Weekly Reports

- 17 comments
Communicating with parents is such an important part of our job.  I mean, we are teaching someone else's pride and joy, so it makes sense to keep those partners in the loop as far as school is concerned.

With that being said, this is an area I struggle with.  It is so difficult to find time to keep 30+ students' parents informed, as well as do the rest of my teacherly duties.  So, in an effort to TRY and keep the lines of communication open, I created my Weekly Report that I have been using for the past...gosh...10 years!

Click here to take you to the FREE document on Teachers Pay Teachers
Here is a sample from a few years ago.
It is basically a "check and circle" form, with some lines.  I circle the student's behavior, then homework information and if I have anything to say, I write it on the lines.  If I have nothing to say, I leave the lines blank. I also color their card color on the day word (I use the "Turn a Card" system)  On the bottom of the form, I check off any curricular areas the students should work on.  Usually I put the specific area (ie: on the math section, I would write "fractions") but sometimes I don't.  It all depends upon my time allotment for that day.

These reports then get cut in half, glued into the student Planners, are taken home with all of the week's work, and come back on Monday signed by Mom or Dad.  Easy Peezy.

I usually fill these out while the students are taking their Friday quizzes (yes, I am one of those mean teachers who gives a math and language arts quiz each Friday ;) )  It takes me about 20 minutes to fill in 30 of them...a teeny bit more time last year when I had 36 students.  If for some reason I don't give a quiz, I will gladly stay in at recess to do them.  (They are THAT important to me that I will give up my precious break!)

The best part about them is that since I have begun doing this, I NEVER EVER EVER get a parent on report card day who isn't aware of what grade their child will be getting.  Conferences are short and sweet, and everyone leaves "happy" (well, some parents are happy, but they aren't surprised ;) )
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17 comments

  1. JillJanuary 14, 2012 at 7:44 PM

    Someone else wrote about a weekly form like this earlier this week. I think it's a sign that I should be doing this! I get a lot of parent emails or parents stopping in to see how their student is doing. This would tell them! Thanks!!! :)

    Marvelous Multiagers!

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    1. ~Stephanie January 14, 2012 at 9:46 PM

      Sending out a form really does keep the parents in the know, and eliminates a lot of the unexpected stop bys :)

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  2. Lisa Lizak and Beth WrightJanuary 14, 2012 at 7:47 PM

    This is great! Thanks for the wonderful documentation idea for parents :) I use something similar, but I like how detailed yours is. Have a happy rest of your weekend!

    Lisa :)
    Made In The Shade In Second Grade

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  3. KristenJanuary 14, 2012 at 7:57 PM

    So, so smart...like everything you post about! I would give anything just to sit and observe your class for a day Stephanie! Thanks for this--and everything!!
    Kristen

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    1. ~Stephanie January 14, 2012 at 9:45 PM

      Thanks Kristin....you are such a bucketfiller! And you are welcome in my class any day. :)

      Delete
  4. KathyJanuary 14, 2012 at 10:11 PM

    I do something very similar and totally agree with you - parents are never surprised. In my year the students go for school leadership positions. These reports come in very handy when explaining to a parent why their child is not being considered.

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  5. ChristinaJanuary 15, 2012 at 5:57 AM

    Great job again Stephanie! I love how much more detailed it is, but nit too detailed. Also, I'm excited that you have it translated in Spanish. Thanks again for sharing!

    Always 
    Live.Laugh.Teach

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  6. Beg, Borrow, and Teach! blogJanuary 15, 2012 at 8:57 AM

    I love this idea! I created oversized postcards on Vistaprint.com with this information on them. I also made return address labels that I can stick in students' agendas to let parents know to check for the card. I'll wait until they're both free to actually order them. Thanks for this!

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  7. ~Stephanie January 15, 2012 at 1:56 PM

    Thanks everyone! I hope that it is useful to you!

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  8. LoriJanuary 15, 2012 at 2:51 PM

    Great work Stephanie! Communication with parents is so important to do, but easy to let time slip away and not get it done. No surprises to the parents with this!

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  9. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2012 at 2:10 PM

    Thank you SO much for posting this!! I struggle with parent communication too. I find it more difficult because I leave at noon from one school to get to my other school, so when do I call them? When I get home? Do I give up my prep time, which i find hard because my morning job is so much more time consuming them my afternoon job (26 of everything to mark)so having this sheet sent home would be a wonderful idea!! Thank you!

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  10. EsonnFebruary 3, 2012 at 7:34 PM

    I love how detailed your form is! I wish I would have had a form like this when I first started teaching.

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  11. Lucia13June 2, 2012 at 4:26 PM

    definitely a To-do idea for me,thank you for sharing!

    Lusine
    Enjoy Teaching English

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  12. JocelynJune 3, 2012 at 8:21 PM

    I would love to have a copy of these. Improving weekly communication is one of my goals for next year. I went to TPT and it states the file cannot be found. Is it still there, or can you email me a copy? Thanks,

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    1. ~Stephanie June 3, 2012 at 8:32 PM

      Be sure to click on the caption below the picture, not the picture itself. Then you should be able to get the document :)

      Delete

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