Start the journey to a successful school year with these 30 ideas for parents and teachers!
Tips for Parents
1. Get the scoop. Attend the school's open house or orientation to learn expectations and meet the teachers and staff.
2. Communicate. Read and respond to communication from your child's teacher.
3. Inform. Let your child's teacher know of things going on at home that could distract your child.
4. Set goals. Work with your child to create goals for the year and affirm them when they accomplish the goals.
5. Do your part. Contribute to classroom supplies (tissues, paper towels, pencils, etc).
Need an easy way to collect donations for your child's classroom? How about a Sign Up?
Check out our example HERE.
6.
Say thank you! Send a note to a teacher to let her know she is appreciated.
7.
Have a game plan. Establish a schedule and stick to it - for bedtime, homework time, etc.
8.
Work smart. Create an appropriate workspace for kids to complete their homework.
9.
Gather feedback. Ask your child how things are going at school regularly to keep up with what's happening.
10.
Rest up. Ensure your child is getting enough sleep each night.
11.
Provide healthy meals. Start each day with a protein rich, well-balanced breakfast.
12.
Seek to resolve issues. Sometimes it's better to plan a meeting with a teacher to discuss your child rather than sending an email.
13.
Be prepared. When meeting with your child's teacher, time is precious. Think ahead about important talking points or specific questions you may have.
14.
Consider all sides. Try to give the teacher the benefit of the doubt. Remember there are always at least two sides to a story.
15.
Help out! Use SignUpGenius to coordinate classroom volunteers for the teacher. See
EXAMPLE.
Tips for Teachers
16. Outline your expectations. Give students and parents a clear list of expectations.
17. Take time to get to know one another. Make sure to include activities at the beginning of the year to help the students get to know each other.
18. Establish good communication. Communicate with parents briefly and regularly.
Use SignUpGenius Payments to receive donations, pay for field trips, or purchase class t-shirts.
19.
Set clear parameters. Be clear and consistent with rules and consequences for not following them. With younger children, creating a reward system for good behavior can be helpful.
20.
Be fair. Don't let a few ruin it for everyone.
21.
Don't wait to communicate. If you are having difficulty with a student, let her parents know and ask them to partner with you.
22.
Give positive feedback. Draw attention to a student's good choices.
23.
Offer something for everyone. Use a variety of ways to present material so kids with different learning styles will be engaged.
24.
Ask for help. Parents really do want to be involved.
25.
Consider family scheduling. Minimize the amount of time students work on group projects outside of the classroom. It can be very challenging for families to coordinate a group meeting outside of school.
26.
Keep a routine. Create a standard classroom routine for things like lining up, using the restroom, and packing up at end of the day.
27.
Outline tasks and assignments. Publish a weekly class schedule with assignments for both parents and students.
28.
Recruit. Choose a classroom parent or parents to help organize volunteers and classroom events.
29.
Plan ahead. Use SignUpGenius to set up Parent Teacher conferences. See this Sign Up
EXAMPLE.
30.
Set class goals. Make lists of what you want to be able to accomplish as a class, and be sure to reward or give positive feedback as your group achieves each goal!
