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Schools urge parent-teacher communication as back to school nears

Posted: 6:18 AM, Jul 17, 2018
Updated: 2018-07-17 13:20:31Z

Buying your kids school supplies, getting their sleep schedules back on track, and packing some lunches might be at the top of your to-do list as back to school approaches, but schools say communicating with your child's teacher should be too. 

"Communication, communication, communication," said Terri Howard with the Tucson Unified School District, "be in touch with the teachers and in touch with the school in every way you can. You know, they're your children and it's not just the schools job or the parents or the guardians job to make sure the child does well in school, it has to be a partnership."

Howard said many times she hears parents say they can't check in with their child's teacher because they either have another child to take care of, they don't have the transportation, or there's some kind of language barrier, but hose are all issues that TUSD offers simple solutions to. 

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The district has translators that can help parents bridge the communication gap, they offer child daycare services, and they even offer transportation services.

When it comes to keeping an eye on grades and attendance, Howard says TUSD offers the ability to check in on those from the palm of your hand. 

ParentVue, offered through TUSD, fives parents the ability to check in on students' academics without having to contact anyone directly. 

Howard says checking in on children isn't only for parents but can be a benefit for students.

"Time is really important and you have to make the time to make that happen because children learn best when the parent or guardian and the school and the students themselves are working together to make the children succeed in school." Howard said. 

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