Is your child playing sports this year? They will need a sports physical on file in order to participate. Please see this link for the required form. 

1. Shop from the teacher’s supply list
2. Sharpen all of the pencils
3. Turn in forms on time
4. Return to a school bedtime routine
5. Prep for lunchtime by practicing how to open items in lunches
6. Label all of your child’s things
7. Keep reading at home each day
8. Remind your kids that you expect their best, but that doesn’t mean perfection. Students learn from mistakes that are made, so bring on the mistakes!

Mental health among adolescents has been a growing topic. It has always been on the forefront, but since the pandemic, mental health issues in adolescents have been on the rise. East Guernsey is working hard to support this within our buildings by providing safe schools and supportive environments. We do our best to link students with mental health services when the situation arises. We are providing Social Emotional Learning and are training staff to better handle certain situations. As a parent, you might wonder what you can do to help support your adolescent at home. Here are some tips:

• Spend time with your adolescent enjoying shared activities
• Volunteer at their school
• Communicate regularly with their teachers and administrators
• Openly and honestly communicate values 
• Provide supervision and coach adolescents through their decision-making process (ask many questions and allow them to make their own conclusions based on their answers)
• Help with homework and provide a structured and loving environment
• Reach out to your child’s school counselor to obtain more resources

Here are some websites that can also help:

• www.medlineplus.gov (Teen mental health)
• www.cdc.gov (Mental health in childhood and overall mental health)

Mental health is just as important as physical health and should be acknowledged and supported.

Studies show that children who do not read or have access to books during the summer lose up to two months of reading performance. Those losses accumulate during the elementary school years so that by the time a child enters middle school he/she may be 2 1/2 years behind! All children, whether from low, middle or upper income families, may fall victim to the “summer slide” if not provided with summer reading opportunities. So how can you prevent the summer slide or, better yet, even accelerate reading growth? Here are some helpful websites.

1. https://www.khanacademy.org/ -Practice exercises, instructional videos and personalized learning. Contains useful content, organized by grade level and in line with curriculum.
2. https://www.abcya.com/ -Educational games for school aged children (K-6).
3. https://www.funbrain.com/ -Interactive games, books, videos and printables to help students develop skills in reading, math, problem solving and literacy.
4. https://www.spellingcity.com/ -Spelling practice and games for school aged children. 
5. https://www.coolmathgames.com/  -A brain-training site for everyone! Use logic, thinking and math to play fun games. 
6. https://www.getepic.com/ -Online reading websites. Provides many books and read-to-me books and videos.

Even though it may or may not be time for your child to pack up and head off to college, you can start planning for their experience now. One way is to set students up to earn scholarships to help pay their way through school. It can be easy to look at the cost of college and quickly decide that it’s not an option; well, that’s just not true. There are many things that can be done to earn a degree that is debt free. 

If you aren’t of age yet to go to college, you can begin to build your accomplishments resume. This is a list of all of the grades, awards, clubs, volunteer opportunities that you have accomplished. Does your list look short? Take the summer to get involved and beef up your list. You can also pick up the book Debt-Free Degree: The Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Kid Through College Without Student Loans by Anthony O’Neal. This book can give you a headstart in planning for college.  

Did you know that people are actually begging to give you money for college? That’s right, but you have to believe that you will qualify. Step one is to fill out the FAFSA application (The Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This could earn you free money that you won’t have to pay back. Just be sure to read each offer carefully to make sure that you aren’t accepting a loan by mistake. Visit the FAFSA website. This will give you an idea of how much you will need to earn in outside scholarships. 

Ready to apply for scholarships? Luckily, the internet can help you find as many scholarships as possible. www.Scholarships.com is a good place to start. Make filling out scholarship applications your full-time job. Set a goal of filling out somewhere between 100-300 applications prior to attending college. Once you are in, you can keep working to earn more scholarships as you go. 

College not for you? That’s okay. College is not the route for everyone. You can look into trade schools and training programs provided by companies that plan to hire the trainees after they complete the training program. This can save money and create a job opportunity quickly. 

It’s never too early to begin planning out your child’s future. The sky is truly the limit!

Math can be a difficult subject for many students. Luckily, there are many things that parents can do at home to help foster a love for math and improve skills. 

• Familiarize yourself with what your child is currently learning. This can be done by contacting their teacher or school. 
• Let your child help with cooking and baking. This will help fractions and measurements come to life.
• Play math games at home (see your child’s teacher if you don’t have any).
• Allow your child to play math games on the computer such as www.prodigy.com and www.splashlearn.com 
• Access Kahn Academy for math lessons that can help students with their homework.
• Have your child help you with the grocery shopping (adding prices, making change, etc.).
• Encourage them to do some math every day.
• Be willing to hire a tutor if the above tips aren’t allowing your child to make progress.

Attendance is one of the most important factors in determining a child’s success in school. Absences, especially at the elementary level may seem like they are not a big deal, but as you can see by viewing the chart below, it all adds up. Please make sure to send your child to school everyday.

In today’s world, kids have ample exposure to screens and spend a lot of time sitting. This is having an impact on kids’ health and happiness. Here are some tips to help them ditch the screens and move more. 

• Be a Role Model. Children who see their parents being active, are more likely to be active themselves. 
• Play with Your Children. Take a hike together, play basketball or catch in the yard, walk the dog or sign up for a class together. 
• Use Exercise as Transportation. Walk your child to school, ride bikes to the park, park far away at stores and take stairs instead of elevators.
• Make it Fun. Children are more likely to do something if it’s fun. Turn on music and have a dance party, turn on a Go Noodle and follow along, play a movement video game like Dance Dance Revolution.
• Give Gifts that Encourage Physical Activity. Bicycles, roller skates, balls, etc. Activity tracking apps can be fun for kids as well.
• Limit Screen Time. Talk about screen time expectations and set a time limit. You can also have a set of movement activities that need to be completed before they are able to use their screen. 

Praising children is very important whether you are a teacher or a parent. Here are some tips that will help make praise mean more to the child.

1. 1. Be specific. “Good job, Johnny” is not specific and can be said to anyone for any reason. “Johnny, I noticed that reading that paragraph was tough, but you took your time and tried your best. Nice job.” This is specific enough so that Johnny knows that you mean it and it is real.
   2. Give praise when you really mean it. This teaches children that you recognize when a task is tough for them. It also helps them value the praise that you give.
   3. Quality over quantity. Praising too much can cause a child to feel belittled and actually achieve lower. Give specific praise when praise is due instead of meaningless praise often.