Most schools have a month or less left of the school year. As parents, it is easy to join in with our children and count the days until the end of the school year. We want it to be over because the end of the year can be intense. At this time, there tend to be more activities and field trips. There is always a form coming home that needs your attention. Yes, it is easier to fall back, but this is the time where our children need us the most. Here are some ways you can stay involved until the last day of the school year.
Check your children’s grades.
Even the most studious child can get off task at the end of the school year and not stay on top of his or her studies. Most schools have grades online. Make sure you are checking your child’s grades on a consistent basis. I have a reminder on my phone to prompt me to check my children’s grade every other week. This way I don’t have to remember.
Offer to help your children’s teachers.
The end of the school year is a chaotic time for staff and students. There are field trips, presentations, award ceremonies, and end of the year assessments. Any help would be welcomed. It also allows you to be at school. Most children are inclined to stay focused when they know mom or dad is in the building.
Ask how you can help your children during the summer.
The summer slump is real. It is can be detrimental to children who end the school year behind. If students are extremely far behind they may get retained. Then you have students who are not on grade level, but they are not far enough behind for retention. The summer is a great time to help your children close any academic gaps they may have.
Talk to your children about their perspective of the school year.
Many times parents do not ask for their children’s opinions, but it is important to assess how our children are feeling about how the school year went and any concerns they have about the school year coming to a close. We can’t help our children if we don’t know what their concerns are.
Yes, you might be overwhelmed from all the papers coming home, and finding a place to put them all, but now is not the time to slack off as a parent. If you are a parent that has not been involved, it better to get involved late than not at all.