Smooth school start for families

There’s nothing like the first day of school to get this mom’s mind racing with ways we could create a more “family-friendly” District 65.

Today, I found myself reflecting on how the beginning of a new school year can be both an exciting and stressful time for families – whether your little one is just starting kindergarten or heading off to middle school as mine did this morning. And, that’s why finding ways to ease this transition for both students and parents needs to be on our “to do” list as we consider strategies for strengthening the home-school connection, a key goal in the District’s recently adopted five-year strategic plan.

I got to thinking more about this after reading a recent thread of discussion on the Evanston/Skokie PTA Council listserv. The conversation was about how our elementary and middle schools let parents know what class their child has been assigned to as well as whether there are opportunities to meet their teacher prior to arriving on the first day. Surprisingly, despite the fact that we are one consolidated district, each school handles these matters in a different way. With regard to class assignments (and schedules for middle schoolers), some schools send a letter home while others simply post a list outside the building a few days before the start of school. As for having a chance to visit in advance, again, there does not appear to be any consistency. At some schools, there is a formal “meet and greet” while at others, you simply show up the first day lugging your shopping bags of pencils and paper towels.

Although I appreciate and support the notion that each school is unique and should have the creative license to place its own mark on the back-to-school experience, I believe that we are long overdue for a basic standard that is followed District-wide. Here are a few examples of what I would include:

First, at least one week prior to the first day of school, every student would receive a letter (via e-mail or U.S. mail if no e-mail address was provided at registration) signed by his/her teacher welcoming them to the class. This gesture would not only help relieve the anxiety many children experience at the start of a new school year but also eliminate the need for parents to have to make repeated calls or trips to see if class lists have been posted. Apparently, this latter practice has become somewhat of a tradition; however, it seems out of touch with the life realities of today’s time-strapped working parents (not to mention being cumbersome for families whose children are bussed to a school outside of their immediate neighborhood).

Second, I would set aside a consistent time each year– such as the Friday afternoon before school starts – when all buildings would be open to welcome families. This would not preclude individual schools and their PTAs from planning their own special events (such as “play dates” for incoming kindergarten families) but rather ensure that every District 65 student has an equal opportunity to stop by their classroom, meet their teacher, and drop off supplies. Plus, by putting this on the calendar well in advance, it would make it possible for more working parents to arrange their schedules so that they can share this memorable experience with their children.

Simple steps like these would go a long way toward fostering a more family-supportive environment in our schools which in turn, will hopefully lead to greater parental involvement and academic success for our children.