October, 2007
Make Attending School a
Priority
Insist Your
Child Show Respect to Teachers, Staff
Commit to
Finding & Spending Time With Your Child
A Word From the Director
Your child’s
teachers will do their best to help your child learn and succeed in
school. But there’s one thing only you can do: Getting him to school every
day. Children who don’t attend school regularly fall behind and
score lower on tests. They can have a hard time making and keeping
friends, especially in elementary school. How often a child is
absent in elementary school sets a pattern for absences in later school
years. Lots of absences often lead to students dropping out of school
completely. A recent study of the nation’s fourth graders showed that
almost one in four (19%) had been absent from school three or more days in
the last month. Let your child and his teachers know you know attendance
counts:
Tell your child how important school is. Be interested in what he’s
learning.
Discuss the consequences of missing
school. Not understanding, needing to do make-up work, missing out on
friends.
Make dental and other appointments
during non-school hours.
Don’t let your child skip school for
reasons that wouldn’t prevent you from going to work.
Avoid
taking your child out of school on exam days.
Keep track of your child’s absences.
See if there are any patterns that need to be changed.
Talk to
the teacher if your child regularly doesn’t want to go to school.
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Being respectful
is just as important at school as it is at home. Encourage your child to
show respect to her teacher by:
Being courteous. She
should say “please” and “thank you” to her teacher.
Doing what’s expected.
Everyone in school has a job to do. If the teacher didn’t plan any
lessons, no one could learn anything. If students don’t do their jobs -
homework, listening to the teacher - it makes it more difficult to learn.
Addressing the teacher by name.
Just saying “Good morning, Mrs. Jones” is an easy way to show respect.
Listening to the teacher’s comments.
Teachers want students to learn more. That means they have to point out
mistakes. Your child will do much better in school if she can hear the
teacher’s concern as she’s pointing out ways she can improve.
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There’s some
good news about parents these days: They’re spending more time with their
kids. That’s good for parents and kids. But with parents also spending
more time at work, it isn’t always easy. How can you find the time to
spend with your child?
Here are some
ideas:
Include your child in your exercise routine.
Sadly, too many kids and parents struggle with weight. Set aside time to
take a brisk walk with your child. Or put on a video and work out at home
together.
Schedule it.
Many families have plans for a family night once a week. Make this a habit
and protect the time.
Remember that sometimes “good enough” really is.
Not everything in life has to be
perfect. So feed your child a sandwich, and then take a walk to look at
the stars. The truth is that your child wants you to be less stressed and
tired.
Do chores with your child.
Use the time to teach important life skills.
Watch your child’s favorite TV show together.
You’ll learn more about what your child is viewing and you can talk more
about it.
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Greetings from PCN
The warm days of
summer are beginning to fade and we are all adjusting to our “back to
school” schedule. As I selected the articles for this month the
topic that I chose to highlight is respect.
How do we teach our children respect? The teachable moments are
there for us to use if we just prepare for them and seize the time.
Our children watch us as we go about our daily lives; we are role modeling
how to react to others and how to handle difficult situations.
Parenting is never an easy job and giving our children the tools they will
need to lead successful lives is large part of that job. Jackie
Robinson once said, “I‘m not concerned with your liking or disliking me.
All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”
Teaching our children to respect our schools, community leaders, friends
and family must start with them understanding the meaning of respect. Take
time to discuss the meaning of respect and how someone earns our respect.
Take time to read the articles and enjoy your own family discussion.
As always, please call the PCN office if you have any questions or are in
need of a resource.
Darcy Jensen and the PCN Board
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