September 2016


Welcome back Glenshire Families and Students:

I hope you had a wonderful summer with time to relax and enjoy our beautiful area.  I would like to share some back to school tips for working together for school success.  First and foremost is excellent attendance.  Being in school every day means your child will not miss out on learning.  Please try to schedule appointments and family trips outside of school hours.  Additionally, being on time is also extremely important.  It is much easier on a child to be in class when it starts  and is able to attend to the tasks at hand, rather than walking in late and having to be in a position of catching up.

Did you know that children who regularly eat meals with their families tend to do better in school and avoid risky behavior.  Eating dinner together is great, but other meals count, too.  If you work at night, perhaps you could make time for a family breakfast, or on the weekend try a picnic lunch.

Celebrate progress!  Suggest that your student create a fun reminder of all the things he/she has accomplished.  He/she can cover a container with construction paper and label it "I did it!"  Then write each success on a slip of paper and put it in the container.  If your child is feeling discouraged at any point they can read the slips of paper.

Parent involvement can take many forms.  Volunteering in your child's classroom is wonderful, but not everyone is able to do that.  Other ways to stay involved:  Ask your child what they brought home that day and go through it and comment; Ask to see their homework and go over it after your child gives it a try;  Ask your child about a book he/she enjoyed that day and encourage their reading skills by reading aloud to him/her as much as possible; and cultivate a positive attitude by asking about what positive things happened at school each day.  Questions like "What's the coolest thing that happened at school today", "What made you laugh?", "What was the most creative thing you did?",  and "How were you kind or helpful today?" can bring your child's attention to the wonderful daily things that are occurring in his/her life.  If a negative event or situation occurs, empower your child by asking him/her what can be done about the situation to change it next time.  This tells your child that you have faith and believe in their ability to solve problems that come their way, thus cultivating resiliency.  Last, but not least, work through the Second Step Home Links together, which will help to address many of those issues that come up for elementary children as well as create a close bond between parents and student.

Nuts and bolts, such as eat a healthy breakfast each day before school, plenty of sleep each night (8-10 hours), a packed backpack by the front door before bedtime, as well as the outfit picked out and laid out for the next day can streamline hectic mornings.

My wish for this school year is that each child comes to Glenshire excited to learn new ideas, feels safe and happy to be here, has meaningful relationships, and connects with a trusted adult.

I welcome all of you back and look forward to helping you and your child in any way I can.

Fondly,

Rachel Falk