Family Connections Protocol and Suggestions

Family Connections Protocol and Suggestions

Purpose

· Welcome families

· Begin building strong relationships

· Gather information for families about children

· Focus on the child's strengths

Recommended protocol

· Conduct at least a 30-minute meeting with each family

· Introducing Me booklet is used to guide the conversations

· Balance the conversation with sharing information and gathering information

· Observational data may be collected to support WaKIDS documentation

· Refrain from pulling the child aside for 1:1 assessing

· Leave 5-10 minutes for school specific topics, routines and procedures

Suggested ideas

· Extend the conversation beyond the items in the Introducing Me booklet

· Ask about previous preschool experience (see PreK Experience Questionnaire)

· Reference the child’s transition report received from the preschool teacher, and kindergarten questionnaire from registration information

· Check to see if the child is right or left handed

Ways to use the Introducing Me booklet

· Reference some of the questions and use it to guide the conversation

· Send the booklet home before the family connections meeting; family then brings it completed to their individual meeting for collaboration

· Invite the family to come 5-10 minutes early to complete the booklet prior to the meeting

· Go through the booklet together with the family during the meeting

· Use the booklet as a script to ask the family questions

Additional questions to consider:

· For students:

· What excites you about kindergarten? (GOLD Objective10a)

· What do you notice or wonder about this classroom? (GOLD Objective 10a)

· Tell me something you did this summer. (GOLD Objective 9a)

· For parents:

· Did your child go to preschool?

· What makes your child feel successful?

· What are your child’s strengths?

· What strategies work best for your child?

· What triggers, if any, does your child have?

· What concerns do you have?

· How can we best communicate with each other?

· How will your child get to and from school?

· Any allergies or food preferences (ex- don’t eat meat)?
· Other suggestions:
· You might:
· Take a family photo (use the photo to create a class family book)
· Take a picture of the child’s 3-point grip. (Physical Objective 7b)
· Have student write name on Introducing Me booklet (Literacy Objective 19 a)
· Show the student his/her locker, desk, bathrooms, where to put supplies, etc.
· Briefly share school procedures (arrival, lunch, recess, dismissal)
· Share volunteer opportunities
· Have families fill out transportation information (rides bus, walks, parent pickup)
· Start a list of any follow-up communication that might need to be made (example: talk to speech teacher, talk with counselor, get parent form…)
· Have a table outside the kindergarten classroom with books, flyers, resources, and information for families to read if waiting for their appointment
· Have activities for younger siblings to use to keep busy (puzzles, block, etc.)
· Allow 10-15 minutes between appointments for transition
· Save some open slots at the end of day 3 for new students or rescheduling

· Principal and/or other school staff involvement
· Greet the parents in the office and walk them to the classroom at set time.
· Take families on a tour of school before or after meeting
· Introduce to office staff and other teachers

· PTO/PTA involvement
· Greet families
· Provide snacks, water, etc.
· Table set up with committee sign ups

Sample Family Connections 30-40 minute meeting
Greet families outside classroom door
Take family on a tour of the classroom	5-7 minutes
Take a family photo
Invite the family to sit at a table
Begin your conversation using the Introducing Me booklet. Engage both the family and the child	5-10 minutes
Have pencil/crayons/paper for the child to draw a self-portrait and write name, take a picture of child’s pencil grip GOLD Obj 7a, 7b, 19a	5 minutes
Share school/classroom specific routines, procedures etc.	5-7minutes
Show the child where they will enter on the first day and what to expect	5 minutes
Walk the families outside the classroom

v.2 Spring 2016: adapted from Sumner School District’s kindergarten guide

·	Other suggestions:
·	You might:
·	Take a family photo (use the photo to create a class family book)
·	Take a picture of the child’s 3-point grip. (Physical Objective 7b)
·	Have student write name on Introducing Me booklet (Literacy Objective 19 a)
·	Show the student his/her locker, desk, bathrooms, where to put supplies, etc.
·	Briefly share school procedures (arrival, lunch, recess, dismissal)
·	Share volunteer opportunities
·	Have families fill out transportation information (rides bus, walks, parent pickup)
·	Start a list of any follow-up communication that might need to be made (example: talk to speech teacher, talk with counselor, get parent form…)
·	Have a table outside the kindergarten classroom with books, flyers, resources, and information for families to read if waiting for their appointment
·	Have activities for younger siblings to use to keep busy (puzzles, block, etc.)
·	Allow 10-15 minutes between appointments for transition
·	Save some open slots at the end of day 3 for new students or rescheduling


·	Principal and/or other school staff involvement
·	Greet the parents in the office and walk them to the classroom at set time.
·	Take families on a tour of school before or after meeting
·	Introduce to office staff and other teachers

·	PTO/PTA involvement
·	Greet families
·	Provide snacks, water, etc.
·	Table set up with committee sign ups