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- š¤ Make parents your greatest allies
š¤ Make parents your greatest allies
Get the ultimate home-school connection K-2 teacher resource kit, plus a timeless classic and teacher mail
Karly Moura & Christina Sciarrotto
September 23, 2025
Your secret weapon for home-school connections
In the K-2 classroom, a strong parent-teacher partnership is the secret to student success. But let's be honestāit's not always easy to build. This week, we're giving you the ultimate tool to make it happen: a Home-School Connection K-2 teacher resource kit packed with everything you need to communicate effortlessly, from conference notes and parent logs to customizable newsletters and AI-powered email templates.
We've also got a timeless read-aloud classic and our best teacher finds for your classroom.
Inside:
š” Tips, Tools and Templates: The Ultimate Home-School Connection teacher resource kit
šŗ Teaching with Teachflix Junior: Harry the Dirty Dog
šļøTeacher Finds for the Classroom: š¬ Teacher Mail
š Giggle of the Week: Well, lucky me then.
ā¤ļø Share your ideas with us!
š” Tips, Tools and Templates
āļø The Ultimate Home-School Connection teacher resource kit
Communication is the key to a strong home-school partnership, but it can feel overwhelming. Thatās why we created the Ultimate Home-School Connection Kit. Designed by What New in K-2 author Christina Sciarrotto, this comprehensive resource simplifies parent communication so you can focus on what matters most.
This kit is your secret weapon for:
Getting to know your students better with a thoughtful questionnaire designed just for them.
Staying organized with easy-to-use conference notes and logs.
Maintaining communication all year with professional, customizable newsletter templates.
Streamlining your workload with AI assistance that helps you draft notes and emails in a flash.
The entire kit is built in Genially, so you can easily access and share everything you need. It's the simple way to make every home-school connection count.
Ready to check it out? Click on this link to explore our interactive kit.
šŗ Teaching with Teachflix Junior
š¶ Harry the Dirty Dog
š„ Video Link: Harry the Dirty Dog
In this Storyline Online video, Betty White reads Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, a classic tale about a white dog with black spots who runs away to avoid a bath and gets so dirty he becomes unrecognizable. Through fun and playful adventures and a happy ending, the story highlights themes of family, problem-solving, and self-discovery. Itās a delightful read-aloud choice for K-2 classrooms to spark conversations about responsibility and feelings of belonging.
What to discuss with your students:
Pets ā Harry is a beloved family dog, showing the special bond between pets and their families. His playful nature and antics reflect the joy pets bring into childrenās lives.
Responsibility ā Harry avoids his bath, which causes all sorts of trouble. The story gently teaches that responsibilitiesālike cleaning upāare important even if we donāt enjoy them.
Family ā Despite the mix-up when they donāt recognize him, Harryās family loves and cares for him. Their happiness at his return highlights family love, forgiveness, and belonging.
Adventure ā Harryās journey through construction sites, railroads, and coal chutes captures the excitement of exploring the world. His adventures make the story engaging while showing that exploration sometimes has consequences.
Classroom activities:
After reading the story check out these pre-made resources that you can use to extend the fun and learning with Harry the Dirty Dog.
āļø Harry the Dirty Dog Teacherās Guide
 | This resource from Storyline Online offers Common Coreāaligned discussion prompts, sequencing and writing tasks, and fun cross-curricular extensions in math, social studies, and artāperfect for exploring themes like pets, responsibility, family, and adventure. |
š¬Science connection: Why does soap help get rid of dirt?
 | Hereās a great way to explain how soap works to your students! |
š Interactive sequencing activity
 | First, next, then, and last are sequencing concepts all students need to develop. Try this Canva Canva Code Sequencing Activity to have your students work on sequencing in an interactive way. |
š Problem/solution graphic organizer
 | Have students use the organizer to show the problem the characters face and how that problem is solved. The students can use both words and pictures to fill in their responses. |
šļøTeacher Finds for the Classroom
š¬ Teacher Mail
Looking for a fun yet efficient way to give your students a shout out and share their great accomplishments with their families at home? Try sending some teacher mail. Different designs include a backpack, school bus, rainbow, and pencil.
š¤ Giggle of the Week
š¤¦š»āāļø After months of documenting and preparing for this conversation.
h/t to Year of the Dad