Text Box: How you start the school year can determine how well the rest of the year will go. Teachers, counselors, and parents say doing these things help ensure children get off to a great start: Start your morning at night. Help your child choose the day’s clothes. Pack lunch or lay out lunch money. Gather homework and sign school papers. Establish bedtime and homework routines. Pick a time that your child will do homework and go to Text Box: bed. Then stick to it. Don’t over schedule your child. Give him time to unwind after school. Meet your child’s teacher. How can you help her? Ask about homework. How can you help your child at home? Teach respect by showing respect. Say “please” and “thank-you” to your child. Be genuinely interested in your child’s school work. Ask about Text Box: school every day. Say at least one positive thing to your child every day. Insist that your child try hard to be a good student. If school is important to you, it will be important to them! Text Box: make choices. If your words match your actions, you have taught a powerful lesson. Think about the other times during the day when you are teaching moral values. Everyday choices teaches your child something about your values. You can’t always control what your children see and do outside your home, but you can control what goes on Text Box: It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon. You’d love to enjoy the day. But you’ve made a promise to visit Aunt Jen in the nursing home. You may not know it, but you’re a teacher at this moment. The choice you make will teach your child more about what it means to be kind to others than 100 lectures. Each day, your children watch as you Text Box: inside. When you must make a choice, ask yourself, “How would I like my child to behave in this case?” Then act in that way. Text Box: Page # Text Box: Get a Great Start to Make Your Child’s Year a Success Text Box: PARENTING POINTS: Parents Influence Character As They Make Daily Choices Text Box: Parent’s Play A Vital Role In Their Child’s School Success. Text Box: Resources Text Box: out. Join a gang. Use alcohol or illegal drugs. Get arrested. You can influence your child to reduce risks and increase his chances for success. To keep attendance up: Make clear to him that you expect him to be in school. Text Box: Have consequences if he is truant. Discuss these with him in advance. Schedule doctor appointments after school hours if possible. If this is not possible, make sure you get a doctor’s note and return it to school. Remember that school is his job and don’t keep him out of school to work outside the home. Text Box: Attendance Matters: Attending School will help your child avoid trouble. Reprinted with permission by the Parent’s Institute Text Box: Your child’s education can open a world of possibilities, but walking through the school door is the first step. Regular attendance is essential for school success. As important as school success is, it’s just one reason why regular attendance is critical. Students who skip school are more likely to: Fall behind their classmates. Drop Text Box: HOME PAGE