and dismiss ALL students, K-8, AT 12:20pm. Teachers will be reaching out soon about their plans and schedules for conferences. All conferences will be virtual this year. Teachers will share which platforms they will offer conferences, but most, if not all, will use Microsoft Teams or in some cases Google Meet. Unfortunately, recent updates to Zoom have made it incompatible with many of our district devices.

Meeting with your child's teacher is an opportunity to over classroom achievement and how it is measured, namely trimester report cards. It's also an opportunity to discuss what's working, and if something isn't working, take steps to make a change. Working together as a team is the key to moving through the year and maximizing success.

We are thrilled to be back on campus with all students for full school days. However, as children re-adjust to this format after so much time away from it and while we all continue our safety protocols, there are many challenges to overcome. Not every child is at the level we would have expected two years ago. That's why our goal is to meet them where they are and grow them as much as we can. That growth happens at different rates for everyone, and growth can be uncomfortable. Don't be surprised if you hear themes and key words such as "stamina" and "perseverance" when connecting with educators right now. That's a place where almost every child can grow. If you have personal experience with building stamina and perseverance, you might recall that it isn't always fun, but it is essential if we want to get where we want to go. Thank you for helping your child when they face these moments of stress and helping them diffuse it and find themselves growing in the process.

Together, we will make our children travel to levels that will make us all beam with pride!

For more information on how to prepare for Parent Teacher Conferences, try these links:

From the California PTA

CNN's 5 Tips for Parent Conferences

10 Tips for a Successful Conference

For parents of English Learners

Communication Updates

Thank you for your input on our Communication Survey. We've had consistent responses that indicate there are certain parts of our regular communication that are effective and a few need some changes. There was a common request that phone calls and emails weekly were considered redundant. To that end, I will only be sending a combination message (call and email) once each month on a Sunday evening. The other weekly updates each month will be email only. Therefore, I will continue weekly updates, but only one monthly combination phone call/email. If you currently only receive phone calls, you will want to update information in order to get emails the other weeks of each month or at least be sure to check Cheetah Chatter weekly for updates.

Also, there was a request for SMS (texting) messages. We are actually updating our system to be able to accommodate that this year. That will be part of a School District App roll-out. I'm excited to share that the first part of that roll out is available now with two apps, the Santee School District Custom Mobile App, and the School Messenger App!

Custom Mobile App

The official Santee School District mobile app is designed to enable parents, staff, students, and the broader community to stay informed and “up-to-date” on important issues, information, and activities underway within the school community. The free app is accessible from the District’s website santeesd.net/mobile or you can be downloaded it directly from Apple App Store ‎or Google Pay Store.

SchoolMessenger App

The SchoolMessenger App brings together teacher messaging and school notification, providing parents with a single app for all school communications.

· Central location for all messages – parents can view classroom, school, and district level messages in one simple, scrollable “stream” view.

· Attachments included – files, images and videos can be attached to the messaging service.

· Management of incoming messages – parents can manage how they want to receive incoming messages from schools and district.

· Mobile or Web – the messaging service is available as a mobile app or from any web browser (go.schoolmessenger.com).

Features that are coming soon:

· Teacher/Parent communication – exchange messages one-on-one with teachers or in group.

· “Safe-Arrival” – enhanced student absence reporting system.

The SchoolMessenger App is free and is accessible from the District’s Custom Mobile App or you can download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

A Note about Text Messages (SMS Opt-In)

Because the district is launching new communication services that will include the delivery of important information to you via SMS text messaging, you must indicate your willingness to receive text messages to your phone. The district will only use the service to provide information that is timely and relevant.

The SMS Opt-In process is very simple and only takes a few seconds to complete:

Simply text any one of the following words SUBSCRIBE, OPTIN, or YES to the number 67587.

You’ll know you were successful if you receive the following reply message:

“You’re registered 4 SchoolMessenger notifications. Reply STOP to cancel, HELP for help, Msg&Data rates may apply. Msg freq varies,”.

You’ll want to repeat the opt-in process from every wireless number that you wish to include.

In addition to performing the opt-in process above, please ensure that the district has your wireless number(s) in our PowerSchool Student Information System. If you have not already provided the information to your school, please contact the school office, and provide them with that information.

Please note that although the district does not charge you for these services, it does not pay for text message charges that may be incurred by you for sending or receiving text messages. Check with your wireless carrier for possible charges.

Moving forward, I hope that we can continue to tailor our communication to meet your needs while keeping you well-informed about what's happening at Chet!

CHET PTA IS HARD AT WORK!