Already Planning for the New School Year

It's never too early to start thinking about the beginning of the school year and how we might communicate with parents. Here are two ideas you may want to consider.

Remind 101

Parents don't always check their email but they always check their phones!

Remind 101 allows teachers to communicate to parents via text message without actually sharing phone numbers. It is great for reminders for field trips, class celebrations, project due dates, etc. or any other quick communication. It is an app but you can also sign up online. Click here to learn more. 

Google Forms

If you don't already use them, I suggest creating a parent survey or questionnaire in Google Forms to collect parent info. You might gather preferred method of contact, info that helps you get to know your new students, or even volunteer interest. It's great for student interest inventories, too. The best parts? All responses are collected in one place in a spreadsheet and it's paperless. Share the link via email or post it on your teacher page for parents to respond. 

One important note: No one outside the district can respond to the form unless you change the settings. At the top of the form, uncheck the box for "Require Oak Park School District 97 login to view this form." (Do this for any form you send students, also.)