June 19, 2025
| By In an increasingly digital and fast-moving world, parents often find themselves wanting to stay more connected to their child’s education—but unsure how. They want to understand what their children are learning, how they’re progressing, and how they can offer meaningful support at home.
At the same time, schools benefit immensely from engaged families who bring encouragement, insight, and a shared commitment to student success.
That’s why the launch of the ViSN Parent Community is such a timely and impactful initiative. It’s not just a communication tool—it’s a bridge. A bridge that connects families and educators, no matter how far apart they may be geographically, and brings them together in support of every student’s learning journey.
About the ViSN Program
ViSN—pronounced “vision”—is an innovative, award-winning online education program pioneered by Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) to support students in their final two years of school. It provides access to a wide range of courses that may not be available at students’ local schools—particularly important in Western Australia, where students are often spread across remote and regional areas with limited access to educational resources.
By offering 30 different courses across Years 11 and 12 in 2025, ViSN ensures that students can pursue their academic interests while remaining rooted in their communities.
Recognizing the importance of family involvement in student success, ViSN saw a unique opportunity: for the first time, the program could directly connect with parents from over 30 different schools by creating a community on Microsoft Teams Free. This capability opened the door to share timely updates, offer support, and build a stronger partnership between home and school—leading to the creation of the ViSN Parent Community.
VisN Parent Community
To kick off their journey in building a strong and connected parent community, ViSN adopted a thoughtful, phased approach that prioritized ease of onboarding and meaningful engagement:
📩 Phase 1: Initial Invitations
At the beginning of the school year, email join requests were sent to parents. Class teachers also included links and information in their introductory emails, helping to spread the word organically.
💻 Phase 2: First Parent Night
The first official parent night was held online, marking the formal introduction of the community. Multiple parents registered, many attended the session live, and others accessed the community link via the session recording. This event served as a welcoming gateway for parents to explore the platform and understand its purpose.
📈 Phase 3: Community Growth & Engagement
Following the initial onboarding, ViSN introduced several initiatives to keep parents informed and involved:
- Session updates: Regular posts about student sessions and key academic milestones.
- Integrated calendar: A shared calendar experience listing student exams and events to keep parents notified.
- Dedicated channels: Spaces like “How To” guides to help parents get started with tools and resources.
- Interactive polls: Opportunities for parents to share feedback and shape the community experience.
- Open dialogue: A platform for parents to ask questions, share thoughts, and connect with one another.
This structured rollout not only helped parents ease into the community but also laid the foundation for sustained engagement and collaboration.
Figure 1- Engagement happening in the community
What’s Working: Engagement and Feedback
The ViSN Parent Community is already seeing strong signs of engagement, thanks to a few simple but effective strategies. One standout is the community-wide habit of “liking every post”—a fun and inclusive practice that originated with teachers and students and has now been embraced by parents. This small action has helped create a positive, encouraging environment where parents feel comfortable interacting and staying informed.
To build on this momentum, ViSN is preparing to introduce “champion parents”—active members who will help spark conversations, ask questions, and encourage others to participate. This peer-driven approach is designed to make the community feel more personal and dynamic.
Figure 2- ‘Liking every post’ is starting to take hold with numbers slowing increasing and providing feedback to ViSN Admin
Catholic Education WA’s Virtual School Network (ViSN) is an innovative initiative, established in 2018, which is aimed at providing high-quality online education to Year 11 and Year 12 students across our state. These students come from diverse backgrounds and locations, united by their commitment to academic excellence and their desire to engage in a flexible learning environment.”
“We acknowledge parents are the first educators of their children and we are committed to making it easy for parents to actively engage with their child’s learning. Teams Community has allowed parents to directly reach the ViSN Administration – giving them insight into how ViSN is benefitting their child and what is possible through online learning.
Kylie Kingdon – Virtual School Network Consultant and Teacher
Key Takeaways for Schools Looking to Engage Parents
- Use free, accessible platforms like Microsoft Teams to create inclusive digital communities.
- Start small with a phased rollout to build confidence and familiarity.
- Encourage light-touch engagement (like reactions) to lower the barrier to participation.
- Empower parents to lead—peer voices can drive authentic conversations.
- Keep communication timely and relevant with updates tied to academic milestones.
