Dear St. Thomas Families,   

Your children's first report card of the school year will be distributed this coming Friday, October 31. 

A LENS WHEN REVIEWING REPORT CARDS:

Schools use report cards as a summary assessment of student performance during the grading period. Report cards are no doubt important to both students and parents. 

YOU WERE A KID ONCE...SO REMEMBER:

Please remember that children may be a little apprehensive about sharing these reports. They will often seek approval of any progress or achievement that they have made. This is the nature of being human - a desire to receive positive feedback. We celebrate when our children do well and often reward their achievements. It is equally important to think about how we react when our children's assessments are less than perfect. It is natural for parents to be upset when a child brings home an unsatisfactory report card. Yet we must remember that showing frustration and anger will not help children improve.

NEXT STEPS:

If your child's assessments are not what you would like them to be please consider the following:

• Put assessments in perspective. Poor assessments can negatively impact your child's confidence. Make sure that your child knows that you think report cards are important, but also that report cards don't measure their worth or your love for them.
• Find their successes and build upon them.  Ask your child what he or she is most proud of in their schoolwork.  Talk about what he/she has done well.
• Look behind the assessments. Poor assessments just tell you that there is a problem. Ask your child what he or she thinks the problem might be in an area. Sometimes it is not academic ability, but poor study habits, a lack of adequate sleep or too many extra-curricular activities. Limiting extra-curricular involvement and providing a quiet place to study with lots of light can make the difference.
• Set realistic goals for improvement. Take each day and each assignment one at a time to prevent overwhelming your child. Teach your child the value of chunking larger assignments into smaller tasks.  Elementary and junior high is the ideal time to develop habits of prioritizing and goal setting.
• Make your child a part of the process.  When changing study routines, allow your child some ownership in the changes.  For example consider homework at the kitchen table where you can monitor challenges and off task behaviors.
• Contact - but don't attack - teachers. Sometimes children try their best but still have a difficult time or they may blame their teachers for their troubles. Don't assume there's something wrong with the program or teachers. Set up a parent conference to gather more information by asking teachers their perception of what's happening. As an education professional, it is part of the teacher's responsibility to help your child stretch and grow. They can provide you a wonderful insight into your child's school day. 

IT TAKES A VILLAGE:

Remember that effective education is a partnership between home and school.  We are here to help you and answer any questions you may have regarding your child's progress. Please feel free to contact your child's teacher at any time to discuss his or her progress. If you need further understanding how to look at your child's grades, stop by and I will gladly review the report card with you.

Student achievement and positive attitude toward school are directly linked with parental involvement. A child understands that when parents are involved by attending conferences and volunteer opportunities, that schooling is valued. Your involvement is even more important the older your child becomes such as in those often painful junior high years. This is a time when they develop a greater need for independence.  While this is also the age that parents may only get an "eye roll", deep down our children are reassured by the ongoing love and support of our involvement.

CONFERENCES:

Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, November 5, and Thursday, November 6. For your convenience, this year we will be using Sign-up Genius On-line scheduling. See the article below and/or the insert in the Wednesday folder for more information.  Please be sure to sign-up for this important conference time with your child's teacher. 

Wishing continued peace and patience, fun, and frolic for Halloween and Trick-or-Treat. Enjoy these times with your children. They are truly treasured gifts from God.

Barry Thomas

Principal