4.8 COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES

4.8.1 WRITTEN AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

Teachers who wish to use school letterhead for any type of written communication should get prior approval from their direct supervisor. Letterhead is to be used for official FASPS communication only.

Teachers are responsible for communicating with parents in English (unless both parents expressed their preference to communicate in French) through a grade-appropriate communication tool (MyFASPS, OneDrive, Teams, Seesaw). Other tools must be approved by a direct supervisor. Teachers will communicate class-related news, field-trip announcements, special celebrations, learning beyond the classroom, and any other pedagogical information to parents on a regular basis. Teachers will inform parents at the beginning of the year of which method of communication they will use. Grade parents’ role is to coordinate celebration/party logistics, and other class-related activities.

FASPS administration may also use grade parents to communicate with parents regarding the Gala and other general reminders.

Teachers are expected to respond to parents’ emails, with at least an acknowledgment of receipt of the email, within 24 hours when school is in session. Employees are required to check emails at least twice a day: at the beginning of the day and before leaving the school premises. Teachers are encouraged to seek advice from the administration in case of sensitive issues/matters. After two email exchanges, if an issue remains unresolved, we recommend inviting parents to meet in-person or face-to-face online. A meeting should then be scheduled in advance, outside of class time to allow for ample meeting time. Impromptu conferences or meetings with parents should be strongly discouraged by teachers. Most questions should be resolved within three business days. If resolution will take longer, the employee’s supervisor should be notified.

Time estimates should be reasonable and made in good faith. When it appears likely that an original estimate will not be met, a revised estimate should be provided along with the reasons for the revision. Once a commitment is made to resolve a subject by a certain time, the employee remains responsible to ensure that the resolution happens or that the person leaving the message is notified of the resolution status. Any unreasonable delays in resolving a subject should be reported to the employee’s supervisor.

FASPS expects colleagues to use in-person/live dialogue with the parties involved if conflicts arise. It is important to consider how a person’s readiness and the location set for the dialogue will support a positive outcome.

Use of technology (such as cell phones or laptops) during meetings should be used for notetaking or to monitor school-related communications (if necessary). Please refrain from conducting any personal matters on electronic devices during meetings. As a courtesy to colleagues and meeting attendees, please step outside of the meeting room to respond to any personal emergencies if they arise.

4.8.2 WEEKLY COMMUNICATION

Every Friday, parents, students in Grades 5–8, FASPS employees, alumni, and trustees will receive FASPS’s Friday Flash e-newsletter, which contains pertinent information about FASPS news, events, deadlines, FPC activities, and other matters of interest. Employees are asked to read this important communication tool every week. All Friday Flashes are posted on the MyFASPS Communications Resource Board.

Using the iPad / iPod provided by the school, please take pictures of class projects, activities, outings, events on a regular basis for the yearbook and other publications. Teachers may also request that members in the Communications office come to take pictures and video of special events, important student milestones, visits from special guests, etc. per their availability.

Please do not send every photo taken in a given week or for one particular event as sifting through hundreds, sometimes thousands, of photos each week can overwhelm the Communications Department. Please curate all photos and select only the best photos taken to submit. Please limit the number uploaded per event to 7 or fewer. Teachers may share an unlimited number of class photos with parents via their FASPS email or internal communications systems The Communications Director or members of the Communications Department will provide each teacher with a login and instructions for how to upload class photos to the FASPS Data Asset Management System. Publication of any photo and other media of students must adhere to parent approval.

4.8.3 YEARBOOK AND DOCUMENTATION

The school develops and produces a Yearbook and other publications covering the life of the school and pages about each class every year. The book is finalized by early June and released the following September.

Photos for the Yearbook will be selected from the previously curated weekly class photos submitted by the teachers for use in the FASPS Weekly Communication (see Section 4.8.2) One complimentary copy of the yearbook is offered to each employee per their request.

