Elementary General Information

Get your shots. Seventh through twelve graders must get their pertussis shots, and must show proof of immunization to attend public and private schools this fall. Administrators may allow unimmunized students to remain in school for 30 days after the start of school before meeting the vaccine requirement. For more information, please visit Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccine Requirement - Health Services & School Nursing.

Get your sleep. Doctors recommend children in the first through fifth grades get as much as 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night. Lack of sleep can affect a child's ability to learn and may affect their immune systems.

Have a healthy breakfast. Hungry children do not learn as well as well-nourished ones. If you don't have time to pack a healthy lunch, schools usually serve students well-balanced meals. Low-income children may qualify for free and reduced-price meals. Just fill out an application directly at your school.

Stay active. Keep children physically active with bike rides, basketball, and walkathons. Studies show that physically active students have better classroom behavior and a better ability to learn and achieve.

Avoid school absences. Chronic absences are an early predictor of students dropping out of school that could affect their academic and career success.

Read! Reading to children calms them at bedtime and exposes them to language, sounds, new ideas, and the love of reading. Create a comfortable, quiet, well-lit place to study in your house for older children, away from distractions like electronic devices and toys. This will help them concentrate and absorb more of what they are trying to learn.

Get to know your child's teacher. This will help create a good line of communication to help avoid conflicts and misunderstandings about your child's education.

Lend a hand. Volunteer your time, raise money through booster clubs, and donate supplies to your local school. In these tough economic times, schools have cut back severely. Plus, the school and students benefit from parents who are actively engaged in their children's education.

Drink plenty of water. Many students have already started training for the high school sports season. With temperatures still in the 90s, everyone needs to watch out for heat exhaustion. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has created a free online course to prevent heat-related illness. For the free course, please visit Health Studies: Natural Disasters and Severe Weather: Heat Related Illness (HRI) Prevention | CDC HSB (Outside Source).

Spend quality time with your kids. This helps in your children's development and happiness, and helps reduce your own stress.

Middle/High General Information

The importance of parent involvement in a child’s life during the teen years is undeniable. While adolescents want independence and time with friends, they continue to depend on the care and guidance of their parents. The transition from middle to high school can be a stressful time with many uncertainties. Unfortunately, many parents are less involved in their child’s education during these years because their child is more independent and has multiple teachers to keep in touch with.

Taking time to get involved in your child's education can greatly influence his success in school and in life. When parents work together with their child to help her navigate the changes from middle to high school, the result is a confident teen ready to try new experiences, develop new friendships and set high expectations for success.

Tips for Helping Your Child Transition from Middle to High School

1. Attend planning meetings for choosing high school courses with your child.
2. Ask your child about her goals for high school and after high school. Listen.
3. Help your child set high and realistic goals.
4. Tell your child about your hopes for his future.
5. Ask the school for information and a school handbook prior to the beginning of the year. This should be provided in your home language. Read this information and talk about it with your child.
6. Check out the school Web site.
7. Ask about opportunities for students to shadow a high school student.
8. Attend orientations and open house events.
9. Visit the school building with your child before the school year begins to help her become familiar with the new building.
10. Talk with your child about what clubs, teams or other activities he can join at school.
11. Encourage your child to develop relationships with other students with similar interests.
12. Talk with other parents and students about their experiences in this school.
13. Ask open-ended questions like, "How's it going?" or “What have you been learning?”
14. Make comments like, "You seem upset. What happened?" Then listen.
15. Expect your child’s transition to be successful. Remember the adjustment will take time. Your positive outlook can help your child; let him know you are confident in his ability to do well.