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Parents, we welcome you to Madison
YOU are the parent of a school-age child. As children face each school year, particularly their first, with some anxiety about the unknown, so do many parents. How does your role as a parent differ now that you have a child in public school? Or does it? Just where is that parent manual?
Almost all parents want their child(ren) to experience success in school but many do not know where, or how, to begin. Perhaps your own experience with school was not positive, or it was so positive you don't know how to relate to the child who is struggling. The research strongly indicates that you, as a parent, can absolutely make a difference in your child's academic success. Parent involvement directly correlates to an increase in student motivation, improved behavior, and higher achievement test scores.
The community of Madison is committed to strengthening that partnership between home and school by encouraging all of our parents to be active partners in their child's education. Throughout the school year there will be numerous opportunities for involvement and we always welcome new suggestions. In addition we have outlined below several avenues forsupport.
One of the most important avenues available to you is to help your child form a positive student/teacher relationship. Children are most receptive to an adult's instruction when they have learned to care about the adults in their world. They are able to do this when they have themselves been cared for, respected, and loved. You can also model respect by talking positively about the teacher in front of the student and showing support for the teacher and school.
It is also valuable to build a positive parent/teacher relationship. Make an effort to get to know the teacher, communicate through notes, take time to show appreciation, and assume the teacher is trying to do the best for your child. The benefits of your efforts will be well worth it. You will enhance communication, increase your credibility as you voice opinions/ideas, know more about what is going on in the classroom, and increase the teacher's expectations for your child.
Other suggestions are to attend conferences, volunteer whenever possible, and know what is expected of your child at each grade level. You can also build character traits in your child which will promote success. Traits such as responsibility, perseverance, respect for authority, curiosity, and creativity. Let your children develop initiative by allowing them to do things on their own. Resist the impulse to step in and rescue every time they struggle with a challenge. Build their confidence by focusing on the process of learning and emphasize effort, not results.
We welcome you, as a parent, to Madison. We want it to be a warm and inviting place for your child(ren) and yourselves. You are a valuable and essential team member.