Colored pencils with the words Parent Teacher Conferences

March 7, 2024

Dear Blake Families,

I hope that everyone is doing well and that you are looking forward to the weekend! A more detailed letter will be sent to families next week (Monday/Tuesday), but I wanted to share some key pieces of information with families about the conferences taking place at the end of the month. Our hope is that these conferences will further strengthen school-home relationships and to provide an opportunity to discuss progress, including areas of strength and growth. It is important to note that these conferences are optional, and parents/caregivers are not required to meet with their teachers. Below please find some items of note...

  • The conferences will take place on Wednesday, 3/27 and Thursday, 3/28 between 11:50 a.m. and 2:50 p.m.

  • Families will receive an email next Monday/Tuesday with the information on how to log into their accounts through a program called Pick A Time. This email will come as a bulk email from 'BlakeMiddleSchool' - if you do not see one in your inbox by the end of the day on Tuesday, we recommend that families check their spam folders.

  • Teacher Conference sign-ups will open on Wednesday, March 13 at 10 a.m. and close on Wednesday, March 20 at 2 p.m. 

  • Each conference will last 7 minutes and will be scheduled on the ‘10s’ (i.e. 11:50, 12:00, 12:10, etc.). There is a 3 minute window of ‘passing time’ between conferences if they are scheduled back-to-back.

  • These conferences can take place in person or virtually (via Zoom). The first hour each day is designated as ‘zoom slots’ and the second two hours are designated as ‘in person’.

  • Detailed instructions for creating an account and making appointments will be included in the letter that will be sent next week.

  • In an effort to provide opportunities for more families to sign up for conferences, there will be a ‘cap’ of 2 conferences per each student.

  • Halfway through the sign-up period, if slots are still open, we will open them up for families to sign up for more appointments. We will send an email to families if/when more slots are opened and available.

As part of our culture, we will continue to review our practices and make potential adjustments in the future. 

Thank you for walking this path with us as a community. I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.

Enjoy the weekend!

Take care.

Nat