Parent Involvement
Wondering how much to be involved in your child's learning process?
Read about your child's school level below for some basic recommendations!
@ Gravenstein Elementary 🐻
Keep an open dialogue with your child's teacher. If something is going on at home or in the student's life that might affect the classroom, let the teacher know ahead of time.
Be aware of what is being worked on.
Be encouraging and remind your child that sometimes learning things is hard, and that it's okay to not understand things the first time. Help them practice creative solutions and 'how do we find out what we don't know?' when they don't know something
Support them in knowing that just because something is hard for them, doesn't mean that they can't be good at it, it just means that they might need a little extra practice for those skills.
Check your email frequently to make sure you are not missing any school communications.
If you and your child's teacher set goals to support your child's learning, make sure to put time into their recommendations. :)
@ Hillcrest Middle School 🦅
Knowing where and how to support a middle schooler can be tough- it varies by person because each middle schooler is in a different place in learning how to be an independent learner.
The Key: Encourage independence and trust in them- they are learning and practicing responsibility and self-advocacy so they can do it in the future BUT monitor their grades, and that work is getting turned in. If they are not accomplishing what they need to, increase parent involvement to make sure they are being held accountable for their learning responsibilities.
Have a parent log-in for the grades portal and check it weekly.
If your child is struggling, encourage them to be their own advocate. Make a plan with them for them to take time to share and tell the adults at the school what they need or that they're having trouble. This can either look like them telling the adult by themselves, or with a support system (ex: you, a friend, the counselor) present.
Make sure to check in with your child after to see how it went. If you feel honesty may be an issue in terms of accountability, let the teacher know that your child should be coming to speak with them or coordinate it with the counseling office.
Check their planner with them so you stay aware of upcoming tests/deadlines with them and encourage them to prepare.