4.8.4 GENERAL BULLETIN BOARDS

Inside and outside bulletin boards are used to communicate FASPS and community news and events to the FASPS community. If an employee is interested in posting something on the general bulletin boards in the Friday Flash, please email FridayFlash@ FASPS.org; this does not include the bulletin board outside the classrooms. Posting on anything other than bulletin boards is not allowed in order to protect our walls, windows, and doors. Any use of FASPS’s logo must first be approved by the Communications, Marketing, and Public Relations Department.

An evening meeting is planned within the first month of school, to which all parents are invited, and all teachers and teacher assistants and class assistants are required to attend. Fall Info Nights will be hybrid: The evening provides parents with a clear understanding of their child’s program of studies. Teachers present their teaching philosophy, the program, their objectives and methods, and their preferred way to communicate with parents.

The following are a few suggestions for the occasion:

• Decorate the classroom and post samples of students’ work, in French and English, class textbooks, as well as the teachers’ academic objectives.

• Use of a bilingual PowerPoint presentation is strongly encouraged.

• General organization of the classroom: o Presentation of French and English textbooks, French cahiers and books o Classroom schedules and example of daily schedule/routines o Use of “cahier de texte” or student planner o Learning beyond the classroom and after-school Learning o Behavior expectations and classroom rules o Use video

• Cover the following: Yearly goals with specific objectives and methods, the assessment process, the approach to harmonization and differentiation, learning beyond the classroom, special projects, method of communication between parents and faculty, etc.

• Available documents: Weekly schedule for the class, showing the French program and English program times and the subject matters covered. Program overview for the Grade level.

• Avoid being sidetracked by one parent who may embark upon any individual concern or issue. If this happens, tell the person to schedule a meeting to discuss the matter since time is short and there is a lot to cover.

• Do not discuss an individual student’s health, attendance, participation, progress or personal matters.

• Remind parents of upcoming Parent-Teacher conferences.

• Conduct presentations in English, with support from colleagues as needed.

Three Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled during the year. Please refer to the calendar for details. Parents must sign up to obtain an appointment with their student’s teacher. At that time, teachers are expected to give a detailed assessment of the student’s progress, successes, and challenges that should not come as a “surprise” to the parents (challenges that require attention should be communicated as soon as they occur and are being identified). In cases where there is a specific issue, parents should be notified as the issue arises. It is also advisable to show parents their student’s work. Supplementary private conferences may be set up at any time, either in person or by telephone, if the need is felt, either at the parent’s, teacher’s, or the administration’s request.

The Individual Parent-Teacher Conference form must be filled out for both an in-person conference and a telephone conference and sent to Lower School or Middle School Head. Student testing or counseling must not be recommended by the teachers without prior discussion with the Division Head and Dean of Students. Teachers must not make recommendations to parents about other teachers for their children. Middle School students are expected to attend their conferences. For grades 7-8, the first conference is student-led. For grade 6, the second set of Middle School conferences uses a student-led format.

4.11 PROGRESS REPORTS AND MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORTS

Progress Reports will be posted to MyFASPS two times during the school year. The comments are reviewed by the Division Heads or their designee. When completing progress reports, please keep the following points in mind:

• Be positive, specific, and constructive.

• Be empathetic: see the parent’s perspective and offer suggestions to help them better understand.

• Offer strategies or constructive suggestions for correcting concerns

• Do not make comparisons with other students (including siblings).

• Discuss each student with a counterpart(s) before filling out the report.

• Teachers are encouraged to communicate regularly with parents about students’ progress in order to proactively partner with parents and avoid a belated sharing of information. In cases where there is a specific issue, parents should be notified prior to receiving the information in the progress report or semester report.

• Focus on student achievement rather than the student’s personality or potential.

• Do not refer to student absences.

• Describe behavior rather than label it.

• In alignment with our differentiation expectations, reference should be made to an area for improvement and an area for commendation.

• Middle School teachers will adhere to the Assessment Timeline for each semester and the Reports and Comments Writing Guide.