10 WAYS PARENTS CAN HELP THEIR CHILDREN SUCCEED IN SCHOOL Tracy A. Youngberg, Principal Stafford Elementary School April 26, 2016

You Were Your Child’s First Teacher… …and we need your help!

#1 Take Attendance and On Time Arrivals Seriously “Across the country, an estimated million students are missing nearly a month of school and suffering academically for it. The problem starts early with at least 10% of kindergartners and first graders missing that much school, absences that can stall their progress in reading and deny them an equal opportunity to learn.” (Mapping the Early Attendance Gap: Charting a Course for Student Success, 2015)Mapping the Early Attendance Gap: Charting a Course for Student Success

# 2 Ensure Children Arrive To School Ready to Learn 3-6 Years Old: hours of sleep per day 7-12 Years Old: hours of sleep per day Protein rich breakfast: Keeps students feeling full longer and sustains learning Morning routines/predictability

# 3 Stay In Contact With Your Child’s Teacher Phone calls s Text messages Class Dojo Communication Logs Please be sure the school has your most up to date contact information

# 4 Get Involved When possible, please attend: Parent Teacher Conferences School Activities (ex. Spelling Bee, student presentations) PTO Meetings Volunteer Opportunities Concerts, etc. A special thank you to those parents who regularly get involved!

# 5 Encourage & Celebrate Hard Work & Perseverance Growth Mindset q=growth+mindset+video+for+eleme ntary&view=detail&mid=BC B70E5F6A769BC B70E5F6A7 69&FORM=VIRE

# 6 Talk About School With Your Kids High—Low—High Strategy kids+about+their+day&&view=detail&mid=8DC334FF757 81D35908E8DC334FF75781D35908E&FORM=VRDGAR kids+about+their+day&&view=detail&mid=8DC334FF757 81D35908E8DC334FF75781D35908E&FORM=VRDGAR

#7 Ensure Homework is Completed HW by design is practice HW reinforces the importance of school HW provides the opportunity to work on organizational & study skills

# 8 Read, Read, Read… Make reading part of our family’s lifestyle Turn off the TV: Limit TV time, replace with reading. Teach by example: You can’t over-estimate the value of modeling the love of reading. Read together: It not only teaches your child that reading is important to you, but it also offers a chance to talk about the text and any other issues that come up. Hit the library: Try finding library books about current issues or interests in your family’s or child’s life, and then reading them together.

# 9 Take Advantage of Technology to Support Learning RAZ Kids (Literacy Ages 4-11) IXL (Literacy & Math K-12) Star Fall (Pre K-2 Literacy) Dream Box (Pre K-8 Mathematics)

#10 Know Your Child’s “Data” How does my child’s performance compare to the grade level expectations? His or her peers? Literacy Numeracy Social Emotional Development 16 Habits of Mind