Thursday, August 14, 2008

Parent involvement enhances student success. A good first step for getting involved is communicating with your child's teacher. Effective communication includes meeting with the teacher, being a positive partner in the learning experience, and keeping lines of communication open, according to Suzanna Smith, an associate professor at the University of Florida. As part of the university's Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, she offers these tips for communicating effectively with teachers...

• Offer to help by signing up to donate items or volunteer your time.
  
  
• Provide information that will help the teacher get to know your child as an individual. Include relevant information such as allergies, behavior issues (e.g. tendency to be distracted), learning issues, or changes in family life.
  
  
• Ask the teacher about expectations regarding homework and what to do if there are problems with homework.
  
  
• Find out the best way to contact the teacher. Ask for times when it is convenient to talk. Don't expect them to be able to talk if you happen to be at the school and run into them.
  
  
• Write short notes (written or as an e-mail, if allowed) and follow up with a phone message to the school if you don't get a response in a few days. Be sure to include your phone number and/or e-mail address.
  
  
• Be diplomatic, especially in e-mail. Choose words carefully and avoid criticizing the teacher.
  
  
• In e-mail communication, be brief, stick to the point, and don't use animation, pictures or graphics. Stick to school-related information in e-mail.
  
  
• Be positive and curious. Open with phrases such as "Can we talk about...?" Use "I" statements such as "I'm confused about..." so you don't put the teacher on the defensive.
  
  
• Don't be afraid to talk to other school personnel if needed. A school counselor might be able to intervene if you are unable to communicate with a teacher.
  
  
• Be a partner in your child's learning. Assist with homework, help your child learn time management skills, talk about school matters at home.
  
  
• Send a note of appreciation to the teacher when things go well in class (and mention this to the principal).
  
  
• It may be difficult to hear what teachers have to say if they deliver bad news about your child. Try to focus on solutions and work with the teacher to come up with a healthy plan to help your child learn.

For more information, go to Smith's article.

Parents commonly reward their children's good behavior with food, but too often the food is of the cheap, unhealthy variety—candy, chocolate, soda, etc. These rewards usually bring about only a short-term behavior change. Action for Healthy Kids Virginia says children respond to more healthy rewards with improved behavior over the long term as well as strong achievement in school. The group offers these tips for healthy rewards at home:

• Take a walk with a parent or caregiver.
  
  
• Read a favorite book together or play a board game.
  
  
• Take a special trip to a museum or park.
  
  
• Listen to music of your child's choice (and dance!).
  
  
• Work together on a project of your child's choosing.
  
  
• Play an outdoor game together (a water balloon or snowball fight, hide-and-seek, tag).
  
  
• Create a treasure box of small items such as stickers, pencils, small toys, sidewalk chalk, etc., and let your child choose an item.

Q: My child seems to have colds all the time. Should I be worried?

A: Read Dr. Christopher M. Johnson's answer in the Our Children story found exclusively online.

There are many ways that you can help your child succeed! A few small activities each week will pay huge dividends over the course of the year. Here are a few that you can do this week:

• Share expectations and set goals for your child with his or her teacher.
  Comparta las expectativas y establezca objetivos para su hijo junto con el docente.
  
  
• Make appointments as needed to discuss your child's progress or concerns.
  Solicite citas segun su necesidad para hablar sobre la evolucion o las inquietudes de su hijo.

• Parents Stranded After District Changes School Bus Schedule
  
  
• Officials pushing parents to join PTA
  
  
• Teen Texting Expert Insists on Being Letter-Perfect
  
  
• Outdoor educators pushing for 'No Child Left Inside' funding

Summer is quickly coming to an end and “back-to-school” is on the agenda. Be sure that you remember that with all the beauty fall brings, it also carries an increased risk of influenza.

Many think influenza, or the flu, is just a bad cold. However, influenza is a serious and potentially deadly virus. On average, each year, students miss approximately 38 million school days due to this disease and parents miss over 10 million work days caring for these sick youngsters. Moreover, during the last influenza season, there were 83 children who died from influenza-related illnesses. The vaccination status for 63 of these children was confirmed and a startling 58 children, or 92 percent, had not been vaccinated against influenza according to recommendations.

This year, to help address these avoidable fatalities, new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend all children aged six months through 18 years get vaccinated against influenza.

To help keep our children healthy, PTA is working with Flu Busters, a leading provider of on-site vaccinations, and Novartis Vaccines to launch an exclusive program called Let's Fight Flu Together! Through the program, your local PTA will host influenza vaccination clinics on-site at schools in your area—making your role in the fight against influenza a little easier. The PTA is asking you to help protect your children from contracting influenza—ultimately keeping children in school, parents at work, and the whole family healthy!

Note, influenza vaccines are not currently approved for children under six months of age and may not prevent the disease in 100 percent of individuals. Persons should consult their healthcare provider to determine if they have a condition that precludes them from receiving the vaccine. All vaccines have side effects. The most common side effects of influenza vaccinations include local reactions and mild general symptoms.

To register your school for an on-site influenza clinic for your students and community, please visit pta.org/flushotclinics.

Join the PTA Reader Panel
Share opinions, ideas and comments. Contact us!

Join PTA

Not a PTA member yet? Join today and help your school help your child! Join Today!