Communications Committee Survey Summaries and Questions Answered
A big thank you to all who responded to the Communications Committee survey sent out earlier this year. We had great feedback with over 200 replies!
For a summary of the Parent | Guardian Survey, please click here. Click here for a summary of the Staff Survey. A summary outlining the main areas of concern | interest from respondents can be found here.
There were a fair number of questions asked by respondents. A list of Q+A's are outlined below.
Q: "Why are paper newsletters still sent home when I have not requested them?"
A:
Q: "Can teachers send out weekly or fortnightly information emails?
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Q: "Is it possible to circulate classmates contact information?"
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Q:"If no one answers the phone when I call, when can I expect messages to be returned?"
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Q:"Why do I need to provide the same information [i.e. healthcare, contacts, etc] year after year if it hasn't changed? Perhaps there is a digital solution for this?"
A:
Q:"Can we synchronize the Academic Workspace calendar with the calendar on the blog?"
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Q:"Why don't we hear about events such as Curriculum Night, Interview Night and especially Spirit Days well in advance?"
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Q:"Why can't we access links to teachers' websites on the blog?"
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Q:"Can report card notices, pool updates and upcoming application procedures [i.e. other schools, special ed, etc.] be added to the website?
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Q:"Emails are cumbersome to read and posts are too long."
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Q:"I don't remember to check the website so I rely on emailed updates but find these are far and few between."
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Q: "Two times now I have requested Fern email updates and I have not seen any come through."
A:
Thanks again to all participants of the surveys. Have a great summer!
Parent Communications Committee
For a summary of the Parent | Guardian Survey, please click here. Click here for a summary of the Staff Survey. A summary outlining the main areas of concern | interest from respondents can be found here.
There were a fair number of questions asked by respondents. A list of Q+A's are outlined below.
Q: "Why are paper newsletters still sent home when I have not requested them?"
A:
They are sent because the Office information indicates that those recipient families do not have access to computers and we do not want them to be underserviced. If they do not want a paper copy, please call the office with a clear message, and we would be happy to take them off our list.
Q: "Can teachers send out weekly or fortnightly information emails?
A:
The use of emails by teachers is strictly a teacher-based decision. Not all teachers want to release their email addresses due to privacy concerns. It is a little like asking for a teacher’s phone number. Some teachers use a class web site, but not all of them do.
Q: "Is it possible to circulate classmates contact information?"
A:
The school cannot circulate information due to the MFIPPA regulations (Privacy Protection), however if a class parent would ask the parents to provide their information freely, it could be done.
Q:"If no one answers the phone when I call, when can I expect messages to be returned?"
A:
The voicemail is checked regularly, and at a minimum after the Safe Arrival process is completed. Office staff respond usually the same day. Teachers may need more time as they will receive their messages through their mailboxes.
Q:"Why do I need to provide the same information [i.e. healthcare, contacts, etc] year after year if it hasn't changed? Perhaps there is a digital solution for this?"
A:
The school cannot know if the information has not changed so we have to ask. Families receive a data verification sheet and can mark on it “No Changes” if that is the case. We ask that people are careful as they review their information, especially for cell phone contact as we rely on it in case of emergency. There is no digital solution at this time.
Q:"Can we synchronize the Academic Workspace calendar with the calendar on the blog?"
A:
No. The two systems are currently incompatible.
Q:"Why don't we hear about events such as Curriculum Night, Interview Night and especially Spirit Days well in advance?"
A:
Many of the events are difficult to instate as fixed dates because of factors that force their change, so rather than putting out an eventually wrong date, we wait until we can confirm.
Q:"Why can't we access links to teachers' websites on the blog?"
A:
This could be something that we could look at in the future.
Q:"Can report card notices, pool updates and upcoming application procedures [i.e. other schools, special ed, etc.] be added to the website?
A:
We post this information regularly and conscientiously on both the blog and through the hard copy newsletter.
Q:"Emails are cumbersome to read and posts are too long."
A:
Earlier this year we reformatted the layout of the newsletter emails often with the inclusion of original artwork from a Fern parent artist. We have also tried to cut posts shorter with a "read more" tag to click for further information. We are continually looking at ways to improve the layout and a new look for the blog is also in the works.
Q:"I don't remember to check the website so I rely on emailed updates but find these are far and few between."
A:
E-blasts are sent out weekly to those registered on the mailing list [+ only if there is new information on the blog] with additional emails for time sensitive posts.
Q: "Two times now I have requested Fern email updates and I have not seen any come through."
A:
Please do not hesitate to send an email to fernnoticeboard@gmail.com for issues like this. This email address is monitored by a Parent Council Communications Committee volunteer and you should receive an answer to your question within 48 hours.
Thanks again to all participants of the surveys. Have a great summer!
Parent Communications Committee