Oakland_Academy


	Parent Commitment At the Academy, we emphasize that a child's education is a fundamental part of family life and family support is vital to academic success. The academy expects parents to participate and be available as needed, to ensure a successful educational experience for their child. . Opportunities for parent involvement in curricular activities will present themselves during the course of the year. Your assistance is encouraged, expected, and appreciated. Parents are welcome in the classroom if advance arrangements have been made with the teacher. All visitors are required to check in at the office. School Guide for Parents The Academy welcomes parents are as partners in the education of our children. We strive to create an atmosphere at school that promotes parent involvement. As parents, you and your family have a critical role to play in your child's school success, however, the best ways to contribute to that success are not always clear. We have put together a number of suggestions and items in this guide for your consideration. This guide is intended to serve as a resource and/or a reminder of some common things that have proven to be helpful to other parents and their children. The items included in this Guide are not intended to be exhaustive nor to set limitations on how you interact with your child, but only to suggest some things that are consistent with good communication, direction and support in your child's education. Tips for successful parenting Talk with your kids. Take a few minutes to talk with your child each day. Be sure to listen and show interest in what your child says. Show how you care. Little things mean a lot. Smiles, hugs and sitting together can make a bad day okay and a good day better. Use punishment sparingly. Use things like "count-outs", short "time-outs" or loss of privileges for a short time. Allow your child to make amends. Catch your child being good. Look for chances to praise your child. Help them feel good about him/herself. Show an interest in school. Be active in your child's school program. Encourage active home work and study times. Monitor your child's health. Pay close attention to your child's health habits. Guide and praise good care. Attend carefully to your child when changes occur in family circumstances. This is a time when closeness and reassurance are needed. Set a good example. Imitation is a most common form of learning Reinforce often-reminder-Activities can be used as reinforcers. Use activities the children like as rewards for desired behavior. Make and keep rules. Rules should be short, positively stated, and easy to remember. Parents are teachers. Your child will learn to be the kind of person you teach him to be. Give a nice day! A positive parental disposition is the result of good planning about what is important enough to reward and what bad behaviors are trivial enough to ignore. Reduce down time. Assigned chores provide something to do, be appreciated for, be proud of, and help build self-esteem. Show interest. Use questions that continue the conversation by asking for longer answers than just "yes" or "no". Share your experience. Share stories, jokes, and experiences that might have helped you learn in a similar situation. Ways to Help Your Child Achieve - A Checklist ________Regular attendance is important ________Arrive at school on time ________Respond to all school communications promptly ________Treat your child with respect ________Make your responses to your child positive ________Refrain from nagging ________Establish routines for school work and home responsibilities ________Assist with homework ________Monitor your child's work ________Make time for your child ________Read to and with your child ________Go to the library and bookmobile with your child ________Play educational games with your child ________Engage in physical activities with your child ________Listen to you child ________Recognize and respond appropriately to your child's feelings ________Listen carefully and calmly to complaints about school or other students ________Use a pleasant voice ________Communicate in simple and direct sentences ________Have and use materials at home to supplement school books ________Work to increase your child's attention span ________Avoid comparisons with family, neighbors, classmates, etc. ________Encourage and support independent study ________Discuss causes for things as objectively as possible ________Discuss consequences of both good and bad behaviors ________Reflect confidence in your decisions with your child ________Be consistent but not rigid ________Monitor your child's health habits ________Notify school of changes in family circumstances that may affect school behavior ________Take time to acknowledge your child's growth and accomplishments ________Encourage your child in activities that foster use of mind and muscle ________Control TV time and program selection ________Congratulate yourself for parenting jobs well done Suggestions for bedtime routines Make sure your child is well rested and ready for school each day. The American Academy of Pediatrics (www.americanacademyofpediatrics.com) research indicates that children require 9 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Some tips for preparing for bedtime are found in The Good Kid Book by Howard N. Sloane (for sale in the school office). Set bedtime to permit 9 to 10 hours of sleep at night (8- 8:30 pm). Rearrange your child's schedule so chores or tasks are completed at least an hour before bedtime. Homework also should be completed at least one hour prior to bedtime. "Relax Time" should include activities that promote calming down and should last fifteen to thirty minutes. Such activities could include a warm bath, a bedtime story, quiet games in bed (board game), or reading in bed. Suggested Routine (Ideal) Chores and homework completed one hour before bedtime (by 7:30 pm). Start bedtime routine 30 minutes before bedtime Things ready for next school day Clothes ready for next day Bath/shower Quiet time in bed - read, etc. Lights out by set time The routine you establish should be followed each night regardless of time or who is in charge- parent, grandparent, babysitter, etc. Benefits of bedtime routine: Child knows what to expect each night All caregivers can use same routine Reduces bedtime stress for parents and children Encourage quiet time prior to lights out Provide for personal time after children are in bed To establish and maintain bedtime behaviors/routines, rewards can be used. "Daily Surprises" as mentioned in The Good Kid Book could include, but are not limited to: Mom or Dad can read to their child for ten minutes Stay up ten minutes longer Stay up and watch an extra TV program Mom or Dad will do chores Please consult your child's teacher for further assistance.

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