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Back to
school – The start of a new term, new school year or new school
is often a stressful, anxious and exciting time for many of our
children.
Here are
some ideas to help make the transition go more smoothly.
You may like
to consider providing the new teacher with a one page synopsis
or passport about your child.
You could include:
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Challenges
that may not be obvious,
Stress signs,
Stress triggers,
Suggestions to reduce anxiety
Strengths and Interests (ie. how the teacher can use them
to orchestrate successful experiences). |
Building
a relationship and rapport with your child’s new school or
teacher can also be challenging for us parents too. Below are
a few suggestions that may help create a positive working relationship:
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Look
for opportunities to show appreciation and support to all
school staff who go out of their way to help your child be
successful.
Remember that start of a new term is a very busy period for
teachers and that they will need time to get to know your
child and they will make mistakes.
Try to be approachable and supportive even if they get it
wrong.
Remember you do know your child best.
Be prepared to share your experiences of what works well at
home so the teacher has something to go on and can adapt or
incorporate strategies that work into the school environment.
Explain to the teacher that many of our children do not transfer
skills/behaviour between home and school so it is important
that both school and home communicate.
Encourage discussions with school about ways they can help
your child and ways you can support them to do so.
Try to make sure you don’t always pop into see the teacher
when things go wrong, pop in and tell them the positives too!! |
For next
year, some things you can try before the school year ends:
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Often
meeting with your child’s new teacher and visiting their new
classroom helps reduce some of the anxieties and gives you
the chance to discuss your child's support needs with the
new teacher in advance.
If your child is helped by visual supports, perhaps taking
photos of the new teacher and classroom that they can refer
to over the holidays can help them to adapt to the changes
at their own pace. |
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