Monday, August 19, 2013

Are you ready?

Are you and your family ready to go back to school? If your answer is "not quite yet", don't worry, you still have a few weeks of summer to enjoy!
There are several things you can do to help your child transition back into school mode. We are also busy here at GSP to prepare the learning environment for your children and are ready to welcome them back soon!

The following are excerpts from an article by the National Association of School Psychologists that might serve as helpful reminders.

Back-to-School Transitions: Tips for Parents

By Ted Feinberg, EdD, NCSP, & Katherine C. Cowan
National Association of School Psychologists

Getting a new school year off to a good start can influence children’s attitude, confidence, and performance both socially and academically. The transition from August to September can be difficult for both children and parents. Even children who are eager to return to class must adjust to the greater levels of activity, structure, and, for some, pressures associated with school life.
The degree of adjustment depends on the child, but parents can help their children (and the rest of the family) manage the increased pace of life by planning ahead, being realistic, and maintaining a positive attitude. Here are a few suggestions to help ease the transition and promote a successful school experience.

Before School Starts

Good physical and mental health. Be sure your child is in good physical and mental health. Schedule doctor and dental checkups early. Discuss any concerns you have over your child’s emotional or psychological development with your pediatrician. Your doctor can help determine if your concerns are normal, age-appropriate issues or require further assessment. Your child will benefit if you can identify and begin addressing a potential issue before school starts. Schools appreciate the efforts of parents to remedy problems as soon as they are recognized.
Review all of the information. Review the material sent by the school as soon as it arrives. These packets include important information about your child’s teacher, room number, school supply requirements, sign ups for after-school sports and activities, school calendar dates, bus transportation, health and emergency forms, and volunteer opportunities.
Mark your calendar. Make a note of important dates, especially back-to-school nights. This is especially important if you have children in more than one school and need to juggle obligations. Arrange for a babysitter now, if necessary.
Re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines. Plan to re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines (especially breakfast) at least 1 week before school starts. Prepare your child for this change by talking with your child about the benefits of school routines in terms of not becoming over tired or overwhelmed by school work and activities. Include pre-bedtime reading and household chores if these were suspended during the summer.
Turn off the TV. Encourage your child to play quiet games, do puzzles, flash cards, color, or read as early morning activities instead of watching television. This will help ease your child into the learning process and school routine. If possible, maintain this practice throughout the school year. Television is distracting for many children, and your child will arrive at school better prepared to learn each morning if he or she has engaged in less passive activities.
Minimize clothes shopping woes. Buy only the essentials. Summer clothes are usually fine during the early fall, but be sure to have at least one pair of sturdy shoes. Check with your school to confirm dress code guidelines. Common concerns include extremely short skirts and shorts, low rise pants, bare midriffs, spaghetti strap or halter tops, exposed undergarments, and clothing that have antisocial messages.
Designate and clear a place to do homework. Older children should have the option of studying in their room or a quiet area of the house. Younger children usually need an area set aside in the family room or kitchen to facilitate adult monitoring, supervision, and encouragement.
Select a spot to keep backpacks and lunch boxes. Designate a spot for your children to place their school belongings as well as a place to put important notices and information sent home for you to see. Explain that emptying their backpack each evening is part of their responsibility, even for young children.

The First Week

Clear your own schedule. To the extent possible, postpone business trips, volunteer meetings, and extra projects. You want to be free to help your child acclimate to the school routine and overcome the confusion or anxiety that many children experience at the start of a new school year.
Make lunches the night before school. Older children should help or make their own. Give them the option to buy lunch in school if they prefer and finances permit.
Set alarm clocks. Have school-age children set their own alarm clocks to get up in the morning. Praise them for prompt response to morning schedules and bus pickups.
Leave plenty of extra time. Make sure your child has plenty of time to get up, eat breakfast, and get to school. For very young children taking the bus, pin to their shirt or backpack an index card with pertinent information, including their teacher’s name and bus number, as well as your daytime contact information.
After school. Review with your child what to do if he or she gets home after school and you are not there. Be very specific, particularly with young children. Put a note card in their backpack with the name(s) and number(s) of a neighbor who is home during the day as well as a number where you can be reached. If you have not already done so, have your child meet neighbor contacts to reaffirm the backup support personally.
Review your child’s schoolbooks. Talk about what your child will be learning during the year. Share your enthusiasm for the subjects and your confidence in your child’s ability to master the content. Reinforce the natural progression of the learning process that occurs over the school year. Learning skills take time and repetition. Encourage your child to be patient, attentive, and positive.
Send a brief note to your child’s teacher. Let the teachers know that you are interested in getting regular feedback on how and what your child is doing in school. Be sure to attend back-to-school night and introduce yourself to the teachers. Find out how they like to communicate with parents (e.g., through notes, e-mail, or phone calls). Convey a sincere desire to be a partner with your children’s teachers to enhance their learning experience.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Don't be afraid of learning!

Schools can be somewhat lonely places over summer. Furniture is moved out of the way and hallways are empty - but not so at GSP!
We are fortunate to have summer camps all summer long! I have seen many familiar and new faces over the last few weeks. Children were making room decorations, learning about the wizardly worlds and playing sports - and practicing their German language skills at the same time.
There is a great deal of learning going on throughout the building! Summer campers are engaged in German language activities and acquire new skills, but each and everyone of us is deeply engaged in learning this summer, too. For some of us this means learning about RenWeb, our new information system, for others it is an online workshop about the primary years IB program. We are all working hard to get ready for an exciting new school year.
We are a learning community and we continue to learn to prepare the best we can. In order to do so we need to be willing to grow and sometimes even step out of our comfort zone.
The following interview with Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset ( a book that I can highly recommend) serves as a good reminder.
Carol Dweck Interview
We all feel very privileged that you trust us with your children.
Happy learning!

Friday, August 2, 2013

Summer Learning

Hello all,
while this is the time to kick back and enjoy the laziness of summer I would like to encourage you to read the following article about learning loss over summer. I personally am not a big supporter of summer workbooks, but have been quite successful with more focused activities.
Summer Learning
Rather than waiting until end of August to restart a routine, I recommend keeping a low key and flexible learning routine. Every family is different and you should choose whatever works best for you. Some might have a set time every day for reading or other learning activities, others might have a goal for the week. The article has some suggestions about how to keep students engaged in learning over summer, I would like to add to that.
Learning has many forms and I hope you will try out different activities that allow you and your family to learn together. Creative writing activities can be a wonderful family project, too. Powell's finally sells poetry magnets again - and they do have the German set, too! Fridge poetry can be a creative way to play with language. We have also tossed a handful random words in a bag and drew 5. All 5 words had to be used in a story then. Be creative, the story can be written collaboratively or individually. You will be surprised how different the stories will be!
Enjoy!