During my practicum I organized a few field trips. While trips to the grocery store, library, and a nature walk were close enough that we did not need any transport or extra assistance, our trip to UBC Farms required parent drivers. This was a good opportunity for me to get to know some of the students’ parents better as most of the students take the bus or go to after school care so I do not get to interact with their families much.
My School Advisor sent home frequent letters to families keeping them involved with what was going on in the classroom and any special upcoming activities. I also liked how she had the students write what we did in school if their was a special activities so that when the parents read their child’s planner at home they would see this message and ask them about it to spark conversation and have the student explain what they had learned. I thought this was a great idea and when I was in charge of writing the planner message on the board I would use this strategy was well. I think it is really important to involve students’ families as much as possible so they can stay connected and have the student reflect on their learning at home. It also aids in creating not only a classroom community, but a school community as well.