Communicating to Parents

A few schools that are in the process of reopening have provided some insights. Change is not always welcomed but, in this situation, everyone understands that change is necessary.

Lessons learned from these schools include the following insights on how to structure and deliver communication:

Provide facts:

state what you know


do not speculate


must be a trusted voice


Outline the impact to the community and staff:

be specific on what is impacted such as entry, staggered entry, limits on class size, cleaning, behavior like social distancing, etc.


the school needs to be nimble and flexible adapting to the situation when moving forward


Describe what the school is doing to respond:

update early and often to create positive voices


provide updates on what is happening to give peace of mind / provide confidence


result is positive word of mouth


Respond to frustrated parents:

generally the community is positive and support


there will be issues or concerns to handle so do so directly and empathetically


provide clear messages on what the school is doing


Suggest what the community can do to help:

highlight we are all in this together


community needs to be supportive and constructive while the school needs to be nimble


Determine which channel to use:

there are many channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Intranet, push notifications, etc.


each channel should have a purpose and target


do not push everything in every channel

Has your school prepared to effectively communicate during the pandemic?

Implementing Blended (Online/Onsite) Learning - As schools reopen with constraints from COVID-19, including space and social distancing. Schools are reacting. There is a need to provide Blended (Online/Onsite) Learning options for the students to support their learning criteria. This session will provide options on how to manage this and considerations for schools when providing blended learning.

Facilitated by Matt Harris Ed.D

Matt Harris, Ed.D. - is an international educational consultant based in Singapore. In his work, Dr. Harris helps schools, districts, and educational technology companies with educational technology strategic planning, systems design, training, and program development. Drawing on his award-winning programs, Dr. Harris has worked with schools and large educational organizations in Europe, Middle East, Africa, North America, Australia, and Asia. He also shares his expertise through keynote speeches, articles, and online social channels around educational leadership and technology.

Prior to working as a consultant, Dr. Harris worked as an educational leader and teacher having taught all grade levels from preschool to graduate school in technology and mathematics. He worked as a senior administrator in schools and universities in North America and Asia.

 Dr. Harris is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Microsoft Innovative Education Expert, Google Certified Innovator, and Common-Sense Education Certified Educator. In his spare time, Dr. Harris enjoys exploring the world through travel with his wife and children.

Hosted by ECIS, Together School Limited and Clearpath Alerts

Dealing with Anxiety


A few schools that are in the process of reopening have provided some insights. Due to the many new processes and procedures schools are implementing, those that are returning to the school may feel anxious or uncomfortable.

Lessons learned from these schools include the following experiences from students and staff as well as approaches to support: 

Students status:

there is a positive view about the flexibility and openness of the students – there was a concern that the students would be anxious, but they were fantastic – they adapted to the new routines


Staff status:

teachers and staff are working hard as a team and have more to do (such as preparing Room and Zoom lessons), so need to support with coping methods


Approach to support:

all agreed the focus as heads of school is on teachers / staff to help them with the kids, this has included

providing a digital wellness / mindful session before school starts every day


distributing a daily video to communicate to the staff


using the Mayo Clinic Happiness book to work on different areas


spending time with the teachers



one school has the counselors providing online support

This is a by invitation only session to address the constraints and impacts of COVID-19 on the ongoing need to delivery Physical Education.  We will discuss areas such as:

availability of space


class sizes


time required for cleaning


impact on timetables


availability of staff to support smaller classes


learning criteria


legal limitations of allowing PE


social distancing


This Round Table will run for 90 minutes. The output from this Round Table will be shared on the Recovery Forum and will be available to the benefit of your school as well.

If you wish to be included in this discussion, please respond to this post or send a message in the Recovery Forum to Kevin Lloyd.