What parents need to know when attending open house

What parents need to know when attending open house With the school year under way, parents will soon receive news of Open House or Meet the Teacher events scheduled at their children’s schools. Here are a few tips to help parents make the most of these events:

Do your research
Find out what programs exist at your child’s school and how your child can get involved. Programs can include curricular and extracurricular activities, which take place during or after the school day. Many schools work with partners to provide additional learning opportunities and services to students. Learn what the school offers outside of the classroom to widen the scope of your child’s educational experience.

Open House or Meet the Teacher Night are great opportunities to discuss your child’s involvement in these activities in the upcoming school year.

Get to know the main players

Building a relationship with the teachers and principals who will be working with your child throughout the year can be an important part of actively supporting your student’s education. Open the lines of communication by exchanging contact information with principals, counselors and teachers, as well as any extracurricular sponsors that your child will interact with throughout the year.

These are the people who will be able to fill you in on where you child is socially, emotionally and academically while at school and can work with you in the event your child needs help in any of these areas.

Be an advocate for your child
Be prepared to share any special needs or situations that require special attention to meet your child’s needs. Whether your child requires additional services for disabilities or needs help in any areas of their educational development, make time to share information about your child with teachers and other school personnel who may be involved in educating your child.

Get technological
The Dallas Independent School District offers online services such as Parent Portal that allow parents to register for online access to their child’s grades and attendance. Within Parent Portal are communication tools for parents and teachers, assignment descriptions and due dates, and options to set up alerts if your child is absent or if changes occur in their grades.

Most Open House or Meet the Teacher events will have a media specialist on-hand to guide parents through registration and a brief tutorial of Parent Portal, which is accessible by mobile device and computer and available in both English and Spanish.

Get additional information on the Parent Portal, including how to register.