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First day of school at Mott Road Elementary School in Fayetteville, Tues. Sept. 8, 2015.
(David Lassman / The Post-Standard)
Amy Zogby is director of the Syracuse University Parent Advocacy Center. SUPAC promotes meaningful parent involvement in the education of children with disabilities in the Mid-State Region of New York state, and offers resources to help parents understand and advocate for their children with disabilities.
By Amy Zogby
For Central New York the start of the school year is here and most families are thinking about what they need to do to get ready.
Making the transition from laid-back summer days to strict schedules can seem overwhelming. But here are some easy-to-follow tips on getting everyone back to school and starting the year on a positive note.
1. Start with the morning routine.
Getting everyone out the door with everything they need for the day can be tricky, but come up with a routine that everyone can follow.
* It is nearly impossible to get yourself ready and your kids ready at the same time and not feel frazzled. If you can try to wake up before everyone else to get ready and have some alone time, you will find that your mornings go much smoother.
* Making a visual or picture schedule can be very helpful to remind kids what they need to do in the morning to get ready and encourage independence. If your child completes everything on the schedule you can work in a reward (for example, time with you, watching a show, reading a book) and the best part is parents will not have to remind their child five times to brush their teeth. There are many templates for picture schedules online that are very easy to set up.
* In addition to eating breakfast, getting dressed, combing your hair, and brushing your teeth, backpacks also need to be packed. Although it is best to pack at night we all know that does not always happen. Understood.org has a very helpful Backpack Checklist Luggage Tags and tutorial that will help frazzled kids and parents to remember everything they need to pack before they rush out the door.
2. Stay up-to-date with the information about your kid's school.
Start off with the basics, such as the teacher's name, the bus number and the pick-up and drop-off schedule, needed supplies and lunch menu. Once you have the basics mastered, everything else falls into place. Just be sure to "synchronize your swatches" with the school's calendar and make note of open houses, parent/teacher conferences, curriculum nights and any other school event that encourage parent involvement. On your lunch break you can even peruse EngageNY.org to get a preview of what your child will be learning that year.
3. Get your kids excited about school.
Whether you are a first time parent sending your baby off to school and stocking up on tissues for the bus stop or you are doing your happy dance for the start of the school year, you have probably already started talking about the first day of school. The main thing for parents to remember is that not all kids love school. For some kids it may be hard for them to make friends or get good grades. Instead of a pep talk where you try to tell your child how great school is, try asking your child what they like about school, what they would change about school, and what their hopes are.
* To help guide your conversation with your child you can complete SUPAC's "What Works portfolio" and then you can give it to your child's teacher so they have a full picture of your child.
* Explain why school is important and problem solve any concerns your child might have (f,or example, who to go to for help or who to sit with at lunch).
* Explore after school activities that your child might be interested in
* Once school starts the Huffington Post has two great articles, here and here, with ideas of how to casually talk with your child/teen about school.
4. Plan out your after-school and bedtime routine.
Things may have gotten a little loose over the summer with bed times that were less a rule and more an afterthought. Now is the time to start enforcing a bed time. Speaking of routines, think about an after-school schedule for when your child gets home. Tailor it to best fit your child's personality and temperament. Maybe your kids needs a half hour of unstructured play to help burn off excess energy, or maybe they need some quiet time to decompress from the day's events. The same as the morning, if you develop an after-school routine and bed-time routine the better your children will sleep.
* Do what you can to prepare for the next day (especially emptying out and reading papers that come home in the backpack).
* Set up a specific place in your house for homework that is stocked with all the supplies a child might need (e.g., pencils, pencil sharpener, pens, paper, etc.) and consider what your child might need to help them concentrate (e.g., music or complete silence).
* Be sure to stop any screen time (e.g., TV, smartphone, tablets) at least two hours before your child's bedtime and set up a calm and cool environment with dim lights and soft blankets.
5. If this is your child's second year in the school, this is a great time to think about what you would like to do differently.
This could be the year to find activities to get involved in your school such as volunteering at an event or chaperoning field trips. Your school also might have a Parent/Teacher Group that you can be a part of. Be sure to get to know your child's teacher well and learn what the teacher's preferred mode of communication is. If your child's teacher has a website or if the school has a parent portal be sure to become familiar with it early on in the school year. If your child has any sort of individual plan (e.g., medical, educational, behavioral) be sure to review it with your child's teacher in the beginning of the year. Also, be sure that your child knows about any accommodations they should be getting and role play with them the appropriate way to remind their teacher or to ask for the accommodation. Imdetermined.org is a great website with many resources to help students learn to self-advocate. The website also has resources like the "Good day plan" to help children explore how they can have a good day at school.