Incorporating Student Voice Into Parent Newsletters

Categories: Beyond The ClassroomDesignGuest Posts

Incorporating Student Voice Into Parent Newsletters

The following is a guest post by fifth grade teacher Barbie Monty. Check out her bio below!

Communicating with parents is a huge part of being a classroom teacher. Today there are numerous technology tools from which to choose from to make this happen. To date, Buncee stands head and shoulders above them all when it comes to creativity and ease of sharing!

With Buncee newsletters, the possibilities are absolutely endless! Buncee allows not only the personalization of parent newsletters, but it also takes them to the next level.

Looking for a background that fits each subject and unit is a piece of cake with Buncee. There are unlimited choices! If you can think of it, Buncee already has it! Stickers and animations abound to accent each slide – no matter the subject or unit.

By far, my most favorite part of using Buncee to create parent newsletters is being able to allow my students to record the audio for each slide. This has quickly become a favorite activity for my students each week. The first week, I had only a few students volunteer to record our slides. Now, I have almost the entire class eager to record each week. I love having my students involved in the process.

Click here to see Mrs. Monty’s parent newsletter

Creating a Buncee newsletter is not a task, it is a pleasure. Buncee makes it so much fun to create parent newsletters. Since my classroom has a theme, Buncee provides the perfect backgrounds to highlight my theme. I eagerly search for the perfect stickers and animations to accent what we are focusing on in each subject. I am never disappointed! Whatever I need, Buncee has already thought of it and created it for me to use.

Buncee just makes it so much fun to create – anything! I enjoy being able to offer students the opportunity to be the voice parents hear explaining what we will be doing each week. One parent even said to me, “Yes, I love the idea of having the students participate! It adds a special touch, and I appreciate all the different ways you communicate with us.” Buncee truly provides such a creative and entertaining way to communicate with my students’ parents.

About Barbie Monty: Barbie received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education (Cum Laude) from Mississippi University for Women. Upon moving to Tampa Bay and marrying in 2000, Barbie came to Carrollwood Day School. She was drawn to CDS after learning of its character education initiative. She quickly became an active member of the CDS faculty taking a position in the fifth grade. She assumed the role of advisor to the fifth grade School Store where her responsibilities include scheduling students and parents, ordering merchandise, and monitoring its weekly operation which gives students hands on experience preparing them for their unit focusing on business and economics. She eagerly accepted the role of Inservice Coordinator for the faculty of the ECC, the elementary, and middle school division and excitedly added the high school division upon its inception.

Barbie became the advisor to the fifth grade Safety Patrol and is responsible for training, scheduling, and monitoring the patrol on a daily basis providing fifth graders with an incredible opportunity to experience leadership roles before beginning their middle school journey. Barbie loves working with the CDS fifth grade students and has been instrumental in developing many of the Units of Inquiry they currently enjoy each year. Follow Barbie’s class on Twitter!

Barbie Monty