Class Lists

[AnonyMouse_35247]

It is that time of the year when parents ask for class lists! We have always said we can't due to data protection and giving names out linked to classs/school etc are we being over cautious? we have a lovely facebook rant going on over this!

 

Thanks

[AnonyMouse_3735]

As a preschool we never did them.. and had the usual complaints etc, but felt not all children are friends with the whole group so we could not sort them out so decided not to give them..

 

One year we did a very successful friendship Christmas tree where each child could add a card or picture on it with greetings to all in the setting.. we supplied bauble shaped cards or they could add their own.. saved parents money and us the list issue... ours was a painted twig, but could be an artificial tree or a picture/ drawing of one on the wall..

[AnonyMouse_39602]

yes i agree that not all of group are friends with everyone but is it really data protection( no personal info apart from name ) when parents should know most of kids in class anyway, it's the pressure of today, kids feel everyone has to have a card or is it parents trying to guarantee their child will get one in return ??

[Guest]

I gave out one with first names only on. I figured that most children can name everyone in their class by sight and probably most from memory so what information would someone gather from a list they couldn't get from a child? Most parents want them for name spellings and to ensure their child isn't forgetting anyone. Also if the list is lost, what can a stranger get from a list of names? I never put the class or school name on so it would be meaningless. If the school has a policy though you obviously will have to go with that.

[AnonyMouse_8466]

I used to check with the parents and if no-one objected I would circulate a list. I can't see the problem to be honest - the person you're giving the list to could easily get the information in other ways anyway.

[AnonyMouse_6721]

I can't see the problem of first names only. Its nice for the parents to have all the correct spellings. Also my daughter could always 'read' all the names of children in her class even the more tricky ones from an early age. They love getting cards from their friends.

[AnonyMouse_1999]

We are pre-school with children attending different days so not all children see all children!

We have had requests for name lists but said no on the basis that if all children sent everyone a card we would have over 3,500 cards to sort

We do provide lists (first names only) and parents give us a rough idea of how many cards they would like to send and we either write names (for the tinies) or ask the children to help write a list of their friendss

 

I am making it sound complicated but it's not! All cards are put in the Christmas post box and sorted by staff, children take them home on the last day of term.

[AnonyMouse_31531]

I don't have a problem with a list of first names. The parents just want to check the spellings usually and as we are a small setting they know all the names anyway.

[AnonyMouse_35247]

We usually advise parents just to send to friends e.g. if the child can remember them then they get a card. I often say send the cards/invites in and then i will write names on but i know others teachers wont do this. just wondered what everyone else did really

 

Thanks

[Guest]

I am the Nursery Nurse in our local school and have always written a list of the childrens names, only using the initial of the surname if needed if we have duplicates. I started it mainly because parents would come to me with a pile of cards and ask me to work out who they had missed. It is also a handy list for birthday parties as at this age they tend to invite the whole class. I had someone ask me for the list in september, i thought it was for a birthday but it was so they could get started on the cards early as there child wanted to write them all himself. My Teacher is aware I do the list and has not said anything she even directs people to me.

A plus for us when it comes to sorting all the cards have the right names on and no names that parents have tried to intrepet from their children.

[Guest]

I also found that giving out a list stops the upset of one or two children getting missed off. When someone is handing out their Christmas cards if they intended to send one to the whole class but didn't remember a couple of the names then these children can feel very left out. (Easily done when there's 30 to remember, if ever I tried to write a class list from memory inevitably I ended up with 29 names frantically trying to work out who I'd missed off!) No matter how you give them out (children doing it themselves, post box system) children will often realise when everyone else has got a card from someone and they haven't.

[Guest tinkerbell]

we do give out class names to parents who ask and it has been realy useful to jot next to the jehovah child that a happy holiday card would be more appropriate ( I had checked if this was ok with the parents)

[AnonyMouse_19733]

We ask families to send in one special card, either bought or preferably homemade, from their child to "all their special friends". We then read these out at circle time, as they are received, the child tells us about how they made it etc. and choses where on the wall they would like it put for display. We ask that money saved is donated to a charity of the family's choice or to Great Ormand Street which we send off in the new year. Saves all the hassle of lists and distribution and each child feels very special when it is their turm to wish all their friends a Happy Christmas.