0 How Do You Keep Parents Informed?

Last year, keeping my parents informed was easy.  They LOVED that I had a classroom website and that they could keep up on day-to-day happenings in the classroom.   I plan on doing it again this year.  I will share a few pictures of what I have completed so far for the upcoming year.  I really don't know what happened to the summer, but it seems to have flown by!

I created my classroom website at amazingclassroom.com.  It is soooo easy to make a classroom website and you don't need any html or css knowledge.  You can also change your templates throughout the year, or keep it the same. If you want a professional looking website without a TON of work and code writing, this is perfect for you!

Currently, there are 16 different templates to choose from, and again, with the click of a button, you can change the look of your website. You can see the templates here.

 One of my personal favorites is the "Colored Pencils" Template.  That's what I am using to present my website to my parents on open house and then again on our curriculum night.

Below is a picture of my home page.  This is the first page my parents will see.  My contact and weekly info is located on the right with my different page buttons at the top.

 Another thing that makes creating your classroom website easy, is that you can type in links anywhere in your text.  I will sometimes make a symbaloo set of links and the parents can then
click on that link on my website page to have their students practice on skills and concepts they
are learning in class.

Below is my homework page.  We always write our homework in our planners, but sometimes those don't make it home.  Parents LOVE this because (not like any of the kiddos would ever tell a little lie about homework) they can check and see what their child has to complete for homework each night.

The next picture contains the same information, but a new template.  All I did was log into my account, go to website update, and changed the template.  It's that easy!  Below is another one of my favorite templates featuring ThistleGirlDesigns!

 It may look like a TON of work, but it's really not.  It only takes a few minutes each week to change and update information.  I also include links to games on the home page and when we go to the computer lab, the students go to our classroom website, and can then click on the links to play the games.

This is what I am presenting to my parents at open house.  It will keep them informed, up-to-date, and since I am going to use it anyway, I don't need to create another presentation that night.  My contact information is also included so parents can email me if needed for any reason.  There are buttons for main subject areas, homework, rules, contact info, schedule, and photos.

You can also add links for your Google Calendar and other widgets on any page to keep parent's informed.  Once your name and contact info are included on your website, you can easily create a weekly classroom newsletter from your info with another variety of templates to choose from.

If you are unsure of how to create a classroom website, or don't know html code or css, amazingclassroom.com makes it super, super, easy!

How do you keep parents informed?  I would love to hear your ideas!