This is the letter that I sent to all of my students' families upon beginning my one of my observation semesters at a school. I was able to let them know who I was and what my hopes were for the year.

This relates to IPTS standard 8D which states that the competent teacher "understands the benefits, barriers, and techniques involved in parent and family collaborations" because it shows how I was able to connect with families right away from the beginning of my student teaching semester.

I learned that it is important to dive into the community no matter what position you have at a school. As a teacher candidate in the classroom, I was not the record teacher responsible for communicating with families in the same way as the general education teacher was. However, I learned that this initial letter was a quick way to build relationships and rapport with my students' families.

This is an example of a newsletter that I sent home one week of my student teaching. I sent home a newsletter once a week to be able to communicate with parents and families about the details of what we were learning that week in the classroom. 

This relates to IPTS standard 8Q which states that the competent teacher "establishes respectful and productive relationships with parents or guardians and seeks to develop cooperative partnerships to promote student learning and well-being" because of my communication with parents in an informative and respectful way. My cooperating teacher's contact information was also placed in the newsletter as a way of welcoming parents to reach out and develop cooperation as well.

I learned that this is something that I will for sure continue into my first year as a teacher and moving forward. It is a great way to communicate with parents, encourage student involvement, and keep myself organized for the week ahead.