Five Tips for a Smooth Start of the School Year

With summer drawing to a close, we will soon start to hear school bells ringing all around town.  Here are a few things you can do to help your students, no matter what age, have a smooth transition back to the classroom.

1.      Get Ready for the Alarm

Summer allows families to have the freedom of eliminating a strict routine from their lives. No homework, later bedtimes and outdoor activities become the “new normal” during the months of June, July and August. Now that school is getting ready to start, try to ease back into the routine of having set bedtimes, sharing a story before bed and getting up at a set time each morning.  This will help when the alarm sounds on that first morning of school.

2.    Keep in the Loop

Make sure you have your child enrolled for the school year and have provided all necessary papers so that your child can attend school on the first day of class. Many school districts require proof or residency and need you to update health records before they will enroll your student. If your school holds a Back to School Night or Meet the Teacher Night, plan to attend that with your child to help them feel secure in where they will be going on the first day. Also take time to check on your child’s bus number. Often districts will change the bus numbers on routes from time to time.

3.    Be Prepared

This is more then just a great scout slogan; it is a slogan for back to school. Be ready for the first day of classes by making sure your child has all the necessary school supplies. Schools will provide you with a list of school supplies. Often stores will run specials on those items in early and mid August. If you are having financial difficulty, check with your local community service organizations and churches. They often provide needed backpacks of supplies for students. Make sure all supplies are labeled with your child’s name the first day of class.

4.    Keep Organized

Set aside a place at home where important papers and information from school can be sorted through. Make it a habit to go through your child’s backpack each evening to see what homework needs to be done or what information has come home from the school about upcoming events. If your child has a class planner, you will want review it each evening. It often tells you when the next test is coming up or will give you information on an upcoming class project.

5.    Talk to Your Student

Take time to visit with your child about the upcoming school year. Ask them what they are looking forward to as well as what concerns they might have. You can share some of your own school stories and assure them that you know they will have a great year. Once school starts, ask them questions to start a conversation about the day. “What was your favorite thing you did today at school? “, or maybe “Tell me about one of your new friends in your class.”  These questions will lead to more conversation then a simple “Yes” or “No” to the question, “Did you have a good day at school today”. 

Following these five simple tips will help your family to have a great start of the upcoming school year. If we can be of assistance in helping to start the year off with a tutor to prepare your child for the upcoming year, don’t hesitate us!

Kansas City Area – 816-807-0122

Springfield Missouri Area – 417-501-5620

Katy Texas Area – 281-206-4127

   1.    If your child is continuing in a class where their first semester grade was less then satisfactory, set down and talk to your child about what they feel the problem was during the past semester. Assure your child they will have your support in the upcoming semester as you work together toward a better outcome in the future.  Next, call the school and set up an appointment to visit with the teacher. You can either go to the school in person or have a phone conference. 

 2.    When you speak with the teacher, be prepared with questions to help identify the learning situation and come up with creative solutions. Some examples might include:

     "I noticed that (insert your child's name) had a lower grade than we would like in the first semester, can you tell me what you feel the problems were that lead to this outcome?"

 3.    Listen carefully as the teacher identifies what these concerns were in the first semester.  Ask questions as they state their concerns. If they are concerned with homework not being turned in, ask if they feel there is a lack of understanding on your child's part or if there is an organizational problem. It maybe that the quiz and test scores are low. You might ask if the teacher has a review packet you can go over with your child before upcoming test or quizzes. 

 4.    Once the problems are identified, work with the teacher to come up with solutions that you can implement from home as well as making a plan to check back in with the teacher to monitor your child's progress. 

 5.    After talking with the teacher, sit down with your child and let them know what the teacher said. Work together to come up with a plan for success. This can be a simple as you checking over homework each evening, or going over the upcoming test material with them.  

 6.    If you have any questions, feel free to call or email us for suggestions to help your child succeed in class. 

 7.    If you feel a tutor is needed to help your child, don't hesitate to call us at Terrific Tutors. ( Phone number - 816-807-0122 or 417-501-5620) We can have someone working with your child within the week. We tutor all ages and subjects.
 

Tips for Parent Teacher Conferences

1. As you begin your conference, listen carefully for the teacher to tell you strengths and weaknesses of your child. If they don�t mention strengths, don�t hesitate to ask them, �What do you feel Emily is doing well this year in school? � Children are often nervous about the conferences and you will want to share these positive comments with your child.

2. When you look at the first quarter progress report together, feel free to ask how grades were calculated. The teacher should have their grading system handy so they can share information with you regarding missing assignment or test and quiz scores.

3. The teacher may uses terms that are unfamiliar to you, stop them and ask them to explain the term and what it means. If they mention that your child has a DRA score of 12, and you are not sure if that is on target for the grade level, politely stop them and say, � Can you explain to me DRA stands for and what that score represents.�

4.  If you feel that you didn�t have enough time to fully discuss your child�s progress, as the conference begins to draw to a close, ask to schedule another time when you can talk at greater length.

5. Should the teacher suggest that additional help is needed in a subject area, ask for specific examples of what you can do to help support your child. Maybe it is as simple as having a designated area for homework to be completed. It may be that your child needs to work on math facts and the teacher maybe able to suggest websites that can help with that process.

If the teacher suggests a tutor to help your child, please call us at Terrific Tutors. We can help to provide the support needed for your child to have a successful school year.

Phone us at 816-807-0122 in the Kansas City Metro area or

at 417-501-0122 in the Springfield, Missouri area.