Now that you know a little more about our school, I'd like to talk to you about
ways you can help to prepare your student to be one of my very successful buddies.
Years of experience have taught our teachers that these kinds of activities
will help your child make the most of his or her years in school. The suggestions
below are a strong foundation for successful living in general, but they especially
apply to the school experience. Please look at them carefully and provide as many
of these experiences for your child as possible. It's a worthwhile investment!

1. Help your child learn to become responsible for his or her own clothing. When
parents gather things up, the child comes to expect it, and will not assume
this responsibility.

2. Your child should take turns with others when speaking and listening. Help
them distinguish the appropriate time for each.

3. Insist that your child accepts and follows directions wihtout argument from
you and the other significant adults in his/her life. This paves the way for
cooperation in the classroom.

4. Help your child learn to be part of a considerate audience (including applause).
Sitting quietly in a play, movie, church, synagogue, or even watching television,
helps your child attend activities appreciatively.

5. Take your child to areas where children play, so they may learn fair play and
cooperation. Think about waiting one's turn at the slide or water fountain,
or perhaps at the museum.

6. During the day, when there are no distractions, take time to have a conversation
with your child. Catch up on the day, discuss accomplishments, activities,
and feelings. Children learn to listen as a direct result of having been listened
to themselves. Let us listen to them with respect now, so that we can expect
that they will respect others by listening.

7. You can help increase your child's auditory memory by beginning with one-step,
two-step, and three-step directions. Example: Put your jacket in your closet.
Bring me your bedtime story book and your hair brush, etc.

8. Instill in your child the concept that everyone shares in clean-up responsibilities,
not just the ones who made the most mess. This builds cooperation, teamwork,
and a sense of family at the school.

9. Help children learn to keep their rooms clean. Let them make their own bed
(ignoring wrinkles and occasional tucking problems). Teach them to take
care of their own property, and help them to learn to organize things neatly
and put things away in their proper places (e.g. books, toys, etc.).

10. Help your children to store toys in stackable plastic boxes or on shelves. It
will help them to become more organized.

11. Set aside an area for drawing, coloring, cutting and pasting - either at a
table in the child's room or at the kitchen table. Plastic containers with handles
are commonly available, and will help with this greatly. They are useful
for storing crayons, pencils, scissors (blunt, not sharp), and glue sticks or a
jar of paste.

We hope that you begin trying these suggestions. We are sure they will
contribute significantly to your child's success in school.