Getting Your Students Ready for the New School Year
1) Get to Know Your Child's Schedule/Curriculum
One of the best ways you as a parent can be prepared for the next school is by getting to know exactly what your child will be a part of once school begins! That way, you can communicate with your student, and you as a team can be ready for what comes next! Dr. Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D., recommends this as one of the number one ways to help your child get ready for the new school year.
Here at Haywood Christian Academy, we would love to help you become more informed! As a private Christian school in Waynesville, we love discussing with parents the opportunities your child will have to grow as a believer and as a future Christian leader. It's why our motto is "Embracing Children, Releasing Leaders!"
Feel free to schedule a tour of the school online, or call us at (828) 627-0229, where a team member would be thrilled to answer any questions you may have!
2) Start Healthy Habits Now
Rather than your child having to quickly adjust to a brand new schedule and routine, one of the best things you could do as a parent would be to go ahead and begin the type of routines which will continue into the school year. That way, the jump from summer to school is not quite as disorienting of a transition.
Here are a few habits that would be good to start developing now:
- Having a daily time alone with God. Trust us; it's only going to become easier to forget once school starts, yet there's nothing more important!
- Starting a routine bedtime/wake time. It's no fun being a zombie for the first few weeks of school when a student's body isn't quite used to getting up before 10 AM!
- Forming a daily schedule, with hours already planned for getting homework done once school starts!
- Begin practicing healthy eating. For instance, eating a healthy breakfast every day has been proven to improve students' energy and academic performance.
- Don't forget to get yourself in the habit of praying for your student every day!
3) Review What They've Learned
It shouldn't come as a surprise that students lose a lot of what they've learned over summer break and will continue to lose more in subsequent summers if this pattern is not changed.
You can break this cycle by occasionally going over what your student learned last year so that those valuable lessons aren't lost to the abyss! Plus, think of what a head start your student will have by not having to spend the first few weeks of school backtracking and relearning everything from previous school years!
4) Help Them See the Purpose
Perhaps most importantly, make sure to remind your child that there is a purpose to school. By listening to teachers, speaking kindly to other students, being responsible with homework, etc., students can learn the necessary skills and knowledge to more fully serve God's kingdom.
More than that, they are literally obeying many Scriptures (Exodus 10:12; Colossians 3:23; Hebrews 13:17; etc.) and bringing honor and glory to God - all just by behaving well in school!
5) Create a Calendar
Creating a calendar for homework, projects, tests, and other crucial dates is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure your kids have a successful school year. You might want to use a digital, cloud-based calendar like iCal or Google, but it's also a good idea to keep a prominent paper copy somewhere you and your kids will see it regularly.
As Haywood Christian Academy is one of the private Christian schools in Haywood County, we are able to remind students every day of their God-given potential and purpose. However, this is not something that should end once your student leaves campus, but rather a reminder that should be instilled every day at home as well!
We hope this blog has been helpful in preparing yourself and your students for the new school year! If you have any questions, please reach out to us online or by phone at (828) 627-0229!