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Helping your child adapt to school
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Where has the time gone? In just a few weeks, students will be taking home their first report card for the 2007-2008 school year.

The youngest of Bryan County’s school children, the kindergartners at Richmond Hill Primary, have been very busy adapting to the many challenges of their first real school experience.

Parents can assist with this adjustment by helping their child to develop a daily routine of school related activities. Let your child pick out clothes for the next school day and lay them out the night before. Encourage your child to become organized with school materials such as book bags, paper, and crayons.

Set aside an area at home with a table and chair where your child can do homework. This area should have good lighting and be away from distractions.

Start developing a habit of putting your child to bed at an earlier time. A well rested child will display better attention and behavior at school. A kindergartner should have ten to eleven hours of sleep each school night.

Along with sufficient sleep, a child should have a nutritious breakfast to start the school day. Be sure that they eat foods that contain proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Stay away from "junk foods." A healthy breakfast is available daily at all Bryan County schools.

When your child comes home from school, take time from your busy schedule to listen to your child tell about what happened at school that day.

You may be surprised to hear all of the learning that is taking place. Ask your child questions, share with your child ideas, and help your child to begin to learn to think for him or herself. Provide books, games, and projects to encourage the learning process. Take part in these activities with your child.

Most of all, become involved with your child’s school. Join the PTSO and become a parent volunteer.

Richmond Hill Primary School encourages parents to become volunteers and work in classrooms, the media center, or the copy center. When you do this, you will share the world that your child sees each day.

Remember, adjusting to school is like adjusting to anything new. It takes time, and your child may experience some bumps along the way.

But with the cooperation and teamwork of students, parents, teachers, and administrators, your child will develop a love for school and learning that will remain with them throughout their life.

 

- By Mary Ann Tiedemann, RHPS principal

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