Welcome to September!  We have had a great start to the 2017-2018 school year.  I am particularly excited for this school because I get to spend the whole day at the K-3 Campus!  I have a new office that is located inside the main building (last year I was in a mobile unit beside the art room), and I get to see so many faces pass my door on a daily basis!  I am getting a lot of little waves as the students walk by!  The guidance program is changing also, but I will talk more about this later.

     With September arriving, parents should notice routines develop.  Whether you are a new parent to the system or a seasoned veteran, you may notice that it takes a little bit of time to get the students settled into their school routine.  I frequently hear students say things like "This year is harder!"  They remember what they did last year (maybe).  With the advancement of each year, school does get a little bit more difficult.  Sometimes those changes are very subtle and sometimes they feel huge.  However big or small the adjustments have been, if your child continues to struggle, please contact your student's teacher or myself.  There are things that we can do to help with those adjustments.  Here are some suggestions that you can do, as a parent, to help your student.:

     * Establish a bedtime.  There are many different opinions on when a child's bedtime should be.  Obviously the younger the child the earlier the bedtime.  A good rule of thumb-if your child repeatedly wakes up cranky or doesn't want to wake up at all, move up their bedtime.  Lack of sleep can result in a variety or issues.

     * Establish a set routine for doing homework.  It is so important to get this going at a young age!  I have heard students as young as 1st grade saying that they do their homework in the mornings.  My reply to this: "You do well to get to school with two matching shoes, much less finding a moment to do homework.  And if you do have a spare moment, can you honestly say that you can give your assignment your best effort in the mornings?"  Some students do have time to do homework in the mornings, however will they always be able to do this?  Doing homework as soon as possible, after getting home from school, is an excellent habit to start now.  This may mean encouraging them to start on work while you are cooking supper or doing a load of laundry.  Encourage them to get what they can finished and attempt to do the parts, on which they need help.  When you can, review their work and make any needed corrections.

     * Encourage your child to bring their take home/homework folders to you instead of you unpacking the backpack.  Go through the work that needs to be taken out.  A very wise principal once suggested that each student have a plastic tote, at home, in which to put all their work throughout the year.  Should your child come to you asking about a paper that they had taken out of their folder, all you have to do is tell them to look in the tote.  And added bonus-at the end of the year, you can go through all the papers, pick out the ones you want to keep and have a celebratory end of year bonfire with the rest!

     * Establish a morning routine for your family.  A smooth morning makes for a happier (or at least less grouchy) student and happier parents.  This could include making sure that backpacks are set in a certain place, with folders already inside, so getting to the bus or in the car is less stressful.

     So what is going on in the guidance classes?  In the past, the guidance classes have focused on the Guidelines For Success, which included making books throughout the year that the students would bring home in May.  After much thought and consideration, it was decided that the topics for each month would change and the students would no longer make books.  For example, in September, the kindergarten classes are focusing on developing listening skills.  Instead of doing a worksheet about listening skills we are playing a game the helps develop listening skills.  First and second grade classes will cover the same topic, which will include an activity or game that focuses on listening skills.   When possible, we will incorporate the Guidelines For Success, which could mean discussing more than one guideline at a time.  The third grade classes will have an interactive curriculum that focuses on Growth Mindset but also incorporates other topics from making friends and bullying to doing homework.  Ask your student about their first guidance class!

     Please don't hesitate to contact me with any concerns or questions.  You can email me at kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org or call me at (270) 684-7583.