The School Corridor Tatler

School newsletters are a powerful, strategic resource to engage school communities. There are many schools that send monthly or fortnightly newsletters, yet there are schools that issue weekly newsletters in the areas where I work. Delta Primary School is one of the schools that sends weekly newsletters to parents. The new principal, Hilton Palanyandi, explained the purpose of their weekly newsletters. "I have learned from other schools. I have looked at the various models used by other schools and felt that the weekly newsletter serves our needs. There is so much happening at the school and the newsletter helps to bridge the communication gap between the school and the parents. Parents and learners receive the news briefs about important school business and learner achievements in and outside the classroom. We are also using the newsletter to tackle the problem of late coming at our school and we have had success. Addressing latecoming Late coming was a huge prob...

Homework blues When poor schools build a homework culture at their school s, they add another effective learning strategy to help improve and strengthen their children's learning abilities.  We know that all children can learn. The challenge is to win the parents over to help the school create these learning opportunities at home. Given all the parents' issues, they may see the homework as a minor matter. Schools need to become advertising agencies, promoting homework creatively until parents become the advocates of homework themselves. Think of the Coke adverts. Which person doesn't recognize the Coke slogan, the Coke colours and other Coke branding?  Here are four benefits that regular homework will have: Parents and their children will have a structured activity to complete together. A homework routine will help to establish a culture of discipline for both the parent and the child. The child will develop study habits. Over time, the parent wi...

The issue of giving homework at primary schools is a hot potato. Generally, schools believe that homework is an important learning activity. This is where the similarity ends. At wealthier schools,  homework is an embedded whole school practice. At the other end of the spectrum where we find poor schools, homework as a school-wide learning activity is practically non-existent. Why is this so? Homework culture at poor schools Teachers at poor schools tell me that giving homework is a waste of time. They say the homework is never done because the parents are not interested. Teachers will list other issues like the following:  parents work long hours, the caregivers of many of their children are grandparents or parents are unable to help children with their homework. Teachers respond  by not setting homework assignments at all. Sadly, this decision is not shared with parents and in the main, parents do not question this either. Homework culture at wealthy schoo...

In an earlier post, I discussed the need for schools to become parent-friendly spaces. At most schools, parents are involved in varying degrees by serving on the School Governing Body, doing voluntary work at the school or attending all the traditional school events. The idea though, is to get the majority of the parents actively involved in their children's learning. Schools that are struggling to engage parents have to explore creative ways to break down the communication barriers. Here is a suggested broad framework to help schools action their family-centred approach. 1. The long view:  Develop a practical, doable Parent Engagement Strategic plan. Allow everybody - the School Governing Body, the parents, the learners and the staff - to have their say on how they want to communicate better with one another. Once this Parent or Family advocacy plan has been formulated, share and advocate it to build enthusiasm and support. The main features of such a broad-based, structured progr...

Jazz with style and charm Marlene Le Roux with the Seven Jazz Musicians The 2012 Youth Jazz Festival was an electrifying sound mix of melody, rhythm and harmony. We were taken on a Jazz journey for more than two hours, willingly being transported by the four-piece ensemble and seven young musicians. Ian Smith and the musicians There wasn't a single 'yawn' moment. The guitarists and saxophonist teased and coaxed our bodies in rapturous moves, the pianist dazzled and the vocalists seduced all our senses. And then there was Ian Smith - master trumpeter and the epitome of showmanship with quips that flowed just as effortlessly. Whitney Olivier singing Feeling Good. Vocalist Whitney Olivier got my biggest vote; she was brilliant with her rendition of "Feeling Good".  The Mondale High Student from Mitchell's Plain, is destined for greatness. The show was one glorious experience of soulful, smooth jazz. We salute Artscape, especially Marlene Le Roux, for creating suc...