Parent Orientation
‘Moving from Anxiousness to Anticipation’
Try the empathy lens:
Attend a parent orientation of another school. Another way could be to ask parents of siblings (who might not be in your school), what is their experience of a parent orientation. Get a sense of what is that first invitation to a school’s culture.
This will give you a clear enough indication of what to do and what not to do in your orientation.
We experienced...
That at times, even after taking admission, parents liked to be re-assured of the choice they had made for their child.
Watch Kiran share the incident which sparked the design of the Parent Orientation process.
Our Insights
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Despite their confidence in the school, some parents continued to get emotionally influenced by friends and family who would ask them to second guess their choice.
- At the time of interview, since new parents met only a few members of the school team, they were eager to get acquainted with all members of the school ecosystem.
- Our existing parents also needed re-assurance that the school continues to be the right place for their child.
there was a simple way to move all parents from anxiousness about the new year to anticipation for this journey of partnership?
We designed
A simple process that allowed us to intentionally welcome our parent body to the new academic year and invite them to become partners of the school in the journey for their child.
Timetabling for a parent orientation at the start of the academic year proved to be a great way to get our parents to become our believers.
The orientation helped parents see that we were ‘BETTER TOGETHER’ and we found parents more aligned to and supportive of our school’s philosophy and confident of their choice.
Because we had a strong parent partnership, this trust allowed us the freedom and courage to innovate, and to explore possibilities in the best interest of every child.
Reassured parents are happy parents! And happy parents are trusted partners :-)
Here is What we Do
This video shares a glimpse of the parent orientation process in practice.
Here you will see the key elements that help make up a great parent orientation. Starting with an ice-breaker, making alumni a key part of the event, as well as ensuring that you share both the school’s philosophy and the house keeping details. All this helps parents see that the journey will be ‘Better Together’!
Don’t miss out on how she connects with parents by intentionally building conversations in Gujarati and Hindi :-)
Meet the Stakeholders:
Eduhero Jahnavi Mehta has been conducting Parent Orientations at The Riverside School since 2001. Jahnavi is a School Leader at Riverside and regularly conducts school visits, audits and teacher trainings for a range of schools within and beyond India. She is an affectionate friend, mentor and guide with exemplary stamina!
Eduhero Videos:
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6:40
a) FAQ Video
Watch how Jahnavi ensures that the Parent Orientation sessions are smoothly planned and executed.
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4:14
b) Impact Video
Watch how Parent Orientations have impacted Jahnavi’s practice and helped her to create strong parent partnerships.
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4:06
c) Parent Voice
In this video you will see Parent reflections and takeaways after the orientation session.
Tips for the Leader
- Advise teachers to follow a dress code that is in alignment to your school culture.
- Make sure that as teachers you are not grouping and staying away when the parents arrive. Disperse, mingle, welcome and hug the parents
- Remember to get teachers to sit with parents who don’t speak English, to help them understand the presentation and conversations.
Share with us your experience of how you have used this process in your context, any challenges you might have faced or just inspire us with your story :-)
Still Curious?
Write us any questions you have about this process, and we’ll get back to you.
Want feedback
Upload a glimpse of your practice - a classroom video & photos of plans, resource sheets and we’ll get back to you.
Zip all your photos into one file and upload the file here
Want to Inspire ?
Upload your school’s practice as a case study to share with the world!
Document and shoot your practice in an manner that people can understand. The video should not be more than 3-5 mins.