Dr. Stella Pandhare, Principal of Nurture International School, says “Go for It”
Nurture International School is in their second year using LivingTree. During this school year alone, Nurture International has shared 5600 posts, 440 files, 160 events, and 4800 photos. They are realizing their vision of building a strong and vibrant community. Dr. Stella Pandhare shares more of her school’s story below.
Describe your parent engagement strategy and methodology prior to LivingTree. Prior to LivingTree we used conventional methods such as sending printed newsletters to parents.
Why did you decide to use a new method or tool for parent engagement? We wanted to build a strong and vibrant community in our school. Schooling does not happen in a vacuum. We deal with parents, children, and teachers day in and day out. We deal with their emotions and apprehensions. Every stake holder of the school needs to be on the same page for the child to benefit the most. Our relationship with the parents is very important for us to help the child in the right manner. We were looking for an elegant and scalable technology platform for our solution. After much careful consideration, we adopted a new innovative social communication platform called LivingTree.
What are some of the positive outcomes your school has identified with LivingTree? LivingTree has united all parents, students, and staff and created a vibrant, engaged community with a true sense of togetherness. It has enabled us to provide transparent, on-time communications to parents and allows feedback on all school related activities and information. Information is easily accessible to parents on the web, iPhone and Android devices. Parents are “always connected” to the school and the staff is easily accessible to the parents. The staff is aware of parent concerns and can take immediate measures. Daily activities in the class are captured by the teacher and shared with the parents. Teachers share lessons plans, special activities, and notes with parents and students.
What LivingTree feature is most useful to your staff? Creating events.
How do you encourage teachers who are hesitant to use LivingTree for engagement? We ensure that all teachers are brought together on the platform. To accomplish this, the school senior staff collaborates with all staff to create awareness about the initiative at all levels. We discuss how LivingTree can eliminate clerical work and create a good rapport between the school and the community.
What would you do if LivingTree went away? It would leave us significantly handicapped.
What one thing would you say about LivingTree to others? LivingTree can help bridge communication gaps and bring your community closer. It is a secure platform for positive communication. It will increase parent involvement in school wide activities. So, go for it!