Building Strong Partnerships in Education

There are several ways to become involved in your child’s education.  These include:

• Communicate with your child’s Teacher(s) and school Principal
• Become involved in school activities or volunteer with the school
• Join the School Council or Parent Involvement Committee

 

You can keep up to date on what your child is learning in school and find resources to support them by:

 

• visiting Ontario’s curriculum and resources site and exploring resources for families
• contacting the Teacher for information about your child’s learning and resources to support them

 

For more details, we encourage families to review “Your Child’s Education: a parent guide to our school system”, a thorough resource created by the Ministry of Education.

Purpose

This communication protocol's purpose is to set clear, standardized guidelines for engaging with families, in accordance with Policy/Program Memorandum 170.

 

This protocol will foster family engagement, create strong partnerships between families and DSB1 schools, and ultimately support student success by ensuring timely, transparent, and effective communication. 

 

The protocol outlines processes for acknowledging and responding to family inquiries, ensuring that families receive accurate information and support in their child's education journey.

 

 

Process

 

Step 1: Contact Your Child's Teacher:

The family member should discuss a concern or interest with the classroom Teacher at a mutually convenient time.

 

Step 2: Talk with Your School Principal:

If the family member and the Teacher are unable to resolve the concern or interest, it should be discussed with the school Principal (or designate). The Principal (or designate) will gather facts from everyone to clarify the concern or interest.

 

Step 3: Talk with Your Superintendent:

If the family member and the school Principal (or designate) are unable to resolve the concern or interest, the family member may discuss the concern or interest with the school Superintendent. The Superintendent will review the matter as it relates to established policies and procedures.

 

Step 4: Talk with the Director of Education:

If the family member and the Superintendent are unable to resolve the concern or interest, the parent/guardian may discuss the issue with the Director of Education.

 

Response Timelines

DSB1 staff, including Teachers, Principals, Vice-Principals, Superintendents and the Director of Education, will acknowledge the receipt of family inquiries and concerns related to their child’s education within 2 business days.  If a response cannot be provided within 5 business days, the DSB1 staff member will provide an estimated timeline for a response.

 

Expectations for Respectful and Productive Communications

In DSB1, we value respectful interactions with all members of the school community, including staff, students and family members.

 

The process and timelines outlined above will apply to respectful inquiries by family members. As per our Policy 2.1.6 and Procedure 2.1.6 (Code of Conduct), “all students, parents/guardians, teachers and staff members have the right to be safe, and to feel safe, included, and accepted, in their school community. With this right comes the responsibility to contribute to a positive school climate.”

 

Threatening, abusive, or otherwise inappropriate inquiries will not be tolerated. In such instances, the staff member will remind the family member of expectations as per Policy and Procedure 2.1.6 and provide the family member with the opportunity to reiterate their inquiry in a respectful manner.  Ongoing abusive or threatening inquiries may result in DSB1 taking further action to protect all members of the school community.