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Tips for a Successful New School Year
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Tips for a Successful New School Year
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A new school year brings exciting new challenges, opportunities and relationships for kids. However, back-to-school time can also cause its share of apprehension for children and parents alike.
To help children succeed academically and socially, parents or other caregivers need to create an environment that is conducive to learning, and to take an active role in their children’s educational experience. Here are some tips to help your child start the school year on the right foot.
Open the lines of communication
At the beginning of the year, talk with your child’s teacher to learn his or her communication policy. Is the preferred form of communication by telephone, e-mail, notebook, or letters to parents? Many teachers will send home a welcome letter that includes this information, or they may follow the welcome letter with a separate communication policy. Also keep in mind that communication is a two-way street. Be sure to introduce yourself to the teacher and provide your contact information, as well.
After this initial exchange of contact information, be alert to any messages sent home from the school either with your child or by mail. Make a habit of checking your child’s book bag or folder for messages that may have gotten lost in the shuffle. In addition, be sure to read any comments that the teacher writes on your child’s schoolwork. Often, these are a good indicator of your child’s strengths and weaknesses.
Participating in school meetings and events, such as open houses, parent-teacher conferences, Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, and sporting events opens up additional communication opportunities and demonstrates to the school that your child’s education is important to you.
Promote proper nutrition and sleeping habits
Convenience foods may fit well into our fast-paced lives, but relying on them to meet the nutritional needs of our kids is a bad idea. For instance, offering sweetened cereals, large amounts of fruit juice, pancakes, waffles, French toast with syrup or other sugar-laden foods for breakfast sets kids up for focus or attention problems in the classroom. They’ll hit mid-morning and crash from the sugar, leading to sleepiness or inattentiveness. Offering protein-based foods at breakfast, like cheese, eggs or meat, will sustain your child until lunchtime. In many school districts, income-eligible children can also apply for free or low-cost breakfast and/or lunch.
Bedtime should be scheduled for the same time each night. The number of sleep hours a child should get will vary by age, but maintaining a regular sleep-waking routine is important at any age.
Establish a homework routine
Homework can be a major source of frustration for both kids and parents, but establishing a predictable daily routine can help take some of the frustration out of homework time. Set aside a particular time each day for homework responsibilities. The best time will depend on your child. Some kids will work best if they come in right after school to tackle their homework. Others may need a small snack or 15 to 30 minutes of physical activity before hitting the books.
Also, designate a specific amount of time, such as 30 to 45 minutes, for doing homework each day. Explain to your child that he or she must do school-related work during that period. This set time for homework can prevent students from rushing to complete their assignments or not bringing their assignments home from school. When no homework is assigned, you can continue the homework routine by having the child work on a subject that needs some additional practice.
Establish a study area
Just as it’s important to establish a homework routine, it’s also important to set aside a particular area in the house for study, whether it’s in the kitchen or dining room, a bedroom with a desk, a small area in the living room, a home office, or another dedicated space. The area should provide proper task lighting and be free of noises and distractions, such as the phone, television, or radio. The dedicated study area should also be equipped with any necessary homework supplies, including paper, pencils, pens, erasers, a dictionary and thesaurus, scissors, glue, etc.
Be available to help
While there’s a fine line between helping your child with homework and doing your child’s homework, it’s important for a parent to be available to provide assistance at homework time—even if your child is reluctant to accept it. Homework challenges can quickly lead to frustration, and if no one is there to help relieve that frustration when it arises, it can be extremely difficult for a child to calm down and finish the task at hand.
To get the homework process started smoothly, have your child first explain to you what the assignment entails. Once the work is completed, review it to make sure it has been completed in a satisfactory manner. If your child makes a mistake, use constructive criticism, rather than negative comments or verbal attacks, to guide him or her through corrections. Offer praise whenever your child makes an effort to complete a task, or meets or exceeds your performance expectations.
If you sense that your child may be having academic problems, follow up with the school in writing and request an evaluation to determine whether your child may have a learning disability. Be sure to keep a copy of the correspondence as well as brief documentation—including the “who, what, when, where, why, and how," and details of any services that are provided to support the student.
For more information on how to help and support your student’s education and for other educational topics, visit www.ED.gov.
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