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….
How to Have a Great Parent-Teacher Conference
Kindergarten through high school, effective communication with your child’s teachers can contribute to school success. A shared view of your child’s strengths and challenges, goals for progress, and a workable plan, can pave the way for a great school year. Yet, the anticipation of a parent-teacher conference can make some parents apprehensive. We have…
Get the Most Out of Your Child’s Progress Report: Tips
The end of the marking period is a time for parents to assess their child’s progress—to make sure they’re on track, improving in subjects, or to see if they need help. This is the time to note any areas of difficulty. It’s important to look carefully at each area of your child’s progress report—how are…
Imagery-Language Connection for Writing Tips
Book reports, essays, and even short responses, can cause frustration, panic, and, sometimes, even tears for many school age students. And it’s no wonder. Writing is a complex task that requires a lot: good thinking skills, organisation, spelling, grammar and punctuation, as well as ease with a pencil, or keyboard. Writing can be particularly…
Tips for a Great New School Year: Work with Your Child’s Teacher
Between the stacks of sheets to sign and return and the back-to-school night presentations, all the new school year information can become overwhelming. But get beyond the dress codes, hot lunch orders, and school supply lists and you can find valuable information about how to forge a great working relationship with your child’s teacher—open lines…
The Imagery-Language Connection for Sports—Tips for Coaching Youth Sports
Did you recently volunteer for a coaching position? Have you coached before? Are you tired of yelling at your team but don’t know how to get them to follow directions? Do you want this year to be a more positive experience for you and your players? If you answered yes to any of these questions,…
Better Study Skills and Homework Tips
As a parent, you know the importance of completing homework and strong study skills, yet many kids don’t know where to begin. To avoid the constant nagging, battles, and lost papers, it’s time to get your kids organised. After all, there’s no reason for both you and your kids to dread school. Here’s how…
Report Card ABCs
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…
