Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Routines

With the start of the new school year, we try to reach back and find the routines that helped get us successfully through the days prior to summer.

In my house, that means trying to remember everyone’s showering time in the morning. There are five that have to get in and out in a short period of time. So you can see why that is such an important procedure to re-establish quickly.

Also – lunches have to be prepared. . . backpacks set for the next day and positioned somewhere where they and any other material for the next day will not be forgotten.
What day is gym? Do you need a change of clothes?

Breakfast -- money for lunch – you know the drill.

It will take a little while for the right routine to be established that allows the morning to move through in a way that gets everyone off and ready for a day of learning.

Our teachers are working to establish similar routines for the classroom. What will work this year? There is a new effort in many of the elementary grades to help in this process. We are implementing a program called Responsive Classroom. I will be able to share more about that in the coming weeks. Also, the Junior High School teachers are expanding their use of Developmental Designs – a similar program for middle school age students.

In a few weeks, routines for this new school year will start to become established. If you are a parent, help your child find the routines that will lead to success. This is especially important for things such as homework completion and overall school readiness.

Again – have a great school year.

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