What, in your experience has been the most effective way your PAC has communicated with parents?
- Through listserv, Email (for documents), which solicits feedback
- To be sent in a timely manner
- Tea open to all parents, held during the day – a week following a PAC meeting
- Parent class reps
- PAC rep to go to kindergarten orientation to invite new members to join in
- Bulletin board on the street or in the school
- Planner in the classroom for student/parent/teacher communication; handouts, flyers
- Paper handouts/notices tend to get more attention over emails
- Be sure to include contact info on notices: facebook page, twitter, email, website, etc.
- Also include a call for volunteers/participation on all notices/handouts
- High school app
- Teacher website and/or blog
- PAC or school facebook account or twitter feed
- Advantage of using social media is that it’s always current
- PAC website linked to the school page
- Must be updated at appropriate intervals
- Good to have the web info fed to social media pages (and vice versa) to direct traffic
- One-on-one meetings; face-to-face communication
- Parent to parent messaging – parents pass on the information on to other parents
- First week of school have sign-up sheets for volunteer opportunities throughout the year
- PAC meetings – encourage attendance with guest speakers (e.g. teachers, counsellors)
- Monthly PAC newsletter sent by listserv (including contact information for parent feedback/input) or distributed at community gatherings
- Note: while beneficial, newsletter requires strong commitment from PAC/individual to ensure that it is generated monthly and sent out
- Having PAC committees (with a primary point of contact) reach out for volunteers for specific purpose/event
How do you communicate with parents who do not attend your PAC meetings? How do you get input from them?
- Email notification via listserv
- Annual PAC social
- PAC website
- Face-to-face communication, playground conversations with parents to solicit their concerns and opinions so their views can be brought to meetings even if they don’t attend in person
- Approach parents directly and ask for their assistance
- Involving each class
- Through school events: g. multicultural dinner and meeting, afterschool PAC meeting
- PAC ‘corner’ in the school’s newsletter
- At the high school level, have a PAC exec member attend individual parent meetings for certain groups/clubs so that input can be sought, information can be conveyed
- PAC table/booth at school events where input/feedback can be collected
- Class reps – solicit their ideas
- Parent surveys (e.g. Survey Monkey)
- Bulletin board in the school where parents can write concerns, questions, provide input
- Put something divisive/controversial on the PAC meeting agenda to encourage greater attendance, and bring more parents out. Also works to have a guest speaker/presentation on the agenda (mini-PIE in between standing agenda items)
- Plant gate at school: hand out flyers to parents at the start/end of school
- Call out in monthly PAC and/or school newsletters