EDUCATION MATTERS—SANFORD SCHOOL'S PRIVATE SCHOOL BLOG

The end of the school year is here, and while that might mean lazy days by the pool or family vacations, it’s also the perfect time to start preparing your child for the upcoming school year. Here are six fun ways to promote learning and to make sure your child makes the most of this SUMMER so that they can roll smoothly into the fall.

How do you keep a school community strong in a school year caught between virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning? It starts with school leaders and parents who have a shared vision of success. Your support and participation make a difference. Whether you choose to engage on a personal, informal, or formal level, here are a few opportunities to stay engaged in your school community during the pandemic.

After eighteen or so years, you may be ready to see your senior plan their departure to college and move away, or like many parents, you may be dreading it. Giving yourself time to contemplate this huge life change and to offer some useful tips to your student will make a difference. Here are a few suggestions to help you get ready:

While it is wonderful to be back to school in person, COVID-19 has made the school experience drastically different, so you may need to switch up the routine that you have relied on in the past. Below are some suggestions for what you should do the night before school and in the morning to ensure that you and your child have a smooth start to the day. Depending on your child's age will dictate how much guidance they will need when preparing for the school day.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a slew of new responsibilities, challenges, and worries onto the shoulders of parents everywhere. With school closures and stay-at-home orders, parenting has taken on several new dimensions that can be difficult to navigate.  As a result, parents are feeling more burnt out and stressed than ever before. Coping with the demands of the pandemic is not easy for parents, but it is important for our well-being to find healthy ways of managing stress and taking care of ourselves. Here are some tips for parents to confront the unique stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Technology is a big part of life today, especially given that many students are spending at least some portion of the school year doing remote learning, as well as connecting with friends and family over social media. In the past, the goal was to keep screen time under two hours per day, but in 2015 the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) media recommendations were updated to be less focused on a specific number and more focused on having balance. Below we walk through the six steps that the AAP encourages families to take to support the development of healthy media behaviors.

With many schools learning completely online or hybrid, it is important to make sure you are creating a safe and reliable virtual learning environment for your child. Your child may need to attend virtual meetings and complete assignments for class daily. Remind your child about internet safety and expectations to act appropriately when using technology. If your child’s school is using virtual learning, consider these best practices:

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the lives of teenagers. For children in 7th through 12th grade, going to school, interacting with friends, and engaging with family all look very different today than they did a year ago. Often, this drastic level of sudden change in a teenager’s lifestyle can give rise to feelings of uncertainty and stress. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing stress, there are a number of strategies you can implement to promote positive mental health habits with your teen. Here are some tips to help manage stress in 7th-12th graders:

The stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted nearly everyone, yet it can be difficult to pinpoint how the pandemic has affected the mental and emotional health of young children. Children manifest feelings of stress and anxiety in different ways than adults, and as a result, their mental health needs may often go overlooked. Here are some tips for promoting your child’s mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Winter Break is a great time to cuddle up with your kids and do some reading! Below we have a list of holiday reads for young children that celebrate holiday traditions from all over the world. Use these books to revisit holidays that you know and love or to learn about a new celebration.