Communications
General School Communication
The school publishes a weekly electronic newsletter, The Constellation on Wednesdays each week during the school year. This e-newsletter contains information from the administration, faculty and the Parents Association. Information to be included in The Constellation must be submitted to the Communications Office by the preceding Monday (noon) for review and inclusion.
Parents or guardians who have provided the school with an email address will receive the newsletter and other school-wide communication.
The school also publishes posts on Spark, the St. Anne's School of Annapolis blog.
The Role of the Teaching Staff
Your child’s teacher or advisor is a primary conduit for you and will be able to answer many questions you have about your child and the program. Teachers and administrators value the critical connection between parents and children. We know that a positive partnership between home and school at the outset of learning can have long lasting effects on the learner, the parent, and the school community. We welcome conversation with you and make every attempt to keep you well aware of our program through events, written program overviews, regular newsletters home, and special notices.
Cooperation at all levels is a powerful mode of working that makes possible the achievement of the goals that we have set for ourselves at St. Anne’s School. Teachers maintain a strong collegial relationship with all other teachers and staff and engage in continuous discussion and interpretation of their work as well as of the work of and with children. These exchanges provide training and enrichment. All teachers have access to top professional development. Because we characterize ourselves as life-long learners, we seek methods and techniques that are considered the best in the field of early education.
Office Hours
The front office hours during the school year are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on school holidays. Summer office hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Visitors
Parents are always welcome at school. All visitors must report to the front office to sign in when entering the building for any reason. Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe and secure.
If you wish to visit your child’s classroom, please arrange a convenient time with the Program Director and your child's teacher. The School holds Parent Visiting Day for current parents to view first-hand their child’s experiences and learning.
Communication Among Staff and Families
Communication between school and home is essential for everyone. We offer both formal and informal communication touch points to establish the strong and necessary relationship between home and school, as we work together to develop your child’s full potential.
Phone Communication: We welcome parents to telephone teachers and administration at school with questions at any time. Please keep the following in mind when contacting the school.
- If you have a question, comment, or idea, please contact your child’s teacher first. You may reach the teacher by telephone or by email. Each teacher can be reached via email with his/her first initial followed by his/her last name. For example: lnagel@St.AnnesSchool.org.
- Please remember that teachers are focused on the class during school hours, and so they cannot answer calls during class time or field questions “on the fly” during class hours. We do want to be responsive and helpful, and you should expect a return call within a very reasonable amount of time.
Early Childhood and Lower School Communication Vehicles
Scheduled Communication Touchpoints: Conferences and narrative reports occur at scheduled intervals throughout the year, so that you have regular communication with your child’s teacher about your child’s development, growth, and progress within the program. These include:
- September: Welcome Visits for Early Childhood Families, at which parents and teachers share pertinent information. Back to School Night for Early Childhood and Lower School parents.
- October: Conferences with the classroom teacher to share hopes and dreams, discuss preliminary assessments, and get to know the child from both the home and the school perspectives.
- December: A written report is sent home to the parents which evaluates the child’s progress and development within the program and in context of developmental expectations.
- January: Optional meeting with the teacher. Teachers or parents may initiate contact to touch base in a brief telephone or face-to-face conference to discuss your child’s growth and progress in the program.
- March: Conference with the classroom teacher to discuss assessments, share work/portfolio samples, and to learn about your child’s progress in the program.
- June: A written report is sent home to the parents which evaluates the child’s progress and development within the program and in context of developmental expectations.
Newsletters: Teachers send home regular overviews of class happenings and plans. These newsletters provide important information about the curriculum as well as general information from the teacher about events or developmental aspects of life at that particular grade level.
Notices to and from School in the Student Folder or via email: In the Early Childhood and Lower School, children regularly take home notes, notices, artwork and other papers. The school provides a folder or large envelope to carry papers, notes, etc. back and forth.The folder is a very important means of daily and ongoing communication. Please keep the following in mind:
- The folder travels to and from school each day, even if it is empty.
- It is very important to review everything that comes home each day and to check email from your grade level teacher or the associate head of school. Newsletters, field trip information, and other important papers are sent home via the folder or email.
- The folder is for parent use, too. When you are sending a note to school, please put it in the folder so that teachers will be certain to see it.
- Each child is required to have a tote bag or backpack large enough to carry the filled envelope or folder and other items to and from school. Soft-backed, flexible totes are best, as children can fit them easily into their small lockers. Please refer to the uniform policy for guidelines.
Notices about parties or monetary collections from parents: All communication written by parents to parents and sent home via school kidmail must be reviewed by the Program Director. Allow a one week turn-around for edits/review. At times, parents generously offer to collect contributions for a class/teacher gift. We ask that all notices to this effect be labeled as voluntary and that sums requested are modest.
Middle School Communication Vehicles
Scheduled Communication Touchpoints: Conferences and narrative reports occur at scheduled intervals throughout the year, so that you have regular communication with your student’s teacher about your student’s development, growth, and progress within the program. These include:
- September: Back to School Night
- October: Conferences with the core teachers and advisor to share hopes and dreams, discuss preliminary assessment, and get to know the students from both the home and school perspectives.
- December: Written reports are sent home to the parents that evaluate the student’s progress and development within the program and in context of developmental expectations.
- March: Written reports are sent home to the parents that evaluate the student’s progress and development within the program and in context of developmental expectations.
- April: Conferences with the advisor to share work/portfolio samples, and to learn about your student’s progress in the program.
- June: Written reports are sent home to the parents that evaluate the student’s progress and development within the program and in context of developmental expectations.
Social Media Guidelines
St. Anne’s School of Annapolis realizes that part of 21st century learning is adapting to the changing methods of communication and recognizes the rights of staff, parents and students who want to participate in online social media. With this in mind, St. Anne’s School of Annapolis has developed the guidelines and policies to provide direction for staff, students and the School community when participating in online social media activities. The School believes it is important to create an atmosphere of goodwill, honesty and individual accountability, keeping in mind that information produced by St. Anne’s School of Annapolis staff, parents and students is a reflection on the entire School community. When accessing, creating or contributing to any form of social media, we expect staff, parents and students to keep these guidelines in mind and adhere to the School’s policies. The School also expects staff, parents and students to adhere to each individual social media site’s individual terms, conditions and policies. Read More