Preparing for Parent Conferences

Parent conferences.... love them or hate them they are a necessity in our profession! I truly believe taking the time to prepare for them, helps make them run smoothly and efficiently.

I used to dread parent conferences. Not only did I have to complete all my students' report cards, but then I had to sit with each family and reread the report card to them. I HATED IT! Something needed to change. 

My school decided to meet with parents BEFORE report cards came out, so there were NO SURPRISES! I schedule my conferences for 15 minutes each. YEP..15 minutes! It is possible to get it all in, make it personalized, and inform the parents how to help their kids moving forward. 

In order to streamline conferences, I created a binder tailor made for it! Everything I need is right at my fingertips. No more searching, last minute note creating...waste of time conference preparations. This form, RIGHT HERE, is the best thing that happened to my parent conferences. It is a simple checklist with room for short comments or notes. It takes about 5 minutes to complete and says a whole lot about what is going on in and out of the classroom. I make a copy for each parent so they can take notes too. I also keep a copy for myself. This is what we go over at our conference.

I use these forms to inform parents when their conference is scheduled. I also try to send home a reminder note the day before the conference to cut down on any missed appointments. I keep all my masters and copies in my conference binder in plastic sleeves. Again, easy access...all at my fingertips. I also

I also document each conference with a sign in sheet. I keep a copy for myself and I turn in one to my administration.

Get your conferences started off in the right directions with this sign up form. Click on the picture below to grab your FREE copy.