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Parental Involvement is Always Welcome
Studies show that children perform better in school when their parents are involved in their education. Once your child has started school, there are many ways to continue supporting his/her education by being a partner with the school.
· Attend Catholic School Advisory Council (CSAC) meetings. Every school has a CSAC that meets to discuss issues and activities which benefit its students.
· Stay informed. Schools send home newsletters that summarize important school issues and outline upcoming activities. Watch for their arrival.
· Attend school special events. Open Houses, Curriculum Nights and other school events are informative, celebrate success, and establish a sense of community. They provide wonderful opportunities to celebrate learning with your child.
· Attend Parent Teacher Interviews. These give you an opportunity to discuss successes and concerns and to share ideas regarding your child’s education. If you feel more comfortable discussing your ideas in a language other than English, we can provide an interpreter.
· When in doubt-Ask! If you have any concerns or questions about class routines, programs or other specific matters, please contact the school. We share your concern for your child’s safety, self-esteem and education.
Parent Corner
Literacy
· Please read, read, and read some more to your children. Reading aloud to them builds so many language skills.
· Visit the library often to read, hear a storyteller, or watch a puppeteer!
· Don't neglect the power of childrens' own names! Have children start with the letters in their own name when attempting to recognize and name letters.
· Also, use the beginning sound in their name as a foundation for building sound knowledge! For example, if your child's name starts with P, find other items that start with /p/ like popcorn, puzzle, pillow, etc.
· For writing their names, let children practice (first letter uppercase and all the others lowercase) in sand, a small tray of rice, shaving cream, pudding (Yum!), finger paint, glitter crayons, write it big with sidewalk chalk, shape playdough into the letters, etc. Have fun! |
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· Print is all around young children for them to notice and make literacy connections! Some print is already meaningful to your children such as names of favorite cereals, restaurants, toys, stores, and more! Letters and words are everywhere in your home, on the street, in the store, etc. - Make it a fun learning game in which you play "I spy" - I spy something with my little eye something that starts with the letter M or /m/ (say the sound the m makes) depending on the developmental level of your child.
· Place magnetic letters on the refrigerator at the childrens' eye level so they can manipulate the letters to form their name, group like letters together, etc.
· Create a letter scrapbook with your child. For each page, write the upper and lowercase letter. Have children hunt for small objects, environmental print, etc. that begin with a certain letter. Make sure to include photos of their friends, too!
· Let your children see you writing letters, checques to pay the bills, the grocery list, anything! Give them their own piece of paper, letting them write out their own list using kid writing (It's all right if you can't read it at this point - You are modeling for them uses/reasons for writing and reading which is much more important at this stage.) Read, recite, sing, and act out nursery rhymes!
· Create a writing toolbox to store fun writing utensils, different types of paper, envelopes, stickers, etc. for your child to have their own writing materials to encourage writing.
· Read, recite, sing, and act out nursery rhymes!
· Do a lot of language play – jump rope rhymes, silly songs and finger plays, and riddles
· Create new, silly names – for example, if your child’s name is Sam, his name could tun into Bam, Ham, Jam, Kam, Lam, Mam, etc.
Social and Character Building Skills
· Provide opportunities for your child to spend time with other children playing and talking.
· Encourage your child to share and to take turns.
· Give small chores or jobs to your child so that they may experience responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.
· Get into a daily routine now so that the transition to those early school days will go more smoothly!
· Talk and model how to express feelings appropriately and with self control
· Remind children to listen when others talk (looking into the speaker's eyes, waiting their turn to speak).
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