Soaring to Success in Four Weeks: Stretch Your Wings

Did you know that engaged families effectively add $1,000 per student in a school’s annual budget? (Shoutout to our partners at TalkingPoints for sharing that statistic with us!) At Westlawn, we want to help families be engaged and take advantage of resources that are proven to help students thrive. This is Week 2 in a four-week series designed to help you ensure that your child can be Soaring to Success this year and beyond!

Tip #3: Provide a specific time for homework and help with time management and goal setting

• Establish a regular homework routine: make homework completion an expected part of the day. Children thrive on predictable routines and use them to build personal habits. Consider using a timer to set boundaries for homework completion, and offering a fun activity when the timer goes off to motivate children to finish assignments in a timely manner.
• Use a planner or calendar: as Westlawn brings AVID strategies to each grade level, an increasing number of our students are provided with agendas to keep track of assignments. Encourage children to check items off in their agenda as they complete them, which will give them a sense of accomplishment as the check marks build. If your child is too young to have an agenda, consider using a paper wall calendar to check off a single item, such as time spent reading on any given day.
• Break down big tasks: if you notice that your child is struggling to start an assignment, ask them about it. They might feel overwhelmed and need you to model ways to turn the assignment into a series of smaller pieces. Rewards also work! If your child is doing ST Math, perhaps every 3 puzzles will earn them an M&M.
• Celebrate small successes: establishing new routines is hard work! Consider rewarding your child for meeting goals, such as reading for pleasure for five straight days for 10 minutes per day. Celebrations don’t need to be costly; at Westlawn, we know the value of a scratch-and-sniff sticker or a special lunch in the teacher’s classroom. You might consider rewards like making your child their favorite meal, playing video games with them, or taking them to the park to kick a soccer ball around for a little while after dinner.

Tip #4: Maintain communication with teachers and counselors

• Use TalkingPoints to initiate contact when needed: your child’s teacher and counselor want to do everything they can to support your child, and they love to hear from you! TalkingPoints messages only go to the teacher or counselor, and not to other families in the class, so you can rest assured that what you share is confidential. If you notice that TalkingPoints is not working, please  email Ms. Dushok .  Learn more about TalkingPoints .
• Review school communications: at Westlawn we have several ways that we share the news from our school with the community. Our newsletter is  The Feather Report and is published on Friday evenings.  Sign up for  The Feather Report . You are welcome to attend Community Conversations, which happen on Zoom at 11 AM on Wednesdays, with  the link shared on our website calendar .  The English slide decks and their Spanish translations, as well as the recordings from the conversations , are available on our website.  Our school website contains answers to many of the frequently-asked questions about Westlawn, and we routinely post information and celebrations on our  Instagram and  Facebook pages. Also--while it seems like a lot, we intentionally share the same information across multiple platforms. We are completely invested in ensuring that you have all the information you need to stay connected with us.
• Visit Westlawn during community events: we love when you visit us! Visiting Westlawn is an amazing opportunity to see where your child learns every day. Our  events are usually very well attended, and they are a great way to meet your child’s friends, their families, and our staff. New this year: you can add all Westlawn events to the calendar on your phone!  Learn how to add events in English , or  learn how to add events in Spanish .

Did you like these suggestions? Stay tuned to  The Feather Report and our  Instagram and  Facebook pages to learn more when the next tips drop!