Effective communication in a school system is an essential need for the

smooth operation of a school. In order for a school to have a strong

foundation,

schools

must

have

exceptional

leadership

with

strong

communication skills. Communication takes place between numerous people

in a school. I had an opportunity to interview principal, Nate Rudolph on
November 17, 2014 on how communication works at Sauk Rapids- Rice
Middle School. Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School (SRRMS) is fortunate to have
strong leadership that has high expectations and a strong value for
communication. It is important that schools communicate effectively with
everyone from students to the community. The principal and teachers jobs
involve interaction with many people such as, students, staff, parents,
superintendent,

and

community

members.

Schools

have

huge

responsibility to educate the students in order to meet district, state, and

federal standards while also keeping the staff and students safe while in their
care. The safety of the students and staff has been an increasing focus of
communication in the school system such as handling emergency situations
from fires to intruders, to weather emergencies. The change in focus seems
to be attributed to the advancement in technology, increasing awareness of
bullying and harassment situations, and tragic school shootings. Mr. Rudolph
has assisted me in understanding how clear and consistent communication is
essential at SRRMS. With approximately 1,000 students and 65 staff at the
school effective communication is important so everyone can be learning
and working in a safe environment.
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First, what is communication? Communication is sharing information

with other people and understanding what information they are trying to
share. Communication can be verbal, non-verbal, written or through
visualizations. A message is sent through a sender using a medium to a
receiver or receivers. Then the receiver needs to be able to encode the
message that they received and turn it into information. Finally, the receiver
must

understand

what

the

message

was

saying.

If

there

is

miscommunication the problems that could occur could be endless. Poor

communication makes things more difficult and takes away from the
performance. Poor performance can make people frustrated and lose faith in
whatever they are doing.
The school district is a large part of SRRMS, the school district is in
charge of hiring staff members. The school district is in charge of negotiating
contracts with the staff. They work hard to ensure the people that they hire
are going to be an essential part of the school. They do comprehensive
checks with references, and the screening process. Mr. Rudolph said we will
leave the position open rather than not be satisfied with a candidate. The
school district is also in charge of monitoring if federal and state standards
are being met.
As the principal, Mr. Rudolph communicates with the students in the
school a few different ways. Communicating with the students usually isnt
one-on-one; there are just too many students and not enough time to speak
to them individually. Mr. Rudolph uses a couple different mediums to make
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his communication with the students more effective. Students have a home
room in which he is able to relay information to the teachers, where the
teachers pass on the information. As long as the teacher is passing the
information correctly to the students, it is a much more efficient way to
communicate with the students. Another way that he is able to communicate
with the students is using an intercom system. An intercom system is made
for one way or two way communications. Usually there is a microphone at
the main office for speaking into and announcing through speakers located in
the classrooms and sometimes hall ways of a school. This allows someone to
relay a message to the whole school at one time. Some schools have
microphones located in the areas like classrooms that allow personnel inside
of the classroom to communicate back. Usually when Mr. Rudolph uses the
intercom it is for sharing information about activities, daily happenings and
for student recognition. When Mr. Rudolph gives recognition it is usually to
relay the results of extra-curricular activities or if someone has won an
award. Currently, SRRMS is working on a television broadcast system that
the media specialist and students will run. This television broadcast system
will have some announcements that will be played throughout the school. He
is planning for classrooms and service areas to be capable of showing the
broadcast.

Being

the

principal,

Mr.

Rudolph

has

the

challenge

of

communicating with many different people and appears to be continuously

assessing how he can best deliver the information that needs to be shared
and ensure the message has been received.
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Communication with parents is an important challenge a principal

faces. Parents receive newsletters for school related updates, to parents but
sometimes this doesnt work very effectively for various reasons. Families
also receive school calendars to ensure parents have time to plan for when
the school isnt expected to be in session, whether it is because it is a
holiday or teacher workshops. On the calendar it also tells parents when
there are events. Events can change time-to-time so a hard copy of the
school calendar isnt always up to date. Parents are able to find the most up
to date information on the district website. On the districts website there is a
variety of information for the parents. The district website is segmented so
parents may choose the school that they would like to refer to. They are able
to use the parents and families link to look at their childs information after
logging in with a username and password. The parents are able to check
students grades, attendance, contact a teacher or staff, find transportation
information, volunteer in the school, pay athletic or activity feels and register
for things in community ed. SRRMS encourages parents to be involved with
their children and their education.
During my interview it was apparent Mr. Rudolph has a strong desire to
clearly communicate and collaborate with the students and family. In order
for this communication to occur he has the responsibility to have an
understanding of the district policies and be held accountable to the School
Board. He has ongoing contact with the Superintendent. They discuss
information that the school board would like to know. They also are in contact
4

about current and future agendas. Mr. Rudolph says that they have a great
relationship and feels that he is supported by his superintendent. He also
feels that he has a positive relationship with the school board members,
which is important because the school board is responsible for many items
such as; figuring out the schools budget, negotiating staff contracts,
approving curriculum and what should be done with the schools themselves
(build new ones, close them). Mr. Rudolph is responsible for making the
school boards visions come true and implementing their recommendations
and incentives.
In order to implement the school board and superintendents
incentives and recommendations the principal is faced with the task of
communicating with the staff. He requires the teachers use google docs for
weekly updates that he needs them to be aware of. Google docs is relatively
new, it is similar to an email. It is a little different because it allows a sender
to send information to recipients and they are able to edit the information.
The sender is able to allow recipients to edit what was sent while other
people are able to see what changes were made and by whom. This works
great for working collaboratively. Much of the information that he shares via
google docs is logistical information. He also has weekly meetings; this is
where he is able to collaborate with the staff. In these meetings there can be
a lot of challenging discussions about different views and ideas about how to
get different things accomplished. Having these meetings is also a way to
see emotion. Using mediums that do not allow people to be face to face
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makes it more difficult to understand emotion. The staff meet frequently to

discuss anything that arises.
Mr. Rudolph relies heavily on using email to communicate with the staff
members. He said email is the vehicle to move things around. He checks
his email regularly for people who need to communicate with him. The
teachers in the school are the ones that make things happen for the students
learning.
Being a teacher is an important task that takes a lot of intentional
effort to carry through with what is being asked of them to teach, and
communicate with their students and parents. There is a lot of behind the
scenes work that has to happen for the teachers to be successful. Teachers
collaborate with other teachers on a daily basis. At SRRMS there are
mandatory meetings,

on Mondays

there are grade

level/department

meetings that discuss teaming. SRRMS has two teachers for each subject;
the reason why they have two teachers for each subject is because the
students are broken up into two sections/teams A and B. This makes it
simpler to keep the students organized and keep class sizes smaller. Tuesday
and Wednesdays are called Team Days this is when the teachers of the
teams get together and discuss problems they have been having, new
strategies and collaboration take place. For instance, if the students were in
a technology class learning about architecture and will be learning about how
to find the total area of a home, the technology education and math teachers
may find a way to have lessons similar to each other. This allows the student
6

to use and see how Math and Technology Education both relate to real world
problems and to each other. Thursdays are often set for everybody to get
together, this does not occur every week so it is a day where people are able
to get together as needed. Friday grade level and teams get together to
discuss things that went well, and things that didnt work that week. They
then set goals for the next week and discuss ideas to solve problems that did
come up.
One of the teachers main jobs is communicating with students. This an
important task, for both teacher and students. Communication is one of the
most important ways of being an effective teacher. Teachers communicate
though gestures, body language, speaking and writing. At SRRMS, the
average class size is about 34 students.
An essential component of teaching is assessing the students learning
making sure that they have an understanding of the information that is being
taught. This can be challenging when the students have various learning
styles and abilities. When students are exhibiting learning difficulties which
can include learning and behaviors, teachers are required to provide
intervention and document the results of the known as Response to Teacher
Intervention, RTI. SRRMS has three levels to RTI. The first level of
intervention is usually managed by the classroom teacher and does not
include any modifications to the curriculum or the learning environment. The
second level usually includes resources outside of the classroom such as
supplemental teachers for reading and math and/ or support staff (social
7

workers and school psychologist), parents, and possibly environmental

accommodations such as a quiet testing place. The third level of intervention
is more intensive and a referral for special education evaluation may be
needed and parents may independently seek out professional assistance
from the community such as: neurologist, psychologist, or their medical
doctor.
When a student is identified as having a disability, it is the
responsibility of the teacher to understand the students modifications and
accommodations on a students Individual Education Plan, IEP.

IEPs at

SRRMS are developed by a team which includes: student, parents, special

education teacher licensed in the area of disability, administrator (that has
an understanding of district polices, resources, and curriculum), regular
education teacher, and any other related service provider. The IEP team is
required to meet annually and/ or when a team member requests a meeting
to address the students learning needs and progress towards their goals.
Active participation and communication is vital for all members of the team
when developing an IEP because this will be the mandated plan that will be
needed to followed in the educational setting. The case manager is the
special education teacher that is responsible for communicating the IEP to
rest of the staff. The case manager will provide written documentation for all
the team members and as the student is able, the student will also be taught
how to advocate for their needs and understand how they learn the best and
be encouraged to communicate with staff to meet their needs.
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The use of technology in the classroom helps teachers give the

students the information that they are required to learn. There are new
technologies that are always being used in the classroom; every classroom
at SRRMS has an interactive white board. This white board is a display that
uses a projector that is connected to a computer. The board is then
controlled by the computer, pen finger or other devices and uses a touch
screen. This is used to make the learning for students interactive instead of
listening to lectures the entire time.
In each classroom teachers have access to the internet which allows
teachers to use regularly, this allows the teachers to access their school
email regularly. The teachers also have access to YouTube, so they are able
teach students using videos online. Using video helps visual learners see
what the teacher is talking about. There are lots of informational videos that
are on the internet that the students benefit from more than listening to the
teacher giving a lecture. Students are also able to use the internet with the
teachers permission. Before a student is able to use the internet, they have
to sign a Network Resource agreement each year. This agreement has ten
different rules that the students must follow. They also need to know using
the internet is a privilege, not a right. Students use the internet for various
reasons such as finding information for a project; teachers sometimes use
web quests to present information to the students a different way, use online
games that promote learning and submit assignments to teachers. There are
filters for the students; Mr. Rudolph described these filters to be at a medium
9

level where guests have the highest level of filters. Teachers themselves
have very little filters, but are monitored to make sure they are using the
internet appropriately.
SRRMS currently has a goal of having a one to one goal of each student
having a laptop, or a tablet. Their goal is to have each student to have one of
these devices by the next school year (2015-2016). The price that each
student will have to cover will be around sixty dollars a year. Currently there
are computer labs located throughout the school. These computer labs have
either windows based systems or Macintosh systems. Depending on which
system the students are using, they are able to use different application such
as Microsoft Word.
Teachers communicating with parents is crucial, it is as important as
communicating with the students. Parents want to know how their child is
doing, and if there has been any problems. SRRMS has parent teacher
conferences twice a year. These conferences are student led, meaning the
student runs the conference. Students will talk about how school is going,
their grades, goals and performance. This allows the student to talk about
how they are going to maintain their grade or improve it. There are about
80% of families that do come to the conferences. Not only do parents see
how their child is doing, but it allows the parents to ask questions. Most
teachers at SRRMS have their emails easily accessible for parents to ask the
teacher questions or comments. Parents at SRRMS are able to log into
Skyward, this is a school administrative software where each students
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information can be seen by their parents. Skyward tracks the students

attendance, grades, missing assignments, lunch money and school calendar.
Having effective communication is also a benefit to the students.
Students that have poor communication have a tougher time in school.
Communication skills are important in todays society. We live in a
competitive world which students need to be able to communicate
effectively. SRRMS is making communication apart of their curriculum.
Students who are responsible are able to do extra activities such as using the
intercom to make announcements. Not only being able to communicate but
being able to listen is important for students success.
The safety of the students is one of the most important jobs of the
school staff. While the students are at school, parents put their trust in the
school that their children will be safe. Usually when people think student
safety they think of physical safety. At SRRMS there are accident forms that
can be completed by and of the staff, these reports are routed through Mr.
Rudolph and are housed with the school nurse. The health office is located
inside of the main office, which students and staff are available to use at any
time during school hours. The nurse is able to determine which method of
communication is the best way to get ahold of the students family. There is
also emotional and social safety. In schools there is almost always some type
of harassment or bullying in schools. SRRMS is currently raising awareness of
students emotional safety. Bullying and harassment are to be reported if
seen by anyone. Teachers at SRRMS are mandatory reporters, which means
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that a teacher has to report and suspicion of abuse of a student. If this

happens the teacher will relay the information to the principal.
Communication during an emergency event is essential part of
students safety at SRRMS. When an emergency takes place the parents are
notified by email. The teachers have the responsibility of knowing where
their students are. In an emergency this is a very vital role that they have.
The state of Minnesota requires schools to practice emergency drills every
year. Fire drills are practiced five times a year at SRRMS. There is a standard
procedure that everyone must follow. When someone pulls the fire alarms,
which are located throughout the school it notifies the local authorities.
When the fire alarm goes off, it is everyones responsibility to leave the
building in a safe, orderly and timely matter. Posted around the school are
signs for the nearest exit. When students are at class, teachers are
responsible for making sure their students exit safely. Lockdown procedures
are also required by the state of Minnesota to be conducted five times a
year. The standard procedure is much different than a fire drill. The principal
or someone who is at the main office uses the intercom system to alert
everyone in the school that there is a lockdown. Students are to enter the
nearest room possible and have to remain quiet. The students need to stay
out of sight, so away from windows and doors. If a student tries to enter
rooms and the doors are locked, students then have areas for the students to
go that are outside of the school. SRRMS locks all of the outside doors during
the school day to help reduce this risk. If the person isnt a staff member
12

with a key, everyone else has to use the front door. The front door is also
locked but visitors are able to be buzzed in. On the buzzer is a camera and
microphone which is used as a medium to contact staff personnel to let them
in.
Tornado procedures are a little different than the fire and lockdown
procedures because it relies on an outside warning system from the sound of
the city civil defense warning system or it can be announced by an
announcement with the intercom system. Staff and students will proceed to
their designated areas. The areas that they are designated to go to are to be
free of windows and flying debris. Everyone is to sit on the floor with their
heads and faces protected. They need to remain in this position until they
are told that is safe.
Occasionally there are unplanned school closings due to weather,
especially living in Minnesota. Announcements are made usually between
6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. on that day. These are made using the radio via Sky
Alert and WJON (1240 AM), WCCO (830 AM), KCLD (104.7 FM) and online at
the district website. Also many news stations on television will broadcast
school closings.
SRRMS has a discipline policy that parents and students are able to
access in the students planner. There are many different offenses that a
student may be disciplined for. It could be as small as disturbing a class to as
large as bringing a weapon to school. Every offense is looked at and
13

determined what discipline policy should entail. Most consequences can be

detention, parent conference, 1-10 day suspension or a police referral
depending if it is a repeated offense and the severity of the offense. The
principal needs to find out information from the student about what had
happened, why it happened and how they can resolve the issue differently.
Some solutions that can be used are having the student write an apology
letter to whoever was affected by the issue and/ or have the student sign a
document saying they wont do it again to hold them more accountable. If
the student does not comply with the consequences, the student is subject
to

suspension,

expulsion

or

other

consequences

may

be

deemed

appropriately by a school administrator. It is important for the school to have

the parents/guardians support about the problem so they are on the same
page with the school and can help solve the issue with their child.
In conclusion, SRRMS has a system that allows communication to flow
smoothly throughout the school. Mr. Rudolph does a good job with making
communication a strong value of his. The size of SRMMS is a relatively large
school that he is responsible for. The only way for a school the size of SRRMS
to operate effectively is using good communication practices. The district
website emphasizes how they want parent and community involvement with
the school. The principal and teacher jobs include involvement with many
different people within the school and around the community. They endure
the pressure of meeting district, state and federal standards for the students.
When the students are at school the school is responsible for the students
14

safety, which can be hard because it is not only physical safety but also
emotional

safety.

Mr.

Rudolph

assisted

me

in

understanding

how

communication works in a school and how effective communication is

important for the functioning of SRRMS.

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