How is School Really Going? | Tips for Using Progress Reports to Ensure a Successful Marking Period
“It was fine.” “We didn’t really do anything.” “It was okay, I guess.” Students can be notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to sharing how their day at school was. It can be hard for parents to glean how things are really going: did your second grader eat their entire lunch? Is your…
“That’s not how I learned it!” | Making Sense of Common Core Math
After growing up doing math problems on a chalkboard, being immersed in the world of iPads and Chromebooks can be daunting to parents. Add to that the Common Core Standards for math that involve “decomposing” and “anchoring,” and many adults are finding themselves overwhelmed and befuddled when it comes to trying to help tackle math…
Set Up Your Child for a Successful School Year
For many students, back-to-school season comes with the promise of a fresh start and another fun and successful year of learning. They eagerly fill their backpacks with sharpened pencils and notebooks for each subject. But for students who struggle in school, their bags quickly get weighed down with anxiety, stress and waning self-confidence as another…
The ABCs of Report Cards
For some students, the phrase “report card” comes with a sense of dread. As a parent, it can be hard to gauge how things are really going at school if your student is tight-lipped about his day and his report card feels like a jumble of letters or percentages. After getting straight A’s last…
Help Your Child with Homework
Kids with learning or attention issues can have a tough time with homework, no matter how hard they try. As a parent, you know the importance of completing homework and developing strong study skills. But it can be hard to know how to be supportive without doing too much. Students should get the learning benefit…
5 Ways to Make Mornings Easier
If you are dreading a repeat of last year’s manic mornings, it may be time to change up your family’s routine. Below, explore ways to make school-day mornings better. We’ve included tips for how you can encourage your child to make mental pictures of everyday tasks. The imagery-language connection is key to good thinking and…
Nurturing Your Reluctant Reader | “How Many More Pages?”
While you’d like your son or daughter to disappear into the land of Narnia or be swept up in a Harry Potter spell while reading, the reality may be the opposite of this for your child. In fact, they might even say they hate reading and when they finally sit down with a book, you…
Countdown to Kindergarten
A generation ago, kindergarten days were only filled with activities like finger painting, “Hide-and-Go-Seek,” making friends, and learning to be peaceful at nap time. And, while reading and spelling may have been introduced in first grade, there was nothing like today’s pressure for students to be performing according to grade-level standards. Sure, there is…
Summer Reading Tips for Parents
During the school year, reading is built into a child’s day. They are reading from the board, assignment sheets and books throughout school and during homework time. Parents may feel challenged when trying to squeeze reading onto the summer schedule. No matter where your summer adventures take your family, it’s important to include regular reading…
Turn Summer Learning Loss into Learning Gain!
For many students, three months away from academics can lead to measurable learning loss in skills like reading and math—which, of course, is not what any family wants to be faced with at the start of the upcoming school year. We’ve gathered a few ideas to help your family balance rest and learning all summer….
