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A Must Have Item For Back-to-School

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

It is back to school time! My son starts middle school tomorrow. We went shopping as he has outgrown his clothes, shoes, and backpack. He was very patient while we picked out his clothes and shoes.

He is really excited to go back to school and meet his friends and get back into the routine. It reminds me of my own eagerness and anticipation for a new school year. I used to love the new school year, so much excitement, new books, new notebooks, pencils, etc. I really enjoyed it.

As happy as I am for my son to embark on a new transition, I also feel sad. He is no longer a baby. He is older but I am also happy that he is grown into such a wonderful, loving, and kind person. I am very proud of him. I have heard that as they get older, it gets a little bit harder. I really want to get to know the other parents and make sure that the transition is as smooth as possible.

I am going to connect with other parents on Parentella. Parental involvement is the most important thing in a child’s education. You’d have thought it is the latest and the greatest but it boils down to parents being involved. Parentella is one such tool that helps parents stay connected, informed, involved, and on top of it.

10 reasons I am going to be on Parentella:

1. It is free.

2. It is only for parents and teachers.

3. It is private, safe, and secure.

4. It is simple, easy to use, site.

5. It allows busy moms to keep all information regarding the kids in one place. I am so done reading through the stack of paper they send us! If we are all online, it is money saved for school as no more paper is needed.

6. Parentella sends you automated reminders for events, never forget the movie night again!

7. Ask other parents that difficult question in Algebra. One time, my son got homework and it was tough! I wasn’t sure really what we were supposed to do and I’d have loved to ask another parent.

8. Get context rich information! Ask a mom in your child’s class regarding videogames, allowance, cellphone usage, etc. We are in it together, so might as well help each other.

9. You can archive information for the entire year when you leave the class to join the next grade, you still have access to the information. All the content you created, stays with you.

10. Organize online signups for potlucks, book fairs, staff luncheon, class parties.

Get Parentella, get involved. It is a MUST HAVE for back to school.

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Posted in Aparna Vashisht, Back to School, Parent Perspectives, Parentella Social Networking, School Involvement | No Comments »

Conversations with Parents: A Series

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Perspectives and opinions help us evolve. In that spirit, we are going to showcase some parents that we have talked to and who had insights that are very useful. The first one is Lindsay Maines. I was at the #140 conference and met Lindsay Maines. Lindsay is a blogger, a mom, a wife, a lover of music, a multi-faceted woman. As she says on her blog, she writes about how to keep the “Janis” inside alive after you have kids. Please read her blog, she is an outstanding writer and I hope to do her justice on Parentella’s blog.

I really loved talking to her.  I think what we were talking about touched us both and lit some light bulbs inside us, so to speak. We were talking about Parentella at the conference and sharing different problems we face as very busy parents. There is so much to do and so many demands and responsibilities. It is compounded by all the information that we are supposed to keep track of from schools and classes our kids attend. Lindsay and I talked about homework and how important it is to keep all parents in the loop and help each other out. I know, personally, many a times, I have wished that I could just ask another parent a question about the homework that my son got in class.

We wondered about turning the “communication” from schools into a conversation. The information flow is unidirectional, i.e. schools send us papers—lots of paper actually. What if this were to be a conversation?  A bi-directional flow of information between parents and schools or just to start with, between the parents? Would it help us be better parents? Lindsay said “I spend so much time online–writing, working, and conversing with others. It is a very natural extension to enable an online conversation with schools as well”.Lindsay was also a speaker on the Mom panel at the #140 conference. The panel discussed the need and importance of privacy especially keeping our kids’ information private.

Clearly, then, there would need to be a private forum/network where parents could connect around the classes their kids attend and discuss homework, post assignments, share information, and keep up with school news. Yes, we can organize potlucks, class parties, online signups etc. but the basic fundamental is to enable conversations between parents whose kids go to the same “class”.
Wouldn’t that be some kind of wonderful?

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On to Middle School!

Friday, June 12th, 2009

My 10 year old (soon to be 11 year old) is now a 6th Grader. I am so proud of him and yet I can’t help feel sad. He is my little one! He is almost as tall as me and I am sure he will surpass me in height pretty soon. I have often imagined myself needing a stool to step up and talk to him as he is older. Still, he is my baby. He is such a wonderful child.  He finished 5th grade with a bang. Yesterday, they had their class picnic which is a great way to end the school year. I volunteered to help out at the class picnic.. I signed up for bringing chilled water for the children. The entire organization was done by email. The organizer had to send out reminders to ensure that everyone knew their stations and what they were bringing.

At the picnic, the kids played games in rotation and had 12 minutes for each game. I was the referee and score keeper for throwball. We had 8 groups and towards the end I empathized with the referees at games. The kids had a great time. Other games that they played were: Sponge pass, Broom soccer, Hula Hoop, Grass-ski, Sack races, Water balloon toss, and Frisbee relay.

I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to volunteer at school, go on field trips, and school events for our children. Participation truly provides a window into the children’s world and what they are into these days. There were 130 students at the park and 20 parent volunteers (less than 10% of the parent population). For the parents that were unable to make it, it would have been great to provide a report of the activities, some photos, and other funny things that happened at the picnic. The event organization would have been a lot smoother with online signups.

Next year, parents can use Parentella to:

1.) Organize online signups for events.

2.) Send automated confirmations and reminders to volunteers who have offered to help.

3.) Post event news, pictures, tid bits, etc. in one place so that parents who are unable to attend can still participate.

As the children move on the middle school, parent volunteering opportunities are fewer. Parentella can help connect parents in middle school so that we can still be involved and learn from each other.

I still can’t believe that I am the parent to a middle school child now. I look forward to all the adventures and fun that is ahead of us. It is summer break now and time for fun and relaxation. Happy Friday!

What did your children do for their last day of school? I would love to hear more ideas for making the day special for the kids.

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Parentella: Keeping It All Organized!

Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Parentella has simplified our lives tremendously. We have 2 children and we add all our information and the paper notices we get to the site. This week alone, we got 4 pieces of paper from the school. For the pre-school, I added all dates and calendar items for the group. Now our entire group knows what holidays are coming up. Those who have signed up to get reminders are automatically reminded.

Our son went on a field trip and we were looking for this sheet to make sure we had everything. Of course, we turned the sheet in with the signature. Not a problem! I had it on Parentella and I was able to look it up. Problem solved.

I am also in a volunteer group. I got an email from them and I simply forwarded it to the group email address so that it is kept in one place. It helps me keep organized. I know when I am looking for something, exactly where to find it.

Of course, there is the social aspect. We had a question about what to do about an issue. We got some responses from parents in the group on what has worked. Till we have kids with us at home, we are main infulencers. As soon as they are in a pre-school or school, parenting is more contextual and based on what everyone else is going as well. It is great to have a place where I can meet and get to know other parents each year. As my children leave a class and join another, connecting with other parents is as simple as leaving a group and joining another.

I keep my old class information. We do this a little bit differently as well and that will be tomorrow.

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