Meeting Together to Support Our Families and Ourselves 

Coronado Military Spouses are Building Resiliency in Children 

Coronado Military Spouses is a monthly event where CUSD military parents can meet and get further acquainted with one another. It is a meeting place to discuss areas of interest and concern under the guidance of our Military and Family Life Counselors from CUSD.

This will be your time to talk and develop meaningful discussions. The meetings will have a topical theme, but will be interactive rather than a lecture series. Each month a different school site will be the host.

The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 14^th at 8:30 to 9:30 AM at Village Elementary School. 

When to Talk with Your Child's Teacher...

Parent involvement is proven to be an important part of student success; parent to teacher communication is not only welcomed, it is highly encouraged at any time. Teachers like to know what is going on with their students outside of school. Does your child like school, are they struggling with homework, do they seem upset lately, or has there been a change of circumstances at home that may be affecting your child? Any information you can share about your child will help your child's teacher make their educational experience as positive as possible.

Parents should never feel they are being a nuisance by asking questions, giving information or voicing concerns to teachers about their child and their education. There is no need to wait for a formal invite (parent- teacher conference) to communicate with your child's teacher, in fact, in many instances, it is best not to wait on a conference if you have immediate concerns. A phone call, email or a scheduled meeting are all appropriate.

A sudden dislike of school, not wanting to go to school or saying "I don't feel good" everyday could be a call for help. Academic or social challenges may have turned your child off school, and if you have noticed the changes, their teacher likely has too and you can work together to figure out what is bothering your child and how to resolve this issue.

Your child's teacher should know if your child is struggling with homework. If homework is becoming a daily battle, assignments are forgotten or lost, or the whole household dreads homework time, share this information with your child's teacher. Together you can work to uncover the cause and explore solutions as a team.

Communicating with your child's teacher is even more important for military families who move often, and whose family dynamics change during deployments. If your child has started a new school, you will want to know how your child is settling in. If you missed parent/teacher conferences because of a move you can ask for a meeting. If you have questions on curriculum or your child's schedule, do not hesitate to email your child's teacher.

Parent teacher communication is not just for elementary school students, middle and high school students benefit just as much from active parent/teacher communication. You may find that your child's teachers can share a lot about your child during the middle and high school years when children are not always willing to share everything that goes on a school.

It is important to remember that if you would like to meet with your child's teacher you will need to schedule an appointment. Teachers are busy during school hours and may have other parent or staff meetings before or after school so please be willing to work with their schedules when arranging a meeting.

From the Navy Region Southwest School Liaison Newsletter (www.navylifesw.com/slo) January-February 2015 edition on page 4.