Commentary by Dr. Beth Niedermeyer
The possibilities are endless for the 2016-17 school year! The Noblesville Schools staff has been busy much of the summer preparing for the opening of school on Aug. 1.
We want to make every school year a great year for the students and families of Noblesville Schools. One important component of this is communication. We need to make sure communication lines are open between our families and school staff.
The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education reports that strong, family-school partnerships lead to greater positive outcomes for students, teachers and just about everyone involved in education. According to the coalition, “Students do better in school and in life. Parents become empowered. Teacher morale improves. Schools get better. Communities grow stronger.” That is pretty compelling data!
In order to ensure every student and staff member has a successful year, here are some helpful communication reminders for us all:
- If you have questions or concerns, please contact the person directly involved first (via email, phone call or face-to-face) so your issue can be best addressed. This helps to resolve your issue and develop strong trusting relationships with all involved. I would caution the use of social media for questions or concerns. Social media posts typically are not solution oriented and sometimes spread information that is not accurate. Social media posts also do not build relationships.
- Share with us when you are pleased. A kind gesture of appreciation goes a long way.
- Communicate often to share helpful information. Be concise and clear.
- When in doubt, ask!
We work hard to communicate timely, relevant and accurate information to parents across multiple platforms and are always open to suggestions of how we can better meet your communication needs.
I look forward to continuing my monthly Table Talks on the second Thursday of every month (while school is in session) at 6:30 p.m. at Noble Coffee and Tea. This is a great opportunity to get to know one another and learn about the great things going on in Noblesville Schools. Please feel free to join me any time you’d like to chat!
Dr. Beth Niedermeyer is the superintendent of Noblesville Schools. Contact her via email at [email protected].
