Although school doesn't start up until Aug. 26 in Wilton, kids and parents can already get started on a few things to make sure students don't miss a beat in the classroom.
College Nannies and Tutors, located at 396 Danbury Rd., has a tip sheet for six ways to help your child start the school year successfully.
- Show interest: Go to parent-teacher conferences, hang up academic calendars and ask your children about what they're excited about this school year. "Addressing any (academic) issues upfront kind of helps you build that stronger family," owner Leona Peiffer said.
- Set expectations together: By coming up with attainable goals with your child, you ensure that you both know what to expect at the end of the quarter and your child will know what he or she is expected to do to reach those goals. Peiffer emphasized the importance of realistic goals though. "Be honest with yourself and be honest with your student," Peiffer said.
- Get to know the school: Introduce yourself to your kids' teachers and counselors and consider volunteering at the school to show that you care. "We always find there's always a lot of avoidance behavior," Learning Center manager Josh Bickford said. "A student always avoids that one fundamental thing that maybe they're uncomfortable with or maybe they didn't get a good grasp on early on." Getting to know the teachers can help prevent that.
- Get online: Look at your children's teachers' websites to find out important dates so that you can stay in the loop and help your child stay on top of his or her assignments.
- Support attendance: Make sure your kids knows their attendance is important by minimizing the amount of time you take them out of class - schedule family vacations and appointments in a way that prevents students from missing classroom instruction.
- Encourage involvement: Besides looking online and going to involvement fairs to sign up for clubs, College Nannies and Tutors tutor Jonathan Kearney said kid should look into starting a club. "If there's a club that you don't have, push the kids for a little initiative as well, start a club," Kearney said. "Nothing says 'I'm a go-getter (on a resume)' as much as 'Well, I saw a need and I addressed the need.'"
"Know the kind of student that you have," Peiffer said. "It's good to understand that early on and then start gauging or gearing your study habits toward that."
Teaching your child the importance of organizational skills is another important strategy for starting the year strong, Bickford said.
"The student who are kind of falling behind in the class, you know, there's always a reason and it always kind of ties back to their organization. What does their binder look like, their folder?" Bickford said. "You often find holes in that system."
Above all, though, Peiffer said getting started early and recognizing as soon as possible if your student needs help is the biggest tip for success.
"Don't wait till the two weeks before finals to get help. By then, it's far too late," Peiffer said.
For more information, see the College Nannies and Tutors website or call 203-967-3343.
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