Newsletters / Oct 20, 2020
ClassTag Gazette: October 2020
Happy October! Fall breeze, autumn leaves! Or is it stressed, blessed and pumpkin-obsessed? Either way, grab…
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The Parent-Teacher Engagement Contest recognizes teachers for creative ways they’ve reached parents with ClassTag Rewards
As schools throughout the country resume classes, ClassTag is announcing the 10 winning teachers of its Parent-Teacher Engagement Contest, who received $1,000 in ClassTag Rewards , which can be redeemed for free classroom supplies ranging from learning technology to the basics like pens and notebooks.
Parent-teacher engagement is often the single greatest factor in student academic success, yet teachers still struggle to get parents plugged into their child’s classroom activities. As part of the contest, teachers were asked to share their personal stories of measures they have taken to engage their students’ parents in their classroom.
The following 10 teachers were selected by ClassTag’s team for their creativity and innovation when connecting with parents:
- Amanda Arevalo (Boise, Idaho)
- Christina Curlett (Collingswood, New Jersey)
- Monica Higgins (Jefferson City, Missouri)
- Jessica Horner (Somerset, New Jersey)
- Jennifer Ingram (Weedville, Pennsylvania)
- Jessica Jablonske (Kaukauna, Wisconsin)
- Mary Rose Joseph (Katonah, New York)
- Kelly Kiser (Post Falls, Idaho)
- Katie Meisner (De Pere, Wisconsin)
- Ashley C Miller (Spencer, North Carolina)
“At ClassTag we want to assure every teacher is equipped with the tools they need for the success of every student,” says Vlada Lotkina, Founder and CEO of ClassTag. “We are thrilled to award such amazing educators who go above and beyond as we approach the new school year.”
Submissions ranged from sending home postcards with a QR code linked video of their child’s teacher reading a back-to-school story, to sending home ESL books for spanish-speaking parents to help them learn English and assist their child with homework.
One winner described how her school hosted an Escape Night to engage parents with the greater school community “Teachers and staff conducted the escape challenges within their classrooms, where families were challenged to try and be the quickest to ‘escape,’” said Kelly Kiser, a fifth grade teacher at Mullan Trail Elementary School in Post Falls, Idaho. The experiment gave the school the highest turnout it’s seen from parents and gave teachers and parents a unique opportunity to meet and engage with one another.
As many return to the classroom, teachers are digging into their own pockets to outfit their classrooms. One New Jersey teacher was particularly grateful to receive ClassTag Coins to help offset her financial burden. “With the back-to-school costs really beginning to add up, this couldn’t have come at a better time,” says Jessica Horner. “I cannot even begin to describe how thankful and thrilled I am.”
ClassTag is the free, easy-to-use collaborative platform that lets teachers effortlessly engage with parents and earn ClassTag Coins when parents and teachers communicate, volunteer, or attend school events like parent teacher conferences. Now teachers can not only improve parent engagement, but only get much needed supplies while doing so. Explore ClassTag today!
About ClassTag
ClassTag transforms the way teachers connect with parents, allowing them to save time and focus on classroom education and activities rather than preparing and distributing parent notes and communications. With ClassTag, teachers can reach parents in over 50 languages through any channel including online, via email or text message, and even paper printouts. The cloud-based ClassTag app ensures and rewards classroom engagement by allowing classrooms to earn ClassTag Coins, a digital currency redeemable for gift cards, free offers for classroom supplies and learning products.
