Communication Key in Starting New School
By Kristin Babcock, The Olathe News, Kan.
Jul. 23–Before he approached his nine-year-old son Tyler about going to a new school, Tony Jackowski tried to learn as much as he could about Woodland Elementary.
“Nobody likes change, so there was apprehension,” Tony Jackowski, said.
Tyler’s older brother went through every grade level at Meadow Lane Elementary School. The family and school faculty were on a first-name basis.
But, when new boundaries were drawn, Tyler’s move to a new school became definite.
Woodland Elementary, the Olathe school district’s 33rd elementary school, will open in August. Most students going to the school will come from Meadow Lane and Washington elementary schools.
By spring of this year, Stacy Shipley, principal, conducted meetings for new Woodland families like the Jackowskis. Families who had been used to one school and will move to a new environment.
“At the first parent meeting we worked to lay the groundwork,” Shipley said. “We explained the vision for the school, how important our job is in caring for their students. I think one challenge in opening a new school is building relationships with families. Trust is so important because they don’t know us yet.”
When Ravenwood Elementary School opened four years ago, it was that reassurance parents looked for most, Principal Tanya Channell said.
They want to know about discipline plans. They want to know about classroom management, the building and the staff.
“Parents want to know their student will be treated with love, dignity and respect,” Channell said.
Ravenwood was the second time Channell started with a new elementary school. She, too, met with parents frequently to explain what kind of school their children would attend.
“Everyone is so excited when a new school starts,” Channell said. “It is a happy thing for most everything. If the kids come, they want to be there because it’s an exciting time. There’s a brand new building. New t-shirts. You get to start all over.”
Tony Jackowski attended several parent meetings about Woodland.
He drove by the new building frequently. He talked with the new principal and met new teachers. He became especially interested in the efforts Woodland was making to become an environmentally-friendly school.
“I got to the point where I said to Tyler, ‘this is going to be cool being one of the first students,’” Tony Jackowski, said. “You will meet a whole bunch of new friends and will be trying stuff out for the first time.”
One thing Shipley said she has learned about incoming parents at Woodland is they “really want to be involved.” This has helped in forming parent organizations. Part of the introduction process is asking parents to get involved.
The forming of the Parent Teacher Organization was the first step to begin parent involvement at Ravenwood, Channell said. From there, more parent volunteers were found. The Watch D.O.G.S. program formed a year after the school opened. Now, almost every day a father volunteer is at the school.
“There are so many volunteers in the school, I couldn’t even begin to count them,” Channell said.
Boy Scouts had been particularly important to the Jackowski family at Meadow Lane, so they were especially interested to find out what the program would be like at the new school.
Because Shipley was so willing to talk to them about how the program could continue, he was not concerned, Tony Jackowski said. The program will continue to include students from both Meadow Lane and Woodland this year, he said.
To keep parents informed will be an ongoing process. More than 400 students are expected to attend the new school.
“That’s a lot of children to get to know quickly,” Shipley said.
The challenge is evaluating classroom placements, making sure healthy adjustments happen all around the school. Shipley also has met with students to talk about their new school. In talking to them, she knows some worry whether they will have a playground, if they will have music classes, and who are their teachers.
“You want to reassure them,” Shipley said. “I let them ask questions so I could be able to answer them.”
Woodland will soon have its sneak-a-peek night for students to meet teachers and tour the building. Students also will have team-building events with students in their grade-level starting in early August.
“They can ask questions of their teachers,” Shipley said. “They can see them and interact with them.”
As the year goes on, standard methods of communication used in Olathe district schools are phased in. This year, schools in the district will use text messages to inform parents. There will continue to be newsletters, the school Web site and communication with each individual teacher.
“At each school, the basic pieces of communications are the same,” Shipley said.
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