Elementary School: As your child starts school, instilling in them the right attitude and skills for success are imperative to their educational well-being for years to come. Use the advice that follows to get the new school year off to a good start.

Ms. Judy McNeil
Parent Liaison, Family Involvement Center, Atlanta Public Schools

  Ensure your children’s overall health for the new school year by scheduling appointments with their physician and the dentist prior to the beginning of the new school year.

  Familiarize yourself with your local school rules and regulations as they relate to dress code, discipline policies and attendance.

  Research has proven that parental involvement enhances student success, so prepare to participate in your children’s school activities. Get involved as much as you can afford to.

  Set aside time for family reading.

  Encourage your children to become excited and curious about the sciences. Don’t allow your negative experiences with math and science impact your children’s interest.

  Keep the lines of communication open with your children. Talk with them about their friends, hobbies, likes and dislikes.

  Praise your children when they do well. Never compare your children to other children. Teach them that they are unique individuals and they possess gifts that no one else shares.

  Set high goals for your children; instill in them the reality that school involves hard work and that nothing worthwhile comes easily.

Anna Valerius
Head of Lower School, Pace Academy, Atlanta

  Be an involved parent. Volunteer at school.

  Parents should build in their children an ongoing positive attitude about learning. Let children know they are supported in their studies and in the learning process. Remember that parents, teacher and student are a team. They work together toward one goal: success for the child. Parents should also model a love of learning and let their children know how much they value education. Parents should encourage their child to be a responsible student and an independent learner throughout the year.

  To alleviate anxiety about the new school year, I suggest that students visit the school, the classroom and the new teacher. Arrange for opportunities for your child to “catch up” with old classmates and meet new ones before the first day of school.

  Make sure your child has all of the necessary supplies; a shopping trip to the supply store is a good opportunity to talk with your children about any fears or anxieties they may have about the new school year.

  Commit to having dinner with your child on a regular basis. Dinnertime is a great opportunity to share the happenings of the day. Talk to your child – and above all listen.

  Remember that the teacher is on your team. Communication is key.

Louis Robinson
Principal, East Fayette Elementary

  Plan ahead for a good school year with a school calendar, personal calendar and family calendar. Try to have a balance of family and school activities.

  Review school information and seek immediate clarification on any school procedure or requirement you don’t understand.

  Make time for “school talk” to demonstrate that you care about your children’s learning and the friends that are evolving in their circles.

  Visit the school to meet the teacher, school administrators or have lunch; participate in school activities and PTA functions. Attend field trips, school programs and parent conferences.

  Make certain that your child is prepared daily with a positive attitude and confidence to meet the day’s challenges.

  Let them play and be creative. Allow them the freedom to develop in a responsible and independent manner.

Dot Schoeller
Principal, Simonton Elementary, DeKalb County

  Allow your children to fail; that’s how they grow and get better. Kids do better in school when they are used to making a mistake here and there.

  Set aside 20 minutes a day to read. Read to your children; help them learn to read. Reading time is also a great time to talk to your kids. Let your child ask questions. Tell stories about your own childhood – you’ll have a connection with your child and help them learn how to relate to reading. It makes reading more fun. This is called a text-to-self connection.

  Make math an everyday thing. When you go to the store, get your child to help you weigh the produce; compare and contrast two different items and ask your child, “Which do you think weighs more?” When you are at the checkout, get him to estimate totals. Do this with time, too. “How long will it take us to get to the park?” Mental math is helpful to any age child, and it allows math to become fun to them.

  Get your child to write about what they’re thinking and reading. Reading comprehension is important; this helps them relate to what they read and prepares them for the new writing portion of the SAT. Persuasive writing is also a great way for kids to express themselves and helps them practice handwriting skills.

Middle & High School: As tweens and teens transition into adolescence, the need to stay connected with them and their schoolwork is more important than ever. The following guidelines are bound to help your middle and high schoolers make the grade, and maintain a strong relationship on the home front as well.

Bill Lineberry
Upper School Principal, Woodward Academy

  It is very important for both parents and students to be organized in their preparation for the opening of a new school year. School supplies and textbooks (if needed) need to be purchased along with the completion of any summer readings by early August. This allows for a much calmer and focused approach to the new school year for the family.

  The family needs to talk out a realistic plan for how the student will manage their classroom studies, as well as their extracurricular activities. How many outside activities should be attempted given the routine of homework is very important to determine prior to the school year beginning. This couples with another important consideration - how much sleep should the student plan on getting on a nightly basis? Sleep deprivation interferes with student accomplishment both in the classroom and with extracurricular activities.

  It is very important that parents and students make a commitment to communicate often and accurately about the student's day. This helps to prevent any "surprises" concerning the student's academic progress, as well as their relationships with other students. Parents need to communicate their interest in their child and their willingness to spend time with them to help them through the adolescent challenges. This can only be done by sitting down and talking with your child on a routine basis.

  Parents have the responsibility of saying "no" to students when they are making decisions that are not in their best interests both in the short and long term.

Joy A. Chanin
Guidance Counselor, Simpson Middle School, Cobb County

  Establish time each and every day for schoolwork to be done at home. A rule of thumb should be 10 minutes per grade level. This means a second grader would spend 20 minutes on schoolwork every night and a seventh grader would spend 70 minutes each night on schoolwork.

  Be supportive, provide guidance and review the finished product, but the work should be your child’s, not yours. Be free with praise and frugal with criticism.

  Teach your student to prepare every day, not to wait until the last minute to study for a test. Daily review is preferable to cramming the night before. Cramming is not an effective learning tool.

  Know your child’s friends and acquaintances. Monitor whom she is talking to on the phone or chatting with over the Internet. Be alert to any abrupt changes in your child’s behaviors, appearances, habits and friends.
  Allow your child to have feelings. Don’t negate them or call them silly. Acknowledge that it is OK to feel that way and offer reassurance. Consult your school guidance counselor if you have concerns about your child.

Debra Cohn
7th Grade Teacher, Greenfield Hebrew Academy, Atlanta

  Talk to your kids about school expectations such as grades, behavior and homework routine. This will start the year off with clear communication between parents and children. If the students know you believe in them, they will believe in themselves.

  Don’t forget breakfast! A breakfast full of protein is best to give them energy to stay focused and attentive throughout the long school day. A healthy breakfast will give them a boost to start learning!

  Get to know your child’s teachers and their expectations. Look at your child’s homework agenda nightly. Even if your child has been great at getting all of their work done in the past, each new year brings fresh challenges. Understanding the types of assignments and the amount of work your child has will help you aid your child in having a successful and stress-free school year!

Dr. Christine Hand
College Counselor, Marist School, Atlanta

  Re-establish the “school day” routine. Consider bedtimes and stick to them. Well-rested children make for happier families and better students. Beat the morning madness by preparing clothes and accessories the night before.

  Review the number of activities your kids are involved in when starting a new year. Many students have spent their summer focused on travel, music lessons, church, scouting, volunteering, sports and other learning experiences. It is important to have a diversified educational experience, but they could face burnout and stress from juggling too many activities at once.

  Make arrangements for emergency contact with a relative or a friend. Tell your child who will be there if you can’t be.

  Brush up on academic skills, including reading, math and writing. Read with your children for enjoyment. Take a trip to the bookstore together.

  Let your children know you plan to help them in school by overseeing their homework, attending conferences, and understanding what they are learning in each class.

  Remember, surviving the return to school takes time, patience and organization. As parents, you are the greatest source of love and guidance.

Elaine Shapow
Career, Technical and Agricultural Education Programs Supervisor, Cobb County Schoolss

  Transitioning from middle school to high school is an exciting time, but it can also cause great anxiety. Organization is even more critical in high school as your child must keep track of multiple subjects, homework, teachers, classrooms, instructional materials and possibly a job. Parents can help their teenagers by giving them a calendar/planner to help organize their schedules and responsibilities, and by encouraging them to build good study habits.

  Talk with your teenager about how his schedule may differ from last year with additional extracurricular activities, but that this is the initial training for an independent and self-reliant future. Discuss the importance of choosing a few programs to participate in for leadership development, rather than spreading oneself too thin through too many school clubs and/or athletic activities. Take into consideration the possibility of holding down a part-time, after-school job. If your teenager can manage this as part of his routine without detriment to his schoolwork, try to keep the hours employed to between 10 and 15 per week. Share with your teenager the importance of punctuality, responsibility and reliability. Encourage your teenager to acquire the self-discipline to develop these traits.

  Look over your student’s course schedule for the fall. Make sure he is taking challenging college prep courses as well as the required courses for graduation. This will eliminate the stress of finding out the spring semester of senior year that your child doesn’t have enough credits to graduate.

  As a business education teacher, I also recommend your teenager complement college prep courses with vocational technology classes related to his career interests. Participation in a self-interest inventory test will help determine your teenager’s aptitudes, strengths and interests. This does not mean your child is on a “vocational” track and preparing to enter the workforce after graduation.

  Your teenager may say he does not want you around as much. So get involved with the school's PTA, parent education forums or booster organizations. This will allow you to keep an eye on your teenager without hovering over his shoulder. Even if he doesn’t acknowledge it, he will be proud of you and glad that you are exhibiting your support of him. It will encourage him to do the best he can in school, as well as establishing yourself as a role model for responsibility.