Sometimes parenting can feel like a solo job that you tackle alone, without anyone to hold your hand and guide you or pick you up when you’ve fallen down. But the truth is, parents don’t have to exist on an island (with only their two year old throwing a temper tantrum). They have a cornucopia of resources available, if they know where to look and how to use them. One of those resources is school, and the people who work within it. That is why Life With Kids Hub will publish regular posts about how parents and schools can partner with one another to raise our children.
First on our list of subjects: how parents and schools can work together at the beginning of the year. Let’s face it, you probably have a ton of questions, worries, and curiosities at the beginning of the school year. These feelings are only amplified if this is your first time around the block. If you are like Jessica Hofschulte, first time mother of two kindergarten boys, you probably “wish there was a handbook for strategies on how to cope.”
Although your school is unlikely to publish such a handbook, they can still be a resource for you as you and your child navigate through the summer-to-school transition. Every school has a different way of welcoming families, new and old, into their community. However, there are some common practices you can expect and some extra information from them that will make you and your child’s transition back to school smoother.
Resources you should expect from most schools:
“Back to School” Supply List: Most schools, classrooms, and individual teachers have expectations regarding what students bring to school. For some schools, such as many Montessori schools, they will only ask that you bring a backpack with a water bottle and a lunch. Other schools will have a more extensive list of supplies that your child must bring, varying from calculators to highlighters.
“Back to School” Booklist: Similar to the supply list, older children will also have a list of books they must buy, rent, or borrow. Read this list closely, as it will most likely tell you not only which books to get, but how exactly to obtain said books.
Orientation + Orientation Schedules: Most schools hold orientations for their students, and some even hold orientations for families as well. Orientation does exactly what the name says: orients you and your child to what their future experience at the school will be like. Be on the lookout for an email from the school with the detailed orientation schedule. Note that this can happen weeks before school actually starts, be the day before school starts, or be on the first day of school.
Annual Schedule: Schools often have their annual, big picture schedule published to the public months in advance. So, if you are curious, you can most likely look this up on their website well before it gets shared with you. This will help you clock in when days off and long breaks are, so you can book childcare well in advance.
Weekly Schedule: This schedule will give you the nitty gritty details regarding what your student’s day to day is going to look like. You should be able to see an hour by hour outline, whether they are in music class, recess, or napping. Plus, this document will provide important pick up and drop off details.
Potential Extra Resources:
Although your school might be busy locking down the schedules and lists noted above, you might still be lacking information.
Countdown Checklist: It can be a good idea, especially as a new parent of a kindergartner, to ask schools to provide information regarding how to support a new kindergartener two weeks out, a week out, a day out, and an hour out from the start of school.
Parent Q&A: You can also ask if the school would be willing to facilitate a Parent Q&A, where returning parents answer the questions of new parents. Sometimes, parents have an even better idea of what other parents need than the schools themselves do.
Questions you could be asking the school:
Most schools love providing logistical details for parents and students. Hopefully, if the school is doing a good job providing information, you will get to know the answers to the “who”, “what”, “where”, and “how” with school provided schedules and checklists.
However, preparing for the start of the year is an extremely busy time for both teachers and administrators. Sometimes, important information can fall through the cracks. (And superfluous information will definitely fall through the cracks!) If you feel as though your child’s school has failed to communicate something important, don’t be afraid to reach out to them! Here are some ideas of questions you can ask:
What does my child’s routine look like during school?
Are there any school supplies or books that the school can loan or rent to my child?
What might my child behave like during this transition between summer and the school year? (This one is especially important if they are transitioning into Kindergarten.)
What can I do to help support my child through this transition?
How should I be speaking to and engaging with my child during this transition?
All effective schools partner with parents in order to help children learn, grow, feel safe, and be challenged. In order for this partnership to start off on a good foot, be sure to read the communication the school is sending to you and take advantage of all resources they provide. If you feel like something is missing, or if you have a question or a worry, don’t be afraid to reach out! The people who work at your child’s school are there to help.
Save this blog post on Life With Kids Hub Pinterest
Comments