HS Handbook 5.6 Parent/Guardian's Guide to Communication

Supporting your students through their learning journey through the program can be at times thrilling and challenging. Effective communication is vital and requires participation, dedication, sacrifice and communication from parents/guardians, students and faculty.

Below are some recommendations on how to navigate communication in the Theater Division.

Be in the know!

At the beginning of the year, term, class, or production:

✔︎ Read class syllabi
Instructors distribute on the first day of each class, and they are posted and updated in Canvas.

✔︎ Read student handbook
Note down unfamiliar and new policies and procedures, especially ones that affect student availability and scheduling requirements.

✔︎ Subscribe to the Theater Division calendar and your student's Canvas calendar

✔︎ Connect with the Backstage Boosters and join their group chat

✔︎ Attend Open House and meet the dean and faculty

Stay in the loop!

During the year:

✔︎ Check Canvas weekly for attendance and grade updates

NOTE: While M-DCPS utilizes Schoology and Gradebook, MDC employees (all adjuncts, college full-time faculty, and staff) do not have access to those systems.

To improve communication and transparency regarding grades and attendance for arts classes, we are migrating to MDC's Canvas instance as the learning management system for Theater Division classes.

Although there is a Canvas Parent app, Miami Dade College currently does not have provisioned Observer roles for parents, so we are not able to give you your own access to log in to the platform. We have asked MDC to investigate the possibility of adding this functionality in the future.

In the meantime, we encourage you to ask your student to log in to MDC's Canvas with you so you can regularly check attendance and grades for each class.

M-DCPS' Gradebook will continue to update arts grades at progress reports and report cards.

Weekly grades and attendance and details will be updated weekly in Canvas.

✔︎ After an absence, ensure that your student gets each instructor's signature on the ADMIT TO CLASS form within the allotted 3 day deadline, to ensure all absences are accounted for properly.

✔︎ Review all production syllabi, practicum assignments, rehearsal and performance schedules to ensure your student remains in good academic standing and can complete roles as assigned.

❌ Do not leave town during scheduled production rehearsal dates. Students must remain available when class is in session for all rehearsal and performance dates and are not permitted to leave town during these periods. Family vacations are considered unexcused absences.

❌ Do not miss rehearsals or performances. Students with unexcused rehearsal absences will be removed from casting assignments and replaced, as well as jeopardize future performance opportunities and be subject to possible probation or dismissal.

✔︎ Production cast and crew assignments are graded course components and are considered required curricular activities. Treat them as you would any other required, graded class.

❌ Once cast or assigned to a production, withdrawing is not permitted, and would jeopardize future performance opportunities and be subject to possible probation or dismissal.

✔︎ Follow the Outside Performance Policy to ensure compliance when pursuing auditions and other opportunities.

✔︎ Respond to emails and messages from the Dean, administrative staff, and faculty promptly.

✔︎ Complete signatures on any official documents sent via Adobe Sign and return promptly.

Troubleshoot effectively!

If there is an issue:

✔︎ Encourage student/faculty communication
When students follow the Chain of Communication and directly discuss concerns with the faculty member, it often provides the most effective resolution, and helps students develop valuable professional communication skills that will prepare them well for college and beyond.

✔︎ Check the paperwork
Double check the sources of information listed above.

✔︎ Reach out to the faculty member via email or phone, and discuss the concern together.

✔︎ If the issue has not been adequately resolved, then it is appropriate to escalate the concern to the dean for further discussion.