- Bring your IEP, report card, and most recent evaluation from the previous school. This will help the staff make placement and service decisions faster.
- Don't walk in with a list of demands, or complaints about your previous faculty. None of those people work at your new school. Give them a chance for a fresh start.
- Have positive conversations with your child about making new friends and all the fun and exciting things that will happen in the new year.
- Discuss possible extra-curricular activities your youngster may enjoy, and encourage her to participate in at least one.
- Start school bedtimes now so the transition will be easier.
- Check out possible routes to and from school now so you can look for traffic jams and reduce stress later.
- Even if you don't have access to the school supply list (although most will have them posted on their web sites or available in larger stores), get a few basics, such as pens, pencils, map colors, notebooks, and paper.
- Get everything ready the night before. That also avoids the last-minute rush.
- Encourage your child to introduce himself to new friends, and practice this with him.
- Talk to other parents in your neighborhood to get tips for your child.
- Offer a few choices to your child so she will feel more in control, such as selecting between two outfits or two types of food for lunch.
- For secondary students, you may want to pack a lunch as navigating the lunch lines on the first day may prove too much of a challenge.
- Take your youngster to the library and read some books about the first day of school to reduce anxiety.
- If a meet the teacher night is available, take advantage of it!
How do you prepare your children for a new school?
I would add, starting as soon as possible, talk about the positive reasons for the change- such as better job, fewer bully problems, better classes or extras such as music, a fresh start, or better IEP help. I have moved schools for all these reasons as I navigated helping my kids succeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd also, I discovered that I have to back up your "night before" suggestion several days to a week, as the process of making choices- while important to them- leads to the worst meltdowns. So we start early and relaxed, with me bringing a few folders and supplies home that I think they'll like, and they choose from those and I return the rest. I tried bringing them shoe-shopping this year, and that deserves a whole post- so I do that the same as folders for that now too. :)