Dear FHUSD Families and Friends,
It’s hard to believe we have already completed our fourth week of school. It really is amazing how quickly the time flies by. With that thought in mind, it is very important that regular home-school communication practices have been established by now. Parent involvement including two-way communication between schools and families has proven to have positive effects on achievement and student engagement.
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB11_ParentInvolvement08.pdf
K-8 Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for October 3rd and 4th but it is important that you are well informed about student progress, classroom performance and grade results well before that time.
There are a variety of ways to stay in touch with your child’s school and classroom. For younger children this includes checking backpacks on a daily basis. For all grades, the school websites direct you to school events, teacher email contact information, and important resources specifically under the “Parents” link on each school homepage. Keeping up with the Falcon Focus newsletters from the principals are also great ways to stay in touch.
The Powerschool Parent Portal is also an excellent tool for parents.See this link for information:
https://tb2cdn.schoolwebmasters.com/accnt_11541/site_229601/Documents/ParentPortalInstructionsPowerschool_FHMS.pdf
. Once the parent account is created you have access to grades for students in grade 4 and above. For all students there is additional information on lunch account balances or fee payment status. An additional benefit is that once the Powerschool Parent Portal account is set up, you can download the phone app so you have instant mobile access to information.
For all of the technology applications that exist for staying in touch, a phone call to your child’s teacher is also a sure way to begin a conversation to find out how your child is doing in school.
I hope the school year is off to a great start and ensuring you are staying in regular contact with your child’s teachers is a positive step on the road to “achieve and celebrate educational excellence.”
Regards,
Robert Allen, Ed.D.
Superintendent
