Througout the month of January, classroom teachers at my school are teaming up to put on the play Bye Bye Birdie. We are spending two full days each week practicing for the play.  This is a fantastic opportunity to collaborate as a school community. Grades one through eight start each day together at 9 AM in the enrichment building. We wrap up and head back to class by 2:30 PM. Our director, Hilary, is also an assistant teacher in one of the lower elementary classrooms. She has a theater background and is leading us in this incredible group performance. I have taken this opportunity to keep the parent community up-to-date on what is going on. With Bloomz it is easy for one teacher to relay messages to an entire school community. It feels like a big responsibility, and it is, but teachers should take advantage of this far reaching technology.

It's generally unheard of for a teacher to send an email to all the parents in the school, unless they're an administrator or a specialist. Classroom teachers don't receive email addresses for every parent in the community. With Bloomz, communicating with the entire parent group of a school is done in one simple post and makes a lasting impact. Now parents of students that aren't in my class know my name. I chat with parents in the hall who I didn't know before I started making all school posts. Just last week a parent of a student from another class shouted, "I loved your Bloomz post!", as we passed each other through the main entrance of the building. Quick and friendly exchanges like this add positivity to a school's culture.

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The community newsfeed is a place to display your team spirit and make public acknowledgements. Shout outs of encouragement to teachers and staff nourish your school community. If you and your colleagues have a common purpose and vision for your students you are one and unified. Share this mission with the families on your school's Bloomz community newsfeed. It will bring people closer together thus supporting student development in a more deep and meaningful way.

“There's nothing like walking into a school where staff not only know one another, but they like one another, they appreciate one another, they care about one another, they respect one another, they collaborate with one another, they support one another, they learn with, from and for one another, and they're excited about what they do and who they do it for...the students." -Principal Kafele

I encourage all teachers to post to their entire Bloomz community whenever engaged in all school events like performances or celebrations. Our school is going to get together on the playground in February to celebrate the Chinese New Year with a dragon dance. What school community events are coming up on your calendar? Make it a goal to post something on the Bloomz community page to reach and connect with your school's entire parent community.