Happy New (School) Year Part 1 by Karen Alaniz
Summer vacation is quickly coming to an end. As you contemplate the new school year, it’s time to regroup, rethink, and begin planning. If your child is in elementary school, the transition may mean just one new teacher. If he is in middle school or high school, it may mean five or more. Either way, the impact on your child is the same. New school years always mean lots of changes. To help your child make the transition smoothly, you need to begin developing a plan now.
Though the first day of the school year may be three or four weeks away, there is no time like the present to begin laying the foundation for a successful school year. Below are a few suggestions to get you started;
1. Put together a packet of information to share with your child’s teacher. Believe it or not, it is not uncommon for the new teacher to not have the paperwork necessary to teach your child. And sometimes they do have it, but haven’t taken the time to go through each child’s file carefully before the first day of school. This can be disastrous for your child and for the teacher as well. If the school year starts off rocky, it’s difficult to get it back on track. So rather than relying on the school system to get it right, advocate for your child right from the start. The best time to advocate for your child is before the school year even begins.
• Gather any information pertinent to your child’s education, such as his Individual Educational Plan (I.E.P.) or 504 Plan, his most current school assessment, and report cards. If you have information that is specific to your child’s condition, make copies of that too. By all means, include anything new that has come about during the summer, such as reports from doctors or other professionals.
• Two weeks before school starts call and ask for a meeting with your child’s teacher(s). Take along all the information you’ve gathered. Be prepared to share strategies for helping your child through this new transition. But also be prepared to listen carefully; you may hear hints about what your child will experience those first few days; hints that will help you prepare him. The purpose of the meeting is twofold; you will be sharing valuable information and you will be demonstrating your concern for your child right from the beginning.
