Could they not just write one big letter every term or half term?

[youretoastmildred]

• these are the inset days
• here are the times we will be asking you for money, and what for
• these are the "special" school lunch days
• here are the times you will be invited to the school
• here are the extra things your child will need for school on certain days
• here are the permission slips we need you to sign

Then you could just put all the money in an envelope, do 25 signatures on things with one of those millions-of-pens-taped-together contraptions that Molesworth probably used to write lines, put all the dates for the other stuff in your diary, (including "Monday 25th: prepare ptarmigan costume by end of week for BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES day; Wednesday 27th: dc's show and tell tomorrow is on Entropy, find example of entropy") and get the hell on with your life

WHY CAN WE NOT DO THIS?

Also why do Primary HT waffle and hide key information in flowery news letters people don't necessarily read very carefully? Just tell us what we need in one paragraph and keep the news, achievements and complaints about parking separate.

(Actually don't bother wasting paper on the parking you and the previous HT have done it twice a year for 10 years, non of us are going to do anything different).

Our school has a website which can't be accessed.

According to a txt message its because our browser needs updating - its always the parents fault right?

We get endless txt messages about lollipop ladies and god knows what else.

Then they sprinh dress up days on is out of ko where.

Parental commication is def bottom of the list with our ofsted rated 'outstanding'primary

Having steered two DDs through primary and will start DS next year, here are two extra tips.....find at least two parents who you can share texts with, e.g. "Did you get that note about Y5 ice cream making?" etc...this will save on the panic of not thinking you've seen all the letters or texts from school.
Once child is a junior, get them to make tiny note or squiggle a little Smiley face/symbol in their planner when told something exciting by teacher re a trip or event. When you jot down reading you will find odd picture/word and be able to ask child what it represents, in case of not having full story, text friend you have made links with.

HTH

Plus YAB a bit U because some things like the more informal come in to school to watch , or take part in...are only finalised as the year goes on.

Get enormous calendar with columns and big notice board dedicated to smooth running of family. Train all family members to write on it. I even bought little reminder pads for mine, from junior age, they loved writing own reminders on it. For everyone's future school life, train Y2 children to be as organised as possible...with you being back up. Teachers expect them to be able to get organised with support....they can do it at home too.

As soon as peculiar letter/request arrives home...deal with it, or note on calendar...as the pile will build to unmanageable proportions!!

Just thought....buy enormous packet of tiny brown envelopes for all odd payments such as for 75p I can take my clay animal home etc...!! They are not expensive and will last you years. I have , since first one went to school, a little tin in kitchen for silver change and throw it in the tin from purse occasionally...then when 45 p needs to be found urgently, rummage in your tin! Set up your systems at home and you'll find the irregularities of school admin much easier.

All schools should have a google calendar available to print off or import. How good would THAT be!

Thanks, Perspective, good tips.
Some of them are for the future (dd1 is quite little), I will bear them in mind though.
We have a google calendar which dp laboriously transfers dates and info to and that works quite well, but we don't seem to have a failsafe method of feeding the letters that come in into that system, either because we don't get them all, or because they come so often and I am so pathetically knackered during the week....
I thought I signed up for Parentmail but I don't get anything and dp gets emails he does not always forward to me....

I think it all relies on the parents turning up at the school twice a day and keeping an ear to the ground and I don't do this (CM does school run). I hate systems like that. I want things in writing (stamps foot)

ha ha x-posted with Dahlen on the google calendar. Totally! I would love that.

Also, i haven't got a 2014 calendar yet, so no fucking clue where i should have written this shit down.

I think the school should sell you a 2014 calendar with all the dates on, it would be a bit of money for the school and give those who need dates in advance fair warning.

sash that is an absolutely BRILLIANT idea!

I would so buy one of these!

sash, that's exactly what our school does - each child draws themselves and then it's a class per month with the pictures of their little faces on one A4 page and the boxes for the dates on another A4 page hanging underneath

£3 a pop - suggest it to your PTA?

We are sent a calendar in the first newsletter detailing main events eg class assemblies, parents evenings abd in service days. This is really useful for me as I work shifts so can ensure on earlies/lates without having to take days off.
We get reminder letters a week or so before the event too.

It's not possible because they're making it up as they go along.