1. Show you care. Your child needs hugs and words of support. Ask your child about school each day.
   

2. Read, Read, Read.   Read with your child or have him or her read every day.   Make it fun - talk about what you've read. 

3. Make home a place for learning. Help your child practice reading, writing, math, and science skills.  Stimulate your child's creativity.

4. Promote healthy habits. Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep and exercise and eats balanced meals.  Schedule regular physicals and checkups.

5. Be a role model.  Your child learns from you. Be positive about education and how you enjoy learning.

6. Encourage independence. Allow your child to make mistakes and learn to accept their consequences. Give your child responsibilities, such as household chores.

7. Create a study routine.  Set a time and quiet place for your child to work every day.  Go over homework together.

8. Get involved.   Meet with your child's teacher, attend school events and help out at school if you can.

9. Build success. Help raise your child's self-esteem by setting reachable goals and praising your child's efforts, not just results.

10. Make school important.  Insist on good attendance and punctuality.

1. Re-establish your child's bedtime routine.  If your child has been staying up later on summer evenings, begin to adjust his/her sleep schedule back to school year bedtime hours at least one week before school starts.  A well-rested child is a more attentive child in school.  In fact, the symptoms of too little sleep and attention disorders are very similar.  A good night of sleep pays off for your child in school.
2. Discuss breakfast and lunch choices that sustain energy and promote wellness. Diet impacts body chemistry in a variety of ways - particularly a child's sugar, salt and fat intake.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers a number of website resources at http://teamnutrition.usda.gov regarding healthy lifestyle choices for children that address diet, wellness and fitness.
3. Plan to attend your school's Open House and Back-to-School activities.  For both younger and older children, going to school with you to meet teachers sends a message from the start that you will be involved as a partner with the teacher in supporting your child's education.
4. Consider volunteering in any way you can.  The countless and varied tasks performed by volunteers are vital to the continued operation adn success of our schools.  Sharing your life experiences, memories, technical know-how, or friendship with a young person can make a huge impact on a student's life and achievement.
5. Don't wait to contact your child's school about a question or concern.  Little problems quickly can escalate into larger ones, and while all of our workloads have increased because of e-mail and voicemail, we want to know when something is on your mind.  Issues that should not wait include bullying of your child or another child, bus problems, or your child feeling overwhelmed with homework or upset about his/her relationship with a teacher. If you inner instinct says that something isn't going well, please reach our to your child's teacher.
6. Thank an educator for helping your child or other children in some special way.  The many fabulous educators in our schools, just as teachers before them, work tirelessly because of their commitment to the success of their students.  There is nothing valued more by an educator than a personal note, e-mail, or call from a parent saying, "I appreciated when..."

please take note of the following school bus safety tips:

• Be sure your child arrives at their bus stop 5
  minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.

• When the bus approaches, remind your child
  to stand at least 5 giant steps away from the
  curb and line up away from the bus.

• Never run after the school bus if it has
  already left the bus stop.

• Never run in front or behind the school bus
  to pick up something that your child dropped or forgot.

• Make sure you tell your child never to get on the bus until it has completely stopped.

• After the bus stops and the door opens, take firm hold of the handrail and get onto the bus.

• Never push another student while getting on or off the bus.


• All students riding the bus should go directly to a seat and sit quietly. This allows
  the bus driver to concentrate on driving safely.

• Students should never place any part of their body through the bus window.
  
  When outside of the bus, make sure your child is aware of the danger zones and is
  always within sight of the bus driver. The Danger Zone is a 10-foot wide area on all sides
  of a school bus -- an area where children are in the most danger of being hit. Children
  should be taught to stay 10 feet away from a school bus (or as far away as they can) and
  never go behind it. They should be told to take five giant steps in front of the bus before
  crossing so the driver can see them.

US Department of Education Security and Safety Tips

School Bus Safety Tips for Drivers

Please review the following bus safety reminders for all motorists and share them with a
neighbor or friend:

• Never pass on the right side of a school bus where children enter or exit. This is
  illegal and can have tragic results.

• Yellow flashing lights mean the bus is preparing to stop and load or unload
  children. Motorists need to slow down and prepare to stop.

• Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm mean the bus has stopped and
  children are boarding or exiting the bus. Motorists must come to a complete stop a
  safe distance from the bus and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the stop arm
  is retracted, and the bus begins moving before they start driving again