NRHEG Secondary pursues parent contact

During their August 18 meeting, members of the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (NRHEG) school board approved a change to the way parent contact hours are scheduled for grades 6 and above for the 2025-‘26 school year. 

 

When it comes to traditional parent teacher conferences, “We aren’t getting the kind of attendance we’d like,” observed secondary school principal Grant Berg. “The ‘same old thing’ isn’t working, so we’re planning something new.”

 

The first change is that the school opened its doors to students, parents and community members from 2 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27, and offered a hot dog meal to all who came.

 

While there, students could pick up their schedules; families could tour the building, meet teachers and staff, complete paperwork and attend class-level meetings which began at 6 p.m. for those in grades six, nine and twelve.

 

Class meetings had an array of priorities. Berg explained sixth-graders would get to know the building, their teachers, and typical destinations, including the cafeteria, gym, and music rooms. Parents were encouraged to attend the meeting with their children.

 

Ninth-graders, Berg said, were to be introduced to the significance of being high-schoolers, including the fact that they would begin building their four-year cumulative grade point average (GPA) on the first day of school.

 

Senior class members, he said, need to know the various deadlines, responsibilities and commitments associated with their final year of public schooling.

 

He explained the open house would be a chance for parents to complete paperwork, take care of school-related fees, and, this year, learn what protocols are being put in place because of unfinished street construction.

 

“We’re hoping these changes will help bring more people through the doors, so they get all this important information as the year begins,” said Berg.

 

In addition to the six-hour session on Aug. 27, Berg asked the board to approve other changes to the 'same old way' of scheduling parent contact time. He requested that the conferences set for October be kept intact. “Those have always been our best attended,” Berg observed. “Parents apparently want to check on students’ progress there at the start of the year.”

 

On the other hand, he continued, conferences scheduled in February and April have been very poorly attended, with some teachers not being visited by any parents at all.

 

Berg pointed out the NRHEG calendar has always included 16 hours of scheduled “parent contact time.” 

 

The schedule he proposed and the school board approved also includes 16 hours: six during the Aug. 27 open house prior to the beginning of the school year, and four in October. The timing of the final four hours will be determined by staff members.

 

“We want them dedicating one and a half hours each quarter to reaching out and making contact with parents, especially those whose children would benefit most,” stated Berg. “We can count on staff to make those important decisions.”

 

Board member Amy Ihrke complimented Berg for recognizing and responding to the problem. “When the same old thing’s not working, it’s time for a change,” she said. Referring to her own child who was a member of the graduating class of 2025, she said, “I would’ve loved to have been able to sit in on that meeting. Then I would have had a better understanding of the different responsibilities.”

 

Board member Kelly Delacruz referred to the change as a “win-win situation” which would benefit all parties concerned.