zigzag Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Last week I put up three copies of the same sign in different places around the setting very clearly marked "next week at pre-school" with very clear instructions and times of events, sessions that were happening this week. If I had a pound for every parent who has asked me what is going on, has looked at me in surprised disbelief when I said we were opening later today for the party and for the one that still turned up at normal time today!!! I am at my wits end to know how to get through to parents....all the info was in the last newsletter as well. Please do not suggest Facebook to notify them as I am not a fan of it. Does anybody use the text message service that the schools use? I am thinking of using that but would love some feedback. I have tried everything and am really at a frustrated loss to know what to do next. :blink: :blink: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I do as you have already done PLUS i stand at the top of our steps and shout it out and have a blackboard in the car park at the front of our steps, I also buttonhole parents as the arrive or leave and tell them, particularly if they don't come every day, or they have their first child with us. I have mostly all the e mail addresses as well if needs be and you could easily set up a text so that you "write it once" and text the whole lot of them at the same time if you have that facility on your mobile. We all suffer the same things like this. Regardless of what you say or do, there will always be a few that are disorganised anyway and have to ask when it finally occurs to them that some things may alter at the end of a term. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 when you have the answer for this problem please tell me.! I have NEVER had such a load of disorganised parents, everything is last minute and then they moan that i have not given them enough notice! :angry: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperrabbit Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 when you have the answer for this problem please tell me.! I have NEVER had such a load of disorganised parents, everything is last minute and then they moan that i have not given them enough notice! :angry: SNAP!! And the more information I feel I give, the worse they seem to get! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 You will always get them.. never found a good way of getting through.. even talking to them directly they would argue the fact I had not told them.. I did resort to the group text message which worked quite well.. but I did always misspell my posters or bad grammar or give a date with the wrong day of the week, and had a white board which seemed to reach most parents.. I changed it daily so the message never read the same but did say the same thing in a different way... something to make the readers think they had got the upper hand and caught me out! staff used to laugh at me trying to work out the next mistake but they did talk about the content 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynned55 Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Well you know the old saying? You can take a horse to water......................... Ours are dreadful this year, we have a large (as in most of the wall) whiteboard that you have to face as you enter our hall we often put messages up on it- in large bold letters. But they seem to deliberately ignore it, sometimes I have to stand there saying have you read the noticeboard, I had one Mum say, havent got time now will read it when I come back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisAR Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 We are looking into an app. Apparently its good vfm and we can stick letters on there etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyPancakes Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I'm with the 'text and facebook them' party. And only the details - one at a time - no lists. Except...a list at the start of the year, broken down into months with a heading, PUT THESE DATES IN YOUR DIARY/ON YOUR CALENDAR/ON YOUR PHONE NOW!! It does mean planning ahead, but bits of paper get lost and whiteboards don;t make it home. Also, information contained in a paragraph may as well not be there. What, When, Wellies, Packed lunch. Your favourite disorganised parent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I have taken to putting a childs easel in the middle of the entrance hall so that they have to fall over it to get into pre-school...they still miss it :blink: :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I'm with the 'text and facebook them' party. And only the details - one at a time - no lists. Except...a list at the start of the year, broken down into months with a heading, PUT THESE DATES IN YOUR DIARY/ON YOUR CALENDAR/ON YOUR PHONE NOW!! It does mean planning ahead, but bits of paper get lost and whiteboards don;t make it home. Also, information contained in a paragraph may as well not be there. What, When, Wellies, Packed lunch. Your favourite disorganised parent Yes I'm with Honeypancakes on this one, keep it short and simple. Parents do not read anything contained in a paragraph. My newsletters are short and sweet and bullet pointed, they each get one, one stays on the board all the time and I e mail them too. Thinking back to when I was a parent I used to read these things, put dates etc. on my family calendar. Only when the lads got to senior school the newsletter thing dried up. But all three schools had very good websites. These days parents need spoonfeeding every bit of info. When you consider that they are really supposed to read our policies it's laughable, yet they appear to be quite happy to sign to say they have and that they understand them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diesel10 Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I think you can only try your best. I put in newsletters, email's, whiteboard, and people still ask / not know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meridian Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 when you have the answer for this problem please tell me.! I have NEVER had such a load of disorganised parents, everything is last minute and then they moan that i have not given them enough notice! :angry: 'spoon feeding' comes to mind, don't know about everyone else, but find parents with just the one child at pre-school seem to be more disorganised than the ones with 3 or 4 children, really struggling to get parents to participate too, recent raffle was an example, asked for donations for prizes and received about half the amount of items as usual, really disappointing especially as proceeds are towards children's parties and presents! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyPancakes Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 And another thing (can you tell I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the stuff that comes home with my boys)...Don't send emails with attachments. Details in the subject line so parents don't have to search for stuff. H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueJ Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I am also suffering from parents who don't read anything and then have the neck to text me at 8pm at night to ask what time the nativity or party is. Over the summer I put together a really comprehensive website as parents would complain that they hadn't had newsletter or had lost it etc. so now my mantra is it's on the website. I am working on the basis that spoon feeding hasn't worked and if anything it has made parents even more reliant on being told every last thing (which as others have suggested that don't then remember anyway) - I keep on referring them to the website and not giving them all the info they want by word of mouth. Thousands of years ago when I was at school if I bothered a teacher asking what something meant or how something should be spelled I was always told to go away and look whatever it was up - the principle being that this "self initiated learning" would aid my retention of the information - I am hoping that this methodology will work with the parents of the children attending my setting. :lol: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I was always disorganised,still am to a very reasonable degree. I never read newsletters, looked at them but didnt actually read them, with a youngster who'd been in school all day and a crabby toddler all I wanted to do was get home, feed them and sit them in front of the tele! I relied on my friend telling me things, teacher training days were one I always got mixed up! All you can do is try. Stick the notices onto coloured paper, put some card stars and shapes around it,use thick marker pen. Use a sign shaped like a finger or arrow to point to new notices. Good luck <_< 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenfinch Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I now find email the most effective as most of my parents access this via their phone as well as computer and our parents really like it as it is immediate. I do also rely on good old fashioned big reminders/notices on the front door! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenfinch Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 (edited) Sorry,posted twice! Edited December 19, 2012 by Greenfinch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouseketeer Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Same problem here.....I even find myself saying to them now "oh dear did I forget to put the date/time on the newsletter/ notice board(inside and out)website/facebook page........gggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 My colleague feels that the more we give the more the parents take. I think too that for the sake of the children we staff often give in, ie when there is a date for money to be in by for trips or christmas dinner etc. This year I have twice (!!!!) told a parent that they have missed the deadline date and then smiled sweetly and said how sorry I was about that!! Will this help? I don't know but me always trying to be accomodating hasnt made parents any more organised either so. . . . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Brilliant thread zigzag! :1b I suffer the same problems as everyone .........but........d'you know I have decided that I don't really care and refuse to let it bother me - as Scarlettangel said - I think the more we give the more they will take.......I also do the 'smile sweetly' bit when told "oh, but I didn't know"......... The most brilliant and well organised of my mums has 4 children - all boys - 2 at primary school and 2 with me - she always knows what's going on and responds to requests without delay - guess what she did before her lovely children were born........she was a teacher! :1b Forms that need filling in never leave the setting now - I set up a table complete with forms, pens and direct them to it - I got soooooo fed up with chasing...... I do 'relent' and issue 'reminder' notes if it's something that will greatly impact on the children - say for something like a 'dress up' day - pretty rotten to be the only one not in your pjs or whatever Good luck with the text thingy if you decide to go down that route - if it works - please come back and let us know! :1b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diesel10 Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Well only two parents didn't turn up to the singing today. Hopefully their children aren't scared for life. We didn't mention when they picked up though. Just one more concert tomorrow and they need to bring the food for lunch. Wish me luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apple Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 You know guys you all beat me to it... I was going to open a new post on just this topic. Had a really rubbish end to what had been an otherwise lovely day. Last of the nursery concerts - parents notified via the recent newsletter, plus on their tickets and again verbally this morning to each and everyone that there would be no admittance after the start time; that we were opening the door 10 minutes early so they could grab a seat blah, blah, blah.... and yet still some apparently came late and were turned away - just like we had warned. Some irate parents came to pick up there child... complaining that they were just a minute late, that they had rushed from work, that it was a memory that they would never get back etc... talk about emotional blackmail. I just had to say sorry that you didn't manage to see it but that we had warned everyone and the reasons for a prompt start. I also said got colleagues to confirm that the door was closed exactly on time as scheduled. In the end we were just going round in circles so I directed them to the head! arghhhhhhhh - makes me so fed up I cannot wait for the summer hold, let alone the Christmas one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I'm glad it's not just us! I actually had to hide a smile last week, because a parent came to me to ask about some information that had been made widely available since the half term break. (End of term stuff, party, nativity, closing times etc.) and I reminded he that there was a sign in the lobby with it all on, that it was on newsletters and the website, and on Facebook. The following day I overheard a conversation between her and another parent, who was complaining that she "never got to know owt". The first parent snorted and said "so do you never look at that big board in the lobby or read the newsletters. It's all there!" I just wish she had said it in a louder voice! So funny! I don't suppose for a moment that it will make her read things any better in future. It's a really difficult one. We see a good few parents on Fridays as they come to the singalongs and we can tell them all then, but not all children come on Fridays. Perhaps we should invite parents to come and sing every day! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calicojo Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 .....and another thing that drives me mad is that when I put a tear off slip at the bottom of the letter for them to sign and return - about half the parents give me back the whole letter so they don't keep the vital bit with the information on it!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 .....and another thing that drives me mad is that when I put a tear off slip at the bottom of the letter for them to sign and return - about half the parents give me back the whole letter so they don't keep the vital bit with the information on it!!! I get those, and I make a great production about removing the bit I need and putting the other bit into their hands and reminding thm tht they need that bit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 I am SO relieved that it is not just me :rolleyes: :rolleyes: I love the idea someone had of the big pointing finger, think if we do one I will make it about 3ft!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I am SO relieved that it is not just me :rolleyes: :rolleyes: I love the idea someone had of the big pointing finger, think if we do one I will make it about 3ft!!! do they still do those big foam ones they had at football matches? I think I will try Sunnyday's suggestion, a table set up with the forms and loads of pens, nobody allowed out until it's all filled in. I have serial offenders who need to be licked into shape 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueJ Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Forms that need filling in never leave the setting now - I set up a table complete with forms, pens and direct them to it - I got soooooo fed up with chasing...... I am so with you there Sunnyday - I don't let forms like funding forms or transfer documents leave the setting now and like you have the big table and plenty of pens - when the inevitable moaning starts that they don't have time to complete them I calmly put them to one side and say "That's fine - without the completed form you can't have a funded place and I will therefore adjust your payment schedule for you" - It's amazing how quickly they grab the form and fill it in - even then I have to double check the forms to make sure that they have completed all the boxes. I have taken to putting a guard dog on the door (more kindly known as my Deputy) who doesn't let any go past her until I have checked the forms either!!!! :lol: :lol: To pinch a Mirandaism "WHAT FUN" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouseketeer Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Awwww bless em....I have been asked by the same parent umpteen times over the last few days about nativity & party times (even printed off a spare newsletter for her as lost first) party started at 10.30 for all, she phoned at 8.30 to 'just check that I'm bringing them in at normal time', uh no it's 10.30.....turns up at 11 so they,ve missed most of the magician, I remind her that Santa is arriving at 12.30 if she wants to see gift giving out....she arrives at 1, upset that she's missed it and could they go back and have photo taken with Santa ( the they being hers and a child she 'childminds' for a friend) 15 mins after leaving she phones to tell me she's left their bags behind..but not to worry they can stay till Jan, oh and can I just tell her when we go back.....the thought bubble in my head is screaming "NO I BL**DY CAN,T ". Ggggrrrrrrrrrr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblejack Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 (edited) Reading all these posts parents just amaze me how they "forget" things but I refuse to let it bother me any more. I just smile and say "I'm sorry that you forgot to read board, never mind there will always be another time, we have lots of things going on throughout the year that are always on the board or website" They will then blame it on the childminder/ grandparent/ friend who collected but i just then say "sorry you forgot to tell them to look". Edited December 22, 2012 by bubblejack 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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