Salem Statesman Journal
January 22, 2020
Laura Dillon

Now that the holidays are over, it can be a challenge to refocus, reset, and restart for the second half of the school year. For many students and families, it can be hard to get back into the swing of things. Sometimes the simplest tasks, like reviewing homework assignments, can seem daunting.

Although it may be tempting to skip ahead to spring break or even summer, it’s important for you and your family to start and finish off the school year strong. Here are six simple tips to help you achieve just that.

Re-organize

Clean desks, backpacks and home learning stations. Have students toss out tattered notebooks, leaky pens, or other damaged items and restock with new materials. Wipe down work surfaces, keyboards and computer screens. Sanitize keyboards, your mouse, if you use one, and cords.

Just like the beginning of the school year, if students have their school supplies organized in the right places, they will be better able to keep up with assignments.

Regroup

The half-way point in the school year gives parents the perfect opportunity to talk with their children about their progress. Review your student’s first-semester report cards and ask them to identify achievements and areas for improvement. Ask your children about the first half of the school year, what they were proud of or improvements they want to make. Find out what they are hoping for in the remainder of the school year.

Establish attainable goals

Whether your students are working on academic targets set last fall or hope for new achievements during the second half of the school year, goal setting is key. Using the information from your regroup and communicating with your child’s teacher, assist your students in developing challenging but reachable goals to accomplish before the school year is over. If you let your kids take the initiative, it will give them a sense of pride and ownership in their education.

Goals could range from raising a student’s GPA to turning in homework on time and will vary depending on the child. Students may want to write down their goals and put the list on the fridge or bulletin board so you can review them together. Establishing the right goals is key and can help your children stay motivated and improve performance as they finish out the school year.

Set Priorities

Perhaps it’s the cold, rainy Oregon weather this time of year that often causes students to get cabin fever and they just can’t focus on school. Then when spring comes many students get involved in extracurricular activities and their grades may suffer.

To help your student refocus, it is important for them to understand from parents that school is a priority. Reinforce that extracurricular activities are great, provided schoolwork comes first. This will help your students stay on track.

Create a healthy routine

As your family moves into the second half of the school year, it is important to create a healthy routine that works well for everyone. Use your fall schedule as a template and revise as necessary to accommodate any changes.

This is also a great time to revisit homework and study times to ensure students are sticking to the program. Let’s not forget healthy brains need good nutrition, exercise, and a good night’s sleep.

Touch base with your child’s teacher(s)

Touching base with your child’s teacher(s) as the second half of the school year can provide valuable updates on academic growth and social emotional development. Ask questions like “what goals do you have for my student now?” or “what can I do to assist my child?”

Keeping lines of communication open with your student’s teachers helps them feel more comfortable sharing information. You can also connect with the teachers to track any big school assignments, events, or other highlights coming up in your student’s classes as the school year winds down.

If parents are willing to try some of these suggestions, perhaps students will feel more confident about what they’ve achieved and the workload ahead. Helping students adopt a positive attitude will lead to positive outcomes for those new academic goals from now until the end of the school year.

Laura Dillon is Oregon Connections Academy School Outreach Manager from Eugene Enrollment is ongoing for the 2019-2020 school year. For information please visit: www.OregonConnectionsAcademy.com or call (800) 382–6010.