Introducing Families to ReadyRosie and Setting Clear Expectations
Melissa Leal teaches bilingual PreK-4 in Galena Park, Texas. She has two classes- an AM and a PM with a total of 37 students. She has been teaching for three years and this is her second year using ReadyRosie. 100% of the students in her classes have a caregiver registered and utilizing the comments feature to provide Melissa with insight into the learning that goes on at home.
Initial Introduction at Meet the Teacher
Melissa introduces ReadyRosie to families at the beginning of the school year:
“We’ll go over it, not into too much depth, during our Meet the Teacher night, just for them to get a heads up of what’s coming.”
Setting Expectations: One Month In
Once classroom routines are established and children and families are used to using student folders to relay information back and forth, Melissa will send home more detailed information about how she’ll be using ReadyRosie, what caregivers can expect from her, and what she’ll expect from them.
“About a month into the school year I’ll start introducing the homework by sending home the registration flyer that gives an introduction to what ReadyRosie is and what’s expected. On Monday I send a custom playlist with two videos a week so families know which two videos to watch. I also send the printable version of the playlist in student folders. In order for me to know that they watched the video and completed the activity, I’ll have caregivers write a comment or use the “I did it” check mark on the video.”
Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up
Melissa has 37 students between her two classes. She knows that bringing everyone on board won’t happen overnight and she also knows that everyone has different levels of comfort when it comes to using a new technology platform so she plans for that in her approach.
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- Reminder letter: a few weeks in
“I send out the first letter to everyone. Then I wait about two or three weeks and then if I see they still haven’t created an account I send it again and highlight the steps because I know it can be a little bit overwhelming to look at the paper. I highlight what’s most important and attach a little note to it letting them know that this is the way we’re going to do our homework.”
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- In-person during the conference: 9 weeks in
“I have a conference for all of the parents after the first nine weeks, so, if I still didn’t see them respond or create an account for ReadyRosie, I show them the platform with the videos and how to log on and create an account. That really helps because some parents aren’t tech savvy and that is usually the reason they didn’t create the account in the beginning.”
By differentiating her approach for families during the onboarding process, Melissa makes sure that she’s communicated to families her desire to use ReadyRosie to connect with them, share the concepts she’s working on in the classroom, and learn from their expertise.
“Whenever they [families] see that you care as a teacher, and you want them to practice the videos because it is going to help them [their child] with whatever skill you’re trying to teach, they care. They care, if you care. So don’t be afraid to reach out to the parents.”