Conference Dates
- Please see our Calendar page for dates and times.
Killarney School holds three sessions of parent-teacher conferences each year:
- September: The first conferences are a good time to introduce yourself to your child’s teacher. You know your child best and can give information that will be helpful to the teacher. Your child’s teacher should also be able to give you his or her first impression of your child in the classroom so far.
- November:: The second conferences precede the first report card. The teacher may review your child’s upcoming report card or show you samples of his or her work. Your child is a part of the conversation.
- March: The final conferences are student-lead. This is a time for the student to show off work important to him or her. In the weeks leading up to the conferences, teachers help students prepare materials they want to highlight. Often, teachers will have a short questionnaire for students to work through with their parents to talk about strengths, work to practice more, and goals for the coming months.
We encourage open communication with your child’s teacher throughout the year. You may contact your child’s teacher any time you need more information about your child’s work, feelings about school, or behaviour. Talk to your child’s teacher about the best way for you to keep connected to your child’s classroom experience.
Note the Montessori Casa holds interviews at the same times as the elementary school for the convenience of parents with children in both programs.
Booking a Conference
Conferences are scheduled in 15-minute time slots.
Parents schedule their interview times using the online booking system through MyCBE / PowerSchool.
Families with IPP students will be given extra time to help create student targets.
How It Works
- We encourage both parents and students to attend conferences.
- Please make alternate arrangements for siblings so you can concentrate on the student during their conference.
- If you are not available at the times the conferences are planned, talk to your child's teacher so that other arrangements can be made.
- Please be on time and stay within the allocated time so that others can meet at their scheduled time. If you need more time to discuss a concern, schedule a further meeting with your child's teacher.
- Bring your list of questions (see tips below).
- The teacher may review your child’s report card or show you samples of his or her work.
- Take notes so that you can share the comments with your child.
- Parent-teacher conferences are strictly confidential. Please do share personal information that might be affecting your child’s progress or behaviour at school (e.g., family illness, moving, job search). This information will help the teacher understand your child better.
Tips For A Successful Meeting with Your Child’s Teacher
There are many helpful articles in parenting magazines and online sites to help you make the most of your 15 minutes with the teacher. The following is a compilation from several good sources.
1. Prepare
- Talk to your child before the interview to find out what he or she enjoys about school and what is difficult. What questions or concerns does your child have about school?
- Review your child’s report card. Were there any surprises for you?
- Review the CBE homework policy, if you have questions about the amount of homework being assigned.
- Review materials sent home with the report cards. This includes detailed information on curriculum and projects the class has been working on in each subject.
- Review you communications with the teacher. Do you know the best way for you to stay in contact with the teacher?
- What are your goals for your child this year?
- What specific concerns do you have about your child's academic progress or behavior?
- What questions do you have about classroom curriculum, standards, evaluation techniques, or procedures?
- Is your child dealing with any personal or family issues that might affect his or her behavior or academic progress?
- What do you want the teacher to know about your child?
- Make a list of questions you want to ask the teacher (see #2 below).
2. Choose and ask 3 to 4 main questions
Since each interview is only 15 minutes, it is important to narrow down your list of questions. We suggest you come with three to four main questions. If you’d like to discuss anything in greater detail, talk to your child’s teacher about arranging a separate meeting time.
The conference is also a good opportunity to thank your child’s teacher. Mention any projects or schoolwork your child has enjoyed or is excited about.
Here are some possible questions to ask the teacher:
- Is my child enjoying school? What does my child do well?
- What are your expectations for my child for the coming term?
- Is my child meeting grade expectations in reading, writing, math, and so on?
- Is my child working to his or her fullest potential? What skills does she or he still need to develop?
- If not, is there something I have to worry about? Is it likely that she'll catch up when the spirit moves her?
- How many tests, essays and projects is this grade based on? How was the mark on the report card determined?
- What would my child’s work need to look like to attain a higher score? Can you show me an example of work by another student that is closer to what you're looking for?
- What specific things do you think I might do to help my son better understand what you're working on?
- What general learning problems (if any) does my child have? What can I (and the school) do to help her work out these problems?
- How is my child’s self-esteem?
- Does my child contribute/participate in class?
- Does my child complete the assignments?
- Does my child make good use of class time?
- Does my child seek extra help, if needed? Is my child getting extra help? In what subjects? What extra help is available?
- Does my child show good behaviour in class?
- How does my child get along with the other students? What is my child like as a classmate?
- What are his most favourite and least favourite subjects? Why?
- Is my child a visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learner? Does she know that?
3. Leave with a Plan
As a way of summarizing and moving forward, create a plan that specifies what each person will do to address specific issues. Use a format like the one below to record your plan:
- Concern: List the issue (e.g., Assignments not being completed on time)
- Goal: List what you want to accomplish (e.g., Homework always completed)
- Actions: List what the teacher, parent, and student will do in order to ensure progress with this issue as we work towards our goal.
4. Follow Up
Talk to your child. Stress the good things that were covered and be specific about concerns. Explain any plans that were arranged.
Sources and Additional Resources
